The quality has declined a bit though. No beef tallow for the fries anymore is a big drop in quality. Also, there was the whole “pink slime” incident, and even though they don’t use that anymore, the meat quality in their burgers still seems very poor.
The tallow has probably impacted the fries, but there’s ways around that. 5 Guys fries are cooked in peanut oil and they’re really good, they’re also seasoned with more than just salt. I think the big thing with the meat is we’re just getting better stuff now. A lot of their newer competition don’t freeze anything, no freezing means no freezer burn, and fresher over all product. Also there’s pride in the product at the competition, which I think impacts both the actual quality and the perceived quality. Most of their competition use “open back” design where you can actually see them make your food, which really increases perceived quality. In this day and age of food scares McD’s “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” store design sends a message that people don’t want anymore.