While most McDonald's customers have sung nothing but praise for the chain's all-day breakfast menu, a survey conducted by Nomura analyst Mark Kalinowski reveals franchisees are singing a different tune, saying the launch has been a nightmare.
Respondents allege the new menu is slowing down service, reducing average ticket costs and causing chaos in the kitchens.
"In small stores, the problems are vast with people falling over each other and equipment jammed in everywhere," one franchisee wrote in response to the survey.
Another wrote, "All-day breakfast is a non-starter. We are trading customers down from regular menu to lower-priced breakfast items. Not generating new traffic."
A third called it "erratic, distorted, disorganized direction from McDonald's," while nearly a dozen more franchisees complained that it slowed down service and added complexity to the kitchens.
"Customers are abandoning us in droves because we are either too slow, or sub-par quality," one franchisee wrote.
Other respondents noted customers' confusion over menu items, since what's offered varies regionally, while others noted the extra labor the launch required, according to Business Insider. Many of these complaints, most notably the one about the breakfast menu cannibalizing sales, had been predicted by food industry analysts prior to the launch.
Despite the negative outlook by respondents, McDonald's US President Mike Andres called the all-day breakfast launch a success.
"The successful launch of All Day Breakfast proves that when we listen to and respond to our customers and align around a great execution plan, we will grow our business and take share," he said, according to Bloomberg.
While it's still too early to tell whether the menu will be a success, the fact that franchisees are noticing problems a little over a week since the Oct. 6 launch might spell trouble for the burger giant, which has experienced seven straight quarters of same-store sales declines.
