McDonald’s cooks up some new ideas

Home delivery, all-day breakfasts and healthier food items for the Millennium generation may soon be on the menu for fast food giant McDonald’s, says its CEO.

Don Thompson said a key demographic for restaurants is millennials, the generation that is coming of age during the digital revolution. With taste preferences shifting towards healthier options and more complex flavours within this group, Thompson told NBC that new items like wraps and smoothies were key to meeting these new demands.

Consumers can expect one of the world’s largest restaurant chains to look very different in the future, with delivery services, loyalty programmes, and maybe even all-day breakfast options.

Thompson said: “We have looked at breakfast across the day. We have it in some markets around the world.”

He added that McDonald’s has looked at some “innovative ways” to expand breakfast hours for customers. “I think we’ll be seeing some of those things in the near future,” he added.

The company is also experimenting with delivery services in some countries “in a big way,” as well as in densely populated areas of America. Thompson said that “delivery is a big, big opportunity, particularly in areas where you don’t have drive-throughs.”

Despite being “a little bit late” to embrace mobile services, Thompson sees this being a major component of McDonald’s in the future. “We have tests already all around the world, making steps and strides to experiment both in mobile payments and consumer engagement with the company,” he said.

On the potential of a customer rewards loyalty programme, Thompson said he “loves the idea,” adding that “we might see something like that in the future”.