McDonald's in big drive for better tasting food to win back customers

Chicago

MCDONALD'S Corp is making a new push to get franchisees to upgrade their kitchen equipment, aiming to win back customers with improved fried chicken and higher-end desserts. But it won't be cheap.

The company's independent operators, who own about 92 per cent of the more than 14,000 McDonald's restaurants in the US, may have to cough up about US$100,000 per store for new equipment, along with other upgrades such as LED lighting, according to internal company documents provided to Bloomberg News.

The documents were part of a presentation package sent from corporate headquarters to franchisees this month. The new costs would be on top of those that are part of the chain's ongoing "Experience of the Future" modernisation programme, which can run as high as US$700,000 per re…