Susan Drolet is manager of a McDonald’s restaurant in a city with many “seniors.” She
has noticed that some senior citizens have become not just regular patrons-but patrons
who come for breakfast and stay on until about 3:00 PM. Many of these older customers
were attracted initially by a monthly breakfast special for people aged 55 and older. The
meal cost $1.99, and refills of coffee were free. Every fourth Monday, between 100 and
150 seniors jam Susan’s McDonald’s for the special offer. But now almost as many of
them are coming every day-turning the fast-food restaurant into a meeting place. They sit
for hours with a cup of coffee, chatting with their friends. On most days, as many as 100
will stay from one to four hours.
Susan’s employees have been very friendly to the seniors, calling them by their first
names and visiting with them each day. In fact Susan’s McDonalds is a happy place-with
her employees developing close relationships with the seniors. Some employees have
even visited customers who have been hospitalized. “You know,” Susan says, “I really get
attached to the customers. They’re like my family. I really care about these people.” They
are all “friends” and it is part of McDonald’s corporate philosophy (as reflected on its
website,
www.mcdonalds.com) to be friendly with its customers and to give back to the
communities it serves.
These older customers are an orderly group and very friendly to anyone who comes in.
Further, they are neater than most customers, and carefully clean up their tables before
they leave. Nevertheless, Susan is beginning to wonder if anything should be done about
her growing “non-fast food” clientele. There is no crowding problem yet, during the time
when the seniors like to come. But if the size of the senior citizen group continues to
grow, crowding could become a problem. Further, Susan is concerned that her restaurant
might come to be known as an “old people’s” restaurant- which might discourage some
younger customers. And if customers felt the restaurant was crowded, some might feel
that they wouldn’t get fast service. On the other hand, a place that seems busy might be
seen as “a good place to go” and a “friendly place.”
Susan also worries about the image she is projecting. McDonald’s is a fast-food
restaurant (there are over 30,000 of them in 119 countries), and normally customers are
expected to eat and run. Will allowing people to stay and visit change the whole concept?
In the extreme, Susan’s McDonald’s might become more like a European-style restaurant
where the customers are never rushed and feel very comfortable about lingering over
coffee for an hour or two! Susan knows the amount her senior customers spend is similar
to the average customer’s purchase-but the seniors do use the facilities for a much longer
time. However, most of the older customers leave McDonald’s by 11:20, before the noon
crowd comes is.
Susan is also concerned about another possibility. If catering to seniors is OK, then
should she do even more with this age group? In particular, she is considering offering
bingo games during the slow morning hours- 9 AM to 11 AM. Bingo is popular with
some seniors, and this could be a new revenue source-beyond the extra food and drink
purchases that probably would result. She figures she could charge $5 per person for the
two-hour period and run it with underutilized employees. The prizes would be coupons
for purchases at her store (to keep it legal) and would amount to about two-thirds of the
bingo receipts (at retail prices). The party room area of her McDonald’s would be perfect
for this use and could hold up to 150 persons.
Answer the following short response questions (total length is about 2 pages):
1. The senior customers are a PROBLEM because:.......
2. The senior customers are an OPPORTUNITY because:..............
3. Should Susan encourage, ignore or discourage her senior customers? (Be specific and
expand this response.)
4. If she offers the Bingo....what could possibly go wron
