to industry demands and deliver on what consumers are asking for.” The PLT test is a way of “gaining insight to help our global markets learn about guest expectations and preferences, while understanding the impact to our restaurant operations.”
How McDonald’s Reacts to Consumer Demand and Beef Industry Changes By Tina Zakowksy, Canadian Angus Association
“McDonald’s has been, is, and always will be a beef burger company. That’s what we were founded on, that’s what we do and that’s not going to change,” says Jeffrey. If he had the chance to sit down one-on-one with a beef producer, the most important thing he would want to tell them is “how appreciative McDonald’s is of the work that Canadian beef producers do day in, day out, 365 days a year, sometimes for 24 hours of that day.”
The plant-based option trial run does not diminish McDonald’s
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McDonald's is recognized for their commitment to Canadian agriculture. They strive to source quality products and supplies from within Canada, purchasing more than $887 million in food and materials from more than 100 suppliers across Canada each year.
One example of that response to guest feedback is the Classics Remastered program launched in August 2019. The full suite of changes include: 100 percent Canadian beef patties now cooked in smaller batches for hotter juicier beef; storage changes for fresher and crispier produce; onions added directly on the grill to intensify flavour; more of their legendary Mac Sauce applied on Big Macs; new bun recipes for warmer buns.
McDonald’s is also committed to its customers. When it comes to the menu, there are three key elements: choice, flexibility and being customerdriven. They listen to their guests and customers, especially to hear what guests want McDonald’s to offer to them. “It’s about providing our guests with options and choices, but it’s also about listening to them and not giving them items that they don’t want,” explains Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, Senior Manager, Sustainability and Agriculture Lead, McDonald's Canada. "We listen to what guests want and provide it to them in a way that only McDonald’s can.”
Another response to customer requests was a decision by McDonald’s Global to conduct a trial run of a plant based protein offering at 28 of its Southwestern Ontario stores for a limited three-month trial in late 2019. The Canadian beef industry took notice as only a few months prior McDonald’s had heavily promoted the virtues of beef and animal proteins. McDonald’s Canada President & CEO John Betts was quick to reassure Canadian beef producers of the company’s ongoing commitment to Canadian beef. In a statement, he said “We have a responsibility to respond
ANGUS LIFE 2020
Canada’s commitment to sourcing 100 percent Canadian beef or their role as a founding member of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. At the Canadian Angus Association’s 2019 Annual National Convention, Jeffrey participated in a panel discussion about consumer demand and said that often restaurants offer plant-based menu items not in an attempt to convert meat eaters but as a way of bringing in groups and families in which one or two of the guests are flexitarian. McDonald’s Canada has been a proud partner of the Canadian beef industry for many years and the Canadian beef industry values our relationship with them.