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The problem with the big mac index is that it assumes people still like mcdonalds.

nemo44x 5y ago
Their stock and earnings would suggest they’re more popular than ever. Every time I drive past the one near me there’s a line of cars wrapped around it.
- mgkimsal 5y ago
  Are they not letting people inside? a couple around me still seem to be 'drive through only', which accounts for 'line of cars' I see, which... just seems like it's people sitting around wasting more gas idling. Maybe some McDonalds will convert to a 'drive-in' style, like sonic, with food runners...
  - eru 5y ago
    Where I live, there was a brief period in 2020 when they didn't let people inside McDonald's, but otherwise they have always allowed dine-in. (However, I live in Singapore.)
    - dripton 5y ago
      Some fast-food places in the US went drive-through-only in 2020 and are still that way. I think if you're in the kind of rural or suburban place where almost everyone drives almost everywhere, then the drive-through does the majority of fast food business anyway, and many people who would have gone inside will switch to the drive-through rather than not buying your food, so the cost savings from not having to hire more staff to maintain the dining room might make up for the lost sales. Obviously in an urban area that gets a lot of foot traffic, this would not be the case.
      - mgkimsal 5y ago
        Some of the places around me are 'dine-in sometimes', which is maddening, as I can't tell until I go to the door if it's locked or not. So... I've quite going to those places. I don't care to sit idling my car for 3-5 minutes in a long queue.
- odonnellryan 5y ago
  I worked with a dude a decade ago who called me saying he was going to be late because there was a big line at McDonald's haha
refurb 5y ago
Snide comment, but still a good point. I assume that Macdonald's prices based on perceived value. If you go to Asia, McD’s has a much higher perceived value - and McD’s knows this and does multiple product launches every year, often catering to local tastes. So I’d assume that consumers in the US or Europe don’t value a Big Mac the same was they do in Asia and as such the pricing differ (i.e. they can price higher in Asia).
- codingkev 5y ago
  True. In parts of Eastern Europe and in Asia, McDonalds is still considered a American premium-brand. Same goes for Starbucks and some other American chains.
- viceroyalbean 5y ago
  From having eaten at McD's in Sweden and Korea I'd say the Korean McD's is miles beyond the Swedish one in every way, including tasting better and also being cheaper. In Sweden I would never eat there unless I really had no other option, whereas I don't mind eating McDonald's in Korea.
Turing_Machine 5y ago
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MCD/key-statistics?p=MCD https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MCD/key-statistics?p=MCD Annual revenue: $23.22B Profit margin: 32.49% And that's ignoring the fact that a lot of the revenue and profit go to franchisees, and never make it to the corporate level to be reflected in those numbers. There's no assumption necessary. Clearly a whole lot of people still like McDonald's.
tasha0663 5y ago
I'm heartbroken that covid killed the all-day breakfast menu. And I always keep an eye out for the McRib...

Their stock and earnings would suggest they’re more popular than ever. Every time I drive past the one near me there’s a line of cars wrapped around it.

mgkimsal 5y ago
Are they not letting people inside? a couple around me still seem to be 'drive through only', which accounts for 'line of cars' I see, which... just seems like it's people sitting around wasting more gas idling. Maybe some McDonalds will convert to a 'drive-in' style, like sonic, with food runners...
- eru 5y ago
  Where I live, there was a brief period in 2020 when they didn't let people inside McDonald's, but otherwise they have always allowed dine-in. (However, I live in Singapore.)
  - dripton 5y ago
    Some fast-food places in the US went drive-through-only in 2020 and are still that way. I think if you're in the kind of rural or suburban place where almost everyone drives almost everywhere, then the drive-through does the majority of fast food business anyway, and many people who would have gone inside will switch to the drive-through rather than not buying your food, so the cost savings from not having to hire more staff to maintain the dining room might make up for the lost sales. Obviously in an urban area that gets a lot of foot traffic, this would not be the case.
    - mgkimsal 5y ago
      Some of the places around me are 'dine-in sometimes', which is maddening, as I can't tell until I go to the door if it's locked or not. So... I've quite going to those places. I don't care to sit idling my car for 3-5 minutes in a long queue.
odonnellryan 5y ago
I worked with a dude a decade ago who called me saying he was going to be late because there was a big line at McDonald's haha

refurb 5y ago

Snide comment, but still a good point. I assume that Macdonald's prices based on perceived value. If you go to Asia, McD’s has a much higher perceived value - and McD’s knows this and does multiple product launches every year, often catering to local tastes. So I’d assume that consumers in the US or Europe don’t value a Big Mac the same was they do in Asia and as such the pricing differ (i.e. they can price higher in Asia).

codingkev 5y ago
True. In parts of Eastern Europe and in Asia, McDonalds is still considered a American premium-brand. Same goes for Starbucks and some other American chains.
viceroyalbean 5y ago
From having eaten at McD's in Sweden and Korea I'd say the Korean McD's is miles beyond the Swedish one in every way, including tasting better and also being cheaper. In Sweden I would never eat there unless I really had no other option, whereas I don't mind eating McDonald's in Korea.

Turing_Machine 5y ago

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MCD/key-statistics?p=MCD https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/MCD/key-statistics?p=MCD Annual revenue: $23.22B Profit margin: 32.49% And that's ignoring the fact that a lot of the revenue and profit go to franchisees, and never make it to the corporate level to be reflected in those numbers. There's no assumption necessary. Clearly a whole lot of people still like McDonald's.

tasha0663 5y ago

I'm heartbroken that covid killed the all-day breakfast menu. And I always keep an eye out for the McRib...