If McDonald’s sucks so bad, why is it so massive?

This one has a fun twist.

See, Market Force did a huge study of burger chompers: lIke 11,000 people across the US. And they asked them to rate a bunch of burger chains on things like quality, value, cleanliness, service, and even curb appeal. You know: the things that we typically track in a category.

Lo and behold, McDonald’s scored near the bottom on every. Single. One. Worst in service. Worst in food. Terrible healthy options. Etc, etc.

Who did well? Well, In-N-Out topped half the metrics. Five Guys topped three. And Culver’s was on the podium. (So first of all, go eat at those places; see if they’re all that & a side of fries.)

But here’s the kicker: McDonald’s is FOUR TIMES BIGGER than its nearest competitor, Wendy’s. QSR Magazine reports that McD’s system generated about $53Bn in the US last year. Wendy’s did $12.5Bn. BK pulled in a neat $11Bn. 

How ‘bout those ratings darlings? Well, In-N-Out made $2.2Bn. And Five Guys made $2.3Bn.

What’s going on? If McD’s rates so poorly with people, why are they so massive?

Two things, really.

FIRST: the quality leader isn’t always the sales leader. I mean, there are fancier burger joints than Five Guys, and they sell even less. Maserati sells less than VW too. So there’s that.

But SECOND: this is a really great lesson in being careful what you ask — and what you DON’T ask. Two factors probably help McD’s trounce the competition, despite their weak service & food.

One, they’re amazingly predictable. People hate unpredictable. Like, hhhhhhhaaaaate it. So lots of people will pick a reliably meh burger over venturing into unknown territory at some random local dive in town. (That’s evolutionary psychology right there.)

And two — and I think this is really the big one — they are quite simply the easiest burger to find. And to get to. And to get out of. I mean, the Golden Arches is probably at one out of every 3 highway exits in the US. They’re open all the time. They’re as common as house cats. Srsly. There are over 13,000 McD’s in the USA. BK is the next closest with… 6,700. 

So, like, no wonder they sell more. Even if their scores are low. But those two questions didn't get asked.

Key lessons:

🔸Never underestimate the power of convenience. Make your stuff easy to find, easy to buy, and easy to think about. 

🔸When writing surveys, be very careful about what you put in — and what you leave out. (And sure as hell don’t leave it to AI.)

🔸When reading surveys, be very, very clear on what was asked — and what wasn’t.