The McDonalds customer experience

McDonalds has worked to step into the digital age with an impressive mobile optimised website that has geo-location services to help find your nearest restaurant. It also has mobile apps in multiple platforms present across a majority of the country specific app stores with in depth menu information and further opportunities for store location. No surprises then to find an official presence in all the social media sites posting topical content attempting to keep the brand present on social channels. But does this affect the customer experience.  Are the majority of McDonalds consumers aware of these efforts and using them to aid their experience when using the drive thru for a Big Mac? I don't think so. The customer experience is 99% about the visit to the restaurant. You can't buy it on-line or book or extend your services post purchase. When you are hungry (or for some maybe when they aren't so hungry) you head to the McDonalds near you and buy the food and drinks you want and consume it instantly. As a result all energy needs to be focused on the in-store experience and not on the digital elements. This means when I visit a McDonalds I need to know what is on offer and how much it is. Unfortunately the customer experience of this basic requirement seems to have been missed in many modern McDonalds with poor layout that leaves little visibility of the menu and customer support in that part of the buying process as you have no opportunity to discuss menu options at the till. McDonalds help your customers by telling them clearly what is on the menu.  Don't leave us in the dark.