McDonald’s operating system is built on the characteristics of guaranteeing uniform quality and service and maintaining it remarkably consistent across all units. It mainly focused on factors such as providing customers with pleasant experience, fast service and tasty and inexpensive food.
McDonald’s took several measures to ascertain consistency across units. In their ‘Speedee Service System’, they standardized their preparations methods by employing a combination of product specifications and customized equipment. While the competitors entered McDonald’s market and tried to emulate its product preparation and franchise recruiting process, McDonald’s sought out to build special set of relationships with its suppliers and its franchises.
McDonald’s operating system primarily concentrated on four areas: 1. Improving the product 2. Developing outstanding supplier relationships 3. Improving equipment 4. Training and monitoring franchises
They paid a great attention to detail in the pursuit of improving the product. Product improvement was a revolutionary innovation on McDonald’s operation strategy. McDonald’s highly monitored the way farmers grew potatoes and ranchers raised beef, introduced alterations in both potato and meat processing and invented efficient cooking equipment to meet its tailored needs.
Restricting itself to relatively small number of menu items helped McDonald’s spend time and effort in improving the processes, monitor their supplies and maintain consistency. McDonald’s production system heavily adhered to the standards mentioned in its operation manual, be it the way the hamburgers were made or the French fries were made. To ensure quality, products were held in transfer bins no more than ten minutes. McDonald’s was more concerned about quality. They never bargained with the supplier for the price,