McDonald’s next evolution includes menu, service and technology upgrades
McDonald’s next evolution includes menu, service and technology upgrades
Publish Date: 2026-06-01 14:33:00
Source Domain: www.restaurantbusinessonline.com
Chicken is a big area of focus for McDonald’s. | Photo courtesy of McDonald’s.
McDonald’s unveiled the next iteration of its business strategy on Monday, called McDonald’s Next, that is aiming to make the company a more consistent destination for a broader subset of consumers.
The strategy includes upgrades in its menu, its in-store technology and customer service. It will even show up in the design of the chain’s restaurants, as McDonald’s will start offering a new prototype for upcoming store remodels.
“We can’t ask our customers to choose,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a system message on Monday. “Hospitality or speed. Great taste or convenience. Value or quality.”
“They want what Ray (Kroc, McDonald’s founder) called the total of everything. They won’t trade one for another because they don’t have to. In a world where every restaurant is a swipe away, there is no such thing as second place.”
McDonald’s Next involves four main pillars: Menu, the consumer, the restaurant and people, or hospitality.
The company is looking to make some menu upgrades as it looks to compete more aggressively with specialists such as 7 Brew, Dave’s Hot Chicken or Five Guys. McDonald’s has already formed teams to develop products to compete with these chains, including beverages, beef and chicken.
McDonald’s already has upgraded its beverage offerings with a selection of Refreshers and dirty sodas while it plans energy drinks later this year. It has also upgraded the way it makes its burgers and offered the half-pound Big Arch.
But the company could make significant changes to the way it makes chicken. It has been testing hand-breaded chicken strips in Chicago and some other markets and appears intent on expanding a higher-quality chicken product. That could include tenders and other products, including sandwiches.
Some global markets, such as Malaysia, already serve hand-breaded chicken with success, giving McDonald’s…
