Mc Donald's Strategy - A snapshot

Do you know since its inception Mc Donald's was focusing on its burgers- which is their trademark period.With increasing competition from other fast food chains they did bring about changes in their menus.They introduced family meals which are essentially value meals-pay less but get more items i.e. the combo meals. They also introduced meals for kids. To engage they kids they also started giving some kind of small gifts.
Mc Donald's is probably the first company that comes to ones mind when one thinks of franchising.But over a period of time that have moved from their mass standardization strategy to some kind of customization to suit the taste buds of their global customer base.For e.g. in India they have removed beef burgers from their menu because of religious sentiments.Instead they have come up with items like Mc Aloo Tikki Burger( i.e. a potato burger) and host of other vegetarian items.This helps them to adapt as per the needs of the country and in the process build up a strong customer base. Another important point here is about the diversity of items.They introduced their desert menu sometime back.Pies have been around for a long time though.But it was just an add on.Burgers were their main source of revenue.But not any more.Deserts have become one of the primary reasons why people visit Mc Donald's in the afternoons or evenings.They now add to the bottom line.So the company has added wide range of desert items under Mc Flurry. More on McDonald's later...Keep watching this space for more updates.