Why Mcdonald and KFC Are Preferred by Drive-thru Customers

Late on a Friday night, people will search for a quick and easy way to grab some food before they make it home. Little do they know, that their choice is being made for them in the back of their mind. People have a list of traits of what they want posted in their back of their mind like a black board, and as they're driving they are subconsciously looking for the restaurant that fits the traits. KFC and Mcdonald’s is often a late night food choice for many people on the road and the reasons they choose to eat at either of these restaurants could be from a contrast of these traits. Although KFC and McDonald’s possess these common traits, KFC presents their food in an adequate way with a higher food quality as well.

While people are pondering their food choices late at night, price is a contributing factor into the blackboard in the back of their mind. This is where KFC and McDonald's share commonalities. They both have reasonably cheap deals or promotions that can be taken advantage of. These promotions give their customers an option to choose between the food they make with a budget in mind. This common trait outlines a large contribution to the higher food quality. McDonald’s has a variety of dollar menu items for their customers to browse, along with their McPick Two for only five dollars promotion that has been circling. Customers can choose two from sandwiches, a ten piece chicken nuggets, or even a Mcflurry for only five dollars. Similarly, KFC offers their five dollar fill ups that allow a choice of a meat, two sides and a medium drink for only the price of five dollars. Customers can choose from fish, a sandwich, or any type of chicken along with a large variety of sides that the restaurant offers. These choices both appeal to the driver late at night debating which place to eat.

The driver's brain is also subconsciously thinking about the health impacts of the food choices they are making. Both restaurants allow healthy alternatives, but KFC seems to outrank McDonald’s in the options. KFC allows a choice between fried or grilled chicken and also provides their customers with healthy alternatives for sides. They offer corn, green beans, coleslaw and a large variety of additional options as well. Another benefit to KFC's healthier options is that the alternatives do not cost extra money, they are the same price as all the other options. In contrast, McDonald's options of healthy food are scarce. Additionally, the healthier options are usually more expensive. For example, their salads are the equivalent of a sandwich meal, but they are usually at least five dollars for only the purchase of the salad not including any sides or a drink. The healthier options that affect the price are red flags in the driver's eyes.

Additionally, a large part of the choice in the driver's mind is the comparison for better food quality. McDonald's offers tasty food sometimes. Sometimes their food is fresh. Sometimes their food is stale. Sometimes their food is steaming hot. Sometimes their food is lukewarm. McDonald's is never constant with the quality of the food they are selling. For instance, many people like to order their food with a special request in order to ensure that it was freshly made. They know that if they ask for an item without a certain ingredient, it is unlikely that sandwich would be sitting out, so they are more likely to get a freshly made sandwich. Unlike KFC, where the food is always hot. KFC likes to ensure that their food quality is excellent. Most of the time it is a longer wait in the drive through because they have to put the food together as you arrive. It is not pre prepared into a container and sitting under a warming light. It stays hot until they need to place it into the container for their customers to take it with them out the door. This allows people to enjoy their food as it is made and not to experience bad food quality.

Fast food is a risky business, but the pricing, options, and food quality is what drives the best restaurants. KFC and McDonald's are both widely accepted restaurants, but one is favored over the other for certain aspects they bring to the table. Promotional deals are a huge success because consumers are always looking for ways to save money, but the restaurants need to be prepared to also need to bring other elements to the table. Largely, their food quality. By enhancing their quality of food, McDonald’s may have a chance to upstage KFC.