While consumers might be excited to have the opportunity to order brenner (breakfast for dinner) when visiting McDonald’s after a long day of work, that doesn’t mean the people cracking eggs and flipping sausage patties are excited. In fact, franchisees say the rollout of McDonald’s all-day breakfast has been less “lovin’ it,” and more nightmare. 

Twenty-nine franchisees representing 229 McDonald’s restaurants from across the country shared their not-so-glowing opinions about the new menu items in a survey with analyst group Nomura, calling the launch “erratic” and “disorganized.”

Top among operator complaints, Business Insider reports, was the slower service and the added congestion in kitchens, where new equipment had to be added to handle the extra orders.

“In small stores, the problems are vast with people falling over each other and equipment jammed in everywhere,” one franchisee said about the new kitchen conditions.

“Customers are abandoning us in droves because we are either too slow, or sub-par quality,” another one franchisee said in the survey.

Another qualm expressed in the survey involved what some see as lost revenue. Because the available breakfast items cost less than value meals, operators say the average cost of orders has decreased.

“All-day breakfast is a non-starter,” one franchisee said. “We are trading customers down from regular menu to lower-priced breakfast items.”

On top of lower average ticket prices, operators said they had to hire additional staff to handle an influx of orders, representing yet another cost for restaurant owners.

Despite restaurant owners’ misgivings about the all-day breakfast launch, McDonald’s said in a letter to franchisees that the whole thing was a success, Business Insider reports.

“The successful launch of all-day breakfast proves that when we listen to and respond to our customers and align around a great execution plan, we will grow our business and take share,” the company said.

McDonald’s franchisees say all-day breakfast is a nightmare [Business Insider]

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