Who will kill McDonald’s?

In May an article was published in a trade magazine, titled ‘How postmodern culture killed McDonald’s’ – well, we have to warn the fast food chain’s competitors: McDonald’s is alive and kicking! The article said that McDonald’s was unable to face the cultural challenges of the post-industrial society and collapsed. What are the facts? The number of McDonald’s restaurants and their sales had been growing steadily until 2014, but in 2015 and 2016 the chain did close 1,200 from its 35,400 restaurants – this can hardly be called a collapse. In 2016 sales by McDonald’s units exceeded the combined sales of Starbucks, Subway and Burger King, with sales up 1.5 percent. McDonald’s has different target groups and satisfies different needs in different regions. At the same time the chain’s CSR programmes and innovations are exemplary.