How McDonald’s has kept Europeans hooked to its fast-food

On the surface, McDonald’s is the most American institution. It serves burgers and huge portions of fried food – both of which have become favorite foods in the United States. Known as. Book details The fast food giant has a huge influence among restaurant chains and fast food, making it inherently American.

Given its place in American culture, McDonald’s success in Europe may surprise you. The secret to McDonald’s growth isn’t its ubiquitous chicken nuggets or McFlurries. It’s the company’s local cuisine, which makes up about a third of the menu in every country, says Tim Kenward, the company’s director of marketing for international operating markets. luck.

“The heritage is very American,” he said. “In the United States, dishes are probably closer to the core when they are innovative, compared to Europe, where they are a little bit more core — but with respect.”

Europeans can be a finicky audience. Every country has a rich culinary heritage, whether it’s how to prepare meat or how to bake the best bread. McDonald’s love didn’t come immediately in markets like France. But in some ways it was inevitable, as the likes of McDonald’s and Coca-Cola were headed for global dominance as people’s lifestyles evolved, writes Giulia Crisanti, a postdoctoral research fellow at Sapienza University of Rome, in ““Do Europeans like that?” Ha Recently published book.

For Europeans, this meant shedding anti-American stereotypes, changing traditional eating habits, and embracing the new forms of food that came with globalization.

“They’ve somehow managed to blend European and American food cultures,” Crisanti says. “It’s not a threat because it’s not competing with Italian and French food traditions. It’s something we can enjoy — it’s American (and) trendy, especially among younger consumers.”

McDonald’s has now found its place in the market. In 2024, when a French or German citizen eats a delicious McDonald’s burger, he or she will not think of it as a cultural export of the United States, because it has integrated into the local diet.

The approach has clearly worked. The company opened its first European location in the Netherlands in 1971. Half a century later, it has more than 8,000 restaurants across the continent, reflecting the growth of its business. There is a separate group of fans who like to try McDonald’s menus in different countries out of curiosity. While McDonald’s doesn’t share a breakdown of its revenue by country, its international markets, including Europe, Australia and Canada, account for about half of the company’s total revenue.

But maintaining a position in the ever-evolving food market is no easy feat, even for a giant like McDonald’s. To help keep its customers interested, the company is constantly looking for the breadcrumbs that will lead it to the next big prize on its menu.

Create the menu

McDonald’s introduces an average of 10 new items in each European market each year, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg, Kenward said, compared to the complex array of items it tests. That’s how she found some of her popular dishes, like the Italian pistachio McFlurry, the Swiss McRaclette, and the viral McDonald’s dish. Dutch Potato Sauce.

Despite being a fairly strong player in the fast-food world, the company doesn’t look inward for inspiration for new menus. “Consumers are the architects of our menus,” he says.

“We taste, we try, we expand the universe of different options and then we arrive at the perfect item,” Kenward added.

The Chicago-based company monitors what people need or are talking about online after conducting extensive internet research to determine what’s trending in the market.

Then he moves quickly. He works with the chefs (sometimes Notable PeopleThe company develops innovative ideas in each market, such as Michelin-starred chef Paul Cunningham, and tests ideas at multiple stages, including with customers. At the same time, the company thinks about a name for the dish and how to price and segment it. For example, the fast-food giant might consider how Gen Z orders the dish, given their love of snacking throughout the day.

Kenward points out that McDonald’s strategy isn’t always to invent new dishes from scratch. Sometimes, the company simply builds on its past successes and reignites the nostalgia surrounding them.

The company makes the same McCrispie burger in the Netherlands but adds a slice of Old Amsterdam cheese for a local twist. That simple change has sold millions of burgers, says Stijn Mintrop, head of marketing at McDonald’s Netherlands.

Another example is the breakfast wrap in the UK, which was removed several years ago. But then dozens of fans on social media started talking about it, prompting McDonald’s to bring the wrap back and make it a permanent item on its UK menu.

“Bringing back some beloved things can be as exciting as bringing back new things,” Kenward said. He also pointed to Poland’s long-awaited Lumberjack Burger, which returns to McDonald’s menu every winter with a few new items to generate excitement.

“It’s starting to become a real part of their culture,” he added.

Reports showed that the company has changed Nutrition and ingredient profiles for some of the UK’s signature items differ from the US, with some differences being more significant than others. This may be due to taste buds being fine-tuned and access to ingredients, including banned and uncommon additives and preservatives. This certainly hasn’t stopped people from flocking to McDonald’s when they’re craving fast food.

Although McDonald’s studies its customers in great detail, there is no clear formula for what will or will not work. For example, the company introduced the Pizza McPizza for quick and easy meals. In the eightiesBut this strategy did not find sufficient acceptance among its customers in Italy. On the other hand, panzerotti, which resembles small calzones, became a staple on the Italian menu.

While McDonald’s has used food to penetrate European markets, Crisanti said the company’s business model of franchising and local supply chains has helped it better integrate into the region, citing France as an example.

“There was a need to present the McDonald’s menu as something local, something French because we rely on French suppliers, we employ French workers, and we give opportunities, thanks to our franchise structure, to French entrepreneurs,” she said.

Each European market varies in how deeply McDonald’s is involved in the fast-food scene, depending on the competition it faces and how well it is integrated into the local landscape. In countries like France, where eating at McDonald’s is a family outing, tables are deliberately rounded to provide more comfort. It is also the European country with the most McDonald’s restaurants, despite its reputation for fine dining.

Turning a TikTok Trend Into a McDonald’s Moment

As a machine that never stops innovating new foods, what does McDonald’s success look like in Europe?

The key lies in the glue that holds McDonald’s efforts together: its bold social media presence. McDonald’s France’s Instagram account recently caught the public’s attention when Joke post about him The classic curry sauce was removed from its menu after basketball player Stephen Curry helped Team USA win the gold medal against Team France at the Paris Olympics.

Every time the company introduces a new menu, short videos posted by McDonald’s fans flood the internet, racking up millions of views within days. But that “ability to talk,” as Mintrop puts it, is what the company wants.

@gw.alkerr McDonald’s in Croatia has a new pistachio McFlurry 😍 #Walker95 #pistachio #McFlurry #McDonald’s #food #mukbang #fyp #diffuse ♬ Original sound – gw.alker

“Sometimes there are things that are so popular that they break the internet. That’s what we say, and we want that to happen once or twice a year,” he said. “If we innovate around a product locally, we need to make sure it has a big impact, because that costs a lot of time.”

People share memories with McDonald’s, creating a strong customer base that willingly participates in the company’s digital experiences. Monopoly – a reimagining of the original board game It offers rewards if you collect certain stickers – which is one of the ways people use the McDonald’s app.

Amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, app-based loyalty programs have given people a reason to spend their money in a way that could lead to future rewards in the form of free desserts or a bag of fries.

The company’s profits have certainly taken a hit in recent months for various reasons, including boycotts linked to the war in Gaza, which has caused its profits to decline. Second quarter sales France was among the markets that faced a drop in demand among households. The company is looking to offer €4 Happy Meals to lure its customers back.

In many ways, McDonald’s has succeeded in making itself at home across Europe. Mintrop notes that nearly 90% of Dutch people visit the chain’s restaurants in the Netherlands at least once a year, reflecting the Europeans’ admiration for the brand and its efforts to localize the fast-food brand.

“We took these really global icons and built our business (around them), but added local flavour where it mattered most,” he said.