Ronn Torossian calls it one of the most recognizable, even cliché, phrases in the world of fast food PR: “Do you want fries with that?”
Well, for fast food diners in Japan, that phrase took a turn for the worse recently. In the month of December, McDonald’s was forced to literally ration the number of fries it served its Japanese customers. The move impacted more than 3,000 restaurants across the island nation. Why?
Well, the trouble started when labor disputes across the Pacific in the United States caused a delay in shipments of the fries to Japan. Yep, port workers walking off the job in the U.S. kept Japan from enjoying the golden goodness of McDonald’s french fries. Not completely, mind you, but managers were under strict orders to limit fry consumption until the new shipments could arrive.
The protest went on so long the company was forced to airlift fries to Japan from production facilities and added extra shipments from the East Coast.
In the meantime, desperate managers suggested diners add extra nuggets to their orders as one way to fill their bellies without yearning for those delicious greasy side items. They even discounted the extra chicken, cutting into their bottom line instead of compounding their customers’ frustration.
Just consider “Billions and Billions served” colliding with an entire nation of aggravated customers. Slather on a secret sauce of social media and a 24-7 news cycle and this could have been an unmitigated PR disaster. Which is, likely, what the striking workers were hoping for.
However, thanks to some creative marketing and a commitment to giving the customer, if not what they want then more of something else they want, the world’s largest fast food chain kept the drive-thru moving and its customers happily dipping chicken.
Even so, Asian sales dipped 4% last quarter, so you can bet everyone is happy that the fries will be back on the menu at full capacity starting January 5th.
