I. Introduction
A. Imagine this: You’ve been driving around all day doing
errands and
it is about
time for dinner. You don’t want to go
home to a dirty
kitchen and try
to scrounge up something to eat, so what do you do?
B. A
common choice these days is to eat out.
But where do you go?
According
to an article in CQ Researcher, “46 million Americans
patronize 160,000
different fast-food restaurants every day” (
C. One
of the leaders in this industry is McDonald’s.
As an assistant
manager at
McDonald’s, I deal with customer satisfaction much of
the
time. I have to know what make the
customers want to come back.
D. Today
I would like to discuss what influences customer’s choice of fast food
restaurant. With research and personal
experience, I have found three major factors are correlated with a restaurant’s
success. These factors are: good value, fast service, and a quality
product.
II.
Body
A. First,
everyone likes a good bargain, but is charging the customer
a lower
price good for business?
1. According to the magazine, Advertising
Age, two years after
introducing their 59 cent Value Menu, Taco Bell’s sales rose
50%. (Hume & Johnson 59).
2. Other
restaurants had to follow suit, even though profit
margin went down.
3. Now
there are value deals in every corner of the fast food industry.
a. McDonalds
has 39 cent cheeseburger Wednesdays and Sundays.
b. Burger King has
a number of items for 99 cents.
B. Second on the list or what makes a fast food restaurant
successful
is
service.
1. An
article in Forbes magazine suggests that Americans want fast service and
they are willing to sacrifice quality and variety to get it (Harris 32).
2. Fast food restaurants have established
campaigns to improve service.
a. Burger King is trying dinner table
service.
b. At Denny’s you could get a free meal if it is not
delivered
on time.
c. McDonalds has a fast and friendly guarantee.
C. Even with the focus on value and service,
the subject of quality
does come
into play.
1. Incidents with ecoli
food poisoning at Jack in the Box have had an impact on how restaurants promote
food safety.
2. Other health issues such as nutrition and
freshness are on the mind of the consumer.
a. A National Restaurant Association poll found
that 70% of Americans worry about nutrition (
b.
Mc Donald’s, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken
are all
promoting low-fat or low-carbohydrate menu items.
III.
Conclusion
A. It appears that value, service, and
quality are factors that help ensure a restaurant’s success.
B. So
the next time you’ve had a busy day and you don’t want to deal with a dirty
kitchen, I hope you remember some of what I’ve said as you think
of where you want to go to eat.
Clark, William. “Fast Food Fast Profit.”
CQ Researcher 17
Nov. 2002:
37-45.
Industry.” Journal of Restaurant Management 42
(2004) 30-39.
Hume, Mark and Tina Johnson. “Big Times for The Big Mac.”