At a Bank of America annual investment conference in San Francisco today, McDonald’s management painted a picture of what could be possible in the future with a new operating platform.
At this time, there are no commitments or timetables for implementation of this theoretical system. However, McDonald’s is always looking at innovation and maximizing potential for even further growth.
As CEO Jim Skinner said, serving breakfast all day long “could be possible” some day with the new operating platform, along with other restaurant efficiencies.
Here is the full excerpt of Jim Skinner’s remarks on the flexible operating platform:
“Another opportunity is to evolve our restaurant operating system so we can meet our
customers’ changing needs. We know that one size does not fit all when you consider
we’re in 118 countries and have almost 32,000 restaurants.
“As a result, we’re developing a next generation operating system called the Flexible
Operating Platform. As the name implies, it will have flexible components that can be
plugged in, if you will, depending on specific restaurant needs.
“The Flexible Operating Platform will improve execution in four main areas. One, it offers
more transparency so customers can see our quality ingredients and cooking processes
in action. Two, it accommodates different needs at different times of the day. Three, it
helps our restaurants offer more variety with greater ease. And just imagine there are a
number of people that I know, friends of mine and others who say, “Why can’t I get
breakfast any time during the day?” Well, it’s not compatible with our current operating
system. It’s too complicated to deliver the high quality product that we deliver at
breakfast. But with this system that could be possible. And number four, it makes our
employees’ jobs easier by tailoring the flow of the kitchen and prep areas to be more
efficient and easier to use.”