Missed opportunity at McDonald’s

The McDonald’s video menu in the drive-thru is a thing of beauty. Not only are the menu items clearly displayed, but you can see your order as it’s entered into the computer.

No more errors in ordering.

As a person who once had to constantly update items and prices on an analog menu board, this is a game changer.

When the order is complete, the screen shows your order with the message, “Mmm, great order!”

Here’s where McDonald’s has missed a golden opportunity to extend its branding and be surprising, amusing, and engaging.

All the things a great storyteller knows to do.

Had I been consulting with McDonald’s in the way I do with so many corporations, I would’ve advised that they take this excellent idea and make it work even better. Instead of simply, “Mmm, great order!”, why not include dozens of randomly selected messages instead to delight and surprise customers every time they order?

Some amusing. Some sincere. Some could even be educational. Messages like:

“Wise choice, eater of food!
“Exellent eats, bruh!”
“You got great taste!”
“Yummy choice!”
“Your tastebuds rock!”
“Delicious collection of calories!”
“Tasty eats, hungry person!”
“Scrumptious!”
“Sapid! Bet you didn’t know that means delicious!”
“Quite the palatable assemblage of food items!”
“A meal (or snack) fit for a king? Or a queen! Or court jester!”
“Mouthwatering goodness!”
“Delish!”
“Piquant! Which means yummy!”

Give me enough time, and I could come up with at least one hundred amusing, surprising, apropos messages.

As I tell storytellers, if you’re saying something the audience already knows, you’ve failed. If the message “Mmm, great order!” appears on the board every time I place an order, it might as well not be there, because eventually, I’ll stop seeing it.

Missed opportunity, McDonald’s. Happily, in this case, easily correctable.