If you're worried that your McDonald's experience
isn't sufficiently cheesy, saucy, or powered by artificial intelligence, don't worry. This icon of
fast food has some exciting news for you in 2024. McDonald's has recently been
plagued by reports of soggy, moist, and even disintegrating buns. Some have
blamed over-squishing by employees as the cause, while others think there's too much juice
soaking in while the buns sit for too long in the kitchen. Whatever the explanation for
this problem, it simply cannot be ignored. Thankfully, it appears that McDonald's has heard
these cries and responded accordingly. Customers can expect some major upgrades to the bread
so that it will sufficiently hold their beefy, cheesy creations. Brioche buns with sesame
seeds and a pleasant, light toast will be implemented across all locations, thus creating
a much more enjoyable and less squishy bite. Since basically everyone knows how much
of a difference a quality bun can make, it's obvious that we can all expect an
enhanced eating experience at McDonald's in 2024. So if you've somehow never
before indulged in one of the chain's savory cheeseburgers or McDoubles,
this will be the perfect year to start. The Big Mac has always come with sauce,
but apparently not enough for everyone. Requests for extra sauce on the signature
burger have been echoing through employees' headsets for quite a while. And while
some requests have been successful, not everyone has been so lucky. As
one customer complained on Reddit, "When I order a Big Mac, I ask for
extra/double sauce. I get refused on the basis that there is no way
for them to ring that up for me." Thankfully, it seems that a light bulb has finally
lit up at McDonald's HQ. If people want extra Big Mac sauce with every order, why not just make
more of it a standard recipe in the first place? "I think you may have something here." And so, in 2024, our culinary dreams will become
a reality, as the celebrated Big Mac sauce will be spread much more generously throughout the
layers of the company's most famous burger. This very special condiment is considered
one of McDonald's best-kept secret recipes, and the increased quantity will almost
surely improve this world-famous burger. McDonald's has a plentiful array
of popular burgers on its menu, but they're far from immune to criticism.
In fact, there have been numerous occasions in which the beef has come under fire. As
one person sarcastically quipped on Reddit, "If you take a little of the meat, let
it cool and then eat it on its own, the flavor is surprising. It
tastes of absolutely nothing." But we have some good news for that Reddit user
and for similarly-minded beef lovers. In 2024, McDonald's customers can expect the death
of bland patties, as the chain will infuse a much deeper flavor profile with the addition
of some very special guests on the grill. Yes, it's true, the Golden Arches will reportedly
begin adding their signature diced onions to the meat while it's still searing to
infuse some tasty caramelization. We bet your mouths are watering just thinking
about that little extra burst of complexity those onions will bring to some of
the world's favorite cheeseburgers. While McDonald's may be a burger joint at its
core, red meat isn't the only thing frying up in their kitchens. It goes without saying that
some of the chain's poultry offerings are just as beloved as their beefy colleagues. In
fact, McDonald's itself reported in 2023 that its chicken menu has grown
to become equal to its beef one. The McCrispy sandwich in particular is
one of the most popular chicken items. McDonald's plans to capitalize on this
by spreading its availability worldwide until it's featured on nearly every menu
at every location. There are also wraps and chicken tenders currently being developed
as eventual menu newcomers. Considering the uproar over discontinuation of the chain's
chicken-based snack wraps a few years back, we anticipate that customers will be more
than excited about these upcoming arrivals. "I'm so frickin' excited." Let's face it: a cheeseburger doesn't really
feel like a cheeseburger if that slice on top isn't sufficiently good and melted between
the buns. Alas, it appears that McDonald's has been falling behind in this area in recent
years. As one customer bemoaned on Reddit, "Why doesn't McDonald's melt the cheese
on their burgers anymore? [...] I remember back in late 90's [and] early 2000's that the
cheese would be so warm it glued the burger to the wrapper. Now it's cold cheese
on a semi warm patty... What happened? Thankfully, McDonald's is keenly aware of
the issue, and they already have a plan in place for fixing it. Reportedly, cheese that has
already been brought to room temperature will be used on all burger creations starting in 2024,
as opposed to slices pulled straight from an icy refrigerator or cooler. This way, the slices will
be much more likely to melt completely during the cooking process, making these burgers the gooey
masterpieces that they were always meant to be. No matter where you are on planet
Earth, it often feels like there's a McDonald's on every street corner. And
this sensation is far from a hallucination, as there are reportedly more than 40,000
McDonald's locations scattered across the globe. The majority of them are in the United
States, China, Germany, France, and Japan, but those statistics may soon change. That's
because the company has reportedly begun to orchestrate an ambitious plan of adding even more
golden arches to the rest of the world very soon. So don't be surprised if a few more
McDonald's locations spring up near you in 2024. The franchise intends to
erect approximately 10,000 additional restaurants over the next few years in
an attempt to reach its goal of 50,000 total stores worldwide. If that number
sounds staggering, that's because it is. By comparison, Starbucks reportedly has 35,711 stores, according to data from Statista.
Currently, McDonald's is the leading restaurant in the world by sheer number of locations.
And if it manages to hit 50,000, it may just become basically impossible
for any other chain to catch up. "That's too much, man!" You might think that McDonald's would
already have its hands full with the construction of so many new locations in
2024. But they seem to have decided that one New Year's resolution wasn't
quite ambitious enough. And so, the company has also announced that it will be
opening up a brand new cafe-style restaurant called CosMc's, and one of them may very well
be coming to a location near you in 2024. Ten CosMc's locations will open up on
an experimental basis in select cities, as they attempt to compete with
large-scale coffee chains such as Dunkin'. The ample menu is set to include
unique coffee drinks like Churro Frappes, refreshing fruity picks called "Galactic
Boosts," and the chain's signature McFlurrys. Snackable foods will also be available for order,
like the classic Egg McMuffin or new picks such as the Creamy Avocado Tomatillo Sandwich. Whether
or not the likes of Starbucks will feel threatened by this new kid on the block remains to be seen.
However, all of McDonald's eggs are hardly in one basket. If CosMc's ends up flopping, the chain
will probably manage to emerge mostly unscathed. "Can this fast food giant drive American coffee
addicts to start saying, 'I'm lovin' it'?" Artificial intelligence seems like it's everywhere
nowadays. If you work in cybersecurity or computer programming, it's probably already
a normal part of your job. As it turns out, the restaurant industry is also utilizing AI
in its day-to-day operations. And McDonald's is among the eateries laying some groundwork
with this rapidly expanding technology. The burger chain has reportedly partnered up with
Google Cloud to create an artificial intelligence system for McDonald's locations worldwide. The
technology will be used to pinpoint problems for general managers, thereby allowing them
to react quicker and provide solutions faster. Should everything go according to
plan, this system will serve to decrease the total amount of customer issues,
order mishaps, and other disturbances. This isn't the first time that McDonald's
has tried to implement AI, and they're surely hoping that it goes better this time around.
In 2022, The Daily Dot published an article about the chain's highly publicized attempt at
creating AI drive-thru machines that didn't go so well. One man ended up with bacon in his
ice cream, while another customer reported on Reddit that the machine attempted to order six
Filet-O-Fishes instead of the intended request of Tangy Barbeque Sauce. Hopefully, McDonald's
AI has worked out the kinks since then. Sometimes it's a cold day and you're a busy
parent and you've got your kids all strapped in to your cozy, warm van as you make your way to
your favorite fast food joint. In this scenario, you surely don't want to have to stop in the
parking lot, unstrap each child, and then get every one of them bundled back up just to walk
inside for two minutes to grab some Happy Meals. This is of course why the drive-thru is one of
the most convenient innovations in the restaurant industry. McDonald's is the leading drive-thru
fast food franchise, and its consistently well-run system has undoubtedly brought many
smiles to legions of stressed customers. In 2024, McDonald's will continue to draw
in people from all walks of life with its excellent drive-thru system, and it sounds like
we can expect it to become even better very soon. In the company's ongoing expansion project,
they're re-dedicating themselves to investing in their drive-thru. After all, an efficient
drive-thru directly increases profits. Changes such as widened areas and the addition of
supplementary lanes can be expected this year. So if you see an "Under Construction" sign
at your local McDonald's, don't fret. Instead, get excited! It could very well mean that a
new and improved drive-thru is headed your way. "Hi, sir. It's me, your number one with a Coke." Mobile ordering is a great way to select food
from the comfort of your home and skip the line, but there can be a downside. If your order is
prepared too soon, it may end up sitting in a paper bag on the counter for too long, thus
rendering your food just a little too cold for your taste buds. As complaints of lukewarm food
have been piling up, McDonald's has taken matters into its own hands by developing a new system
for phone orders called "Ready On Arrival." After a trial run for this experimental system, the results are in, and McDonald's will
continue expanding "Ready On Arrival" across more locations in 2024. An assistant
manager offered this explanation on Reddit: "Your order will pop up on the screen
about three minutes before you arrive there. You will only get charged once
you get close enough to the restaurant." The system reportedly works with the GPS
location on your phone. Kitchen employees will be alerted to your arrival with enough
time for them to complete your order but not so much time that they make it too soon. If your
local store hasn't implemented this system yet, you can probably expect that to
change sometime in the coming year. Loyalty programs are all the rage at so many
places of business, including fast food chains. And it's not hard to understand why. It keeps
customers coming back on a consistent basis, after all. With thousands, or millions, of these
dependable members, you can almost certainly count on your restaurant remaining afloat
if you have an attractive loyalty program. McDonald's reportedly has a whopping 150 million
registered loyalty customers to its name, and it has no plans to rest on its laurels.
In 2024, the company will attempt to draw in even more members to reach its ambitious
goal of 250 million over the next few years. Exactly how they plan on doing that remains
to be seen, but we'd be willing to bet there's never been a better time than 2024 to join up with
McDonald's. Just look at all the innovations they have on the agenda! If you join, you may very well
end up with a full stack of points that you can put toward one of those new and improved cheesy
burgers or expanded chicken options very soon.
