Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 12:59 am
I was wondering if the extremely fixed high upstart and franchising costs make a small urban location unprofitable without a drive through.
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Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 1:31 am
And the fast food that works in downtown Chicago or NYC are also in high traffic areas full of tourists like Michigan Ave, times square or inside train major train terminals/stations. We have nothing like that in KC.
It also helps that McDonald's is HQ in Chicago so there is one like every 3 blocks in downtown Chicago. It's very likely that most of these downtown locations are corporate ran so they can take massive loses, experiment with different menus, different ordering systems, absorb high rents and just write it off as a loss on taxes
It also helps that McDonald's is HQ in Chicago so there is one like every 3 blocks in downtown Chicago. It's very likely that most of these downtown locations are corporate ran so they can take massive loses, experiment with different menus, different ordering systems, absorb high rents and just write it off as a loss on taxes
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:14 am
normalthings wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 12:59 amI was wondering if the extremely fixed high upstart and franchising costs make a small urban location unprofitable without a drive through.
Apparently because local franchisers want drivethrus.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:54 am
Taco Bell is expanding urban 'cantinas'. Would work well downtown if a franchisers will bite...
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:58 am
It’s not up to the local franchisers. McDonald’s corporate will not sign off on a location in KC without a drive thru.earthling wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:14 amnormalthings wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 12:59 amI was wondering if the extremely fixed high upstart and franchising costs make a small urban location unprofitable without a drive through.
Apparently because local franchisers want drivethrus.
This was discovered because a local franchise owner discussed with Cordish and was ultimately shut down by corporate.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:03 am
Interesting. Wonder what it takes for them to allow it? More foot traffic counts? More residents?
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:14 am
I wonder when that changed? The Plaza had one without.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:04 am
Theirs a lot of Burger Joints in Chicago area not here.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:08 am
just about every downtown i've been to has one, what makes us different?
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:47 am
I would guess that the a large number of Door Dash deliveries at locations DT would help change their mind.KCPowercat wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:03 am Interesting. Wonder what it takes for them to allow it? More foot traffic counts? More residents?
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 12:44 pm
Perhaps once we start locking in some of these bigger conventions more often, the perception will change. A McDonalds in the BK space would be a gold mine. We all know that, but it seems MCD's doesn't.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 2:02 pm
interesting details shared here, especially the MCD's corporate mandates.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 2:11 pm
With the current Jackson County assessment debacle affecting both residential and commercial in a negative way lot's of people and firms are having second thoughts about moving here.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 2:25 pm
I question the validity of the "No drive thru means no McD's". I have no doubt that McD's was not into whatever offer the franchisee was trying to do at P&L, but we're taking their word for it on this one? It's clearly not a corporate mandate, so I think there's a bit more to it than what has been presented here.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 2:28 pm
^was thinking similar
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 7:01 pm
I haven't surveyed the whole city but I watch the south plaza and Brookside areas closely. Homes are moving very quickly and at a much higher prices than they were a year ago. Also, commercial vacancy rates continue to drop across all of Jackson county. So i guess those with second thoughts weren't very serious to begin with.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:09 pm
It never got very far but the local franchise owner knew the store would do big business down here and was told it wouldn’t happen. IIRC, he mentioned MCd’s real estate department specifically.WSPanic wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 2:25 pmI question the validity of the "No drive thru means no McD's". I have no doubt that McD's was not into whatever offer the franchisee was trying to do at P&L, but we're taking their word for it on this one? It's clearly not a corporate mandate, so I think there's a bit more to it than what has been presented here.
All their locations without drive thrus are either in very large metros with a ton of foot traffic or have been there for decades. Like the one in downtown New Orleans. I don’t think it’s a flat out corporate mandate, but it surely applies to our market. For now.
And the original discussion was in regards to a MCD in the BK space. Which is just silly prime for success.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:52 pm
I've heard this story so many times it seems apocryphal at this point, but I don't question your telling.DColeKC wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:09 pmIt never got very far but the local franchise owner knew the store would do big business down here and was told it wouldn’t happen. IIRC, he mentioned MCd’s real estate department specifically.WSPanic wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 2:25 pmI question the validity of the "No drive thru means no McD's". I have no doubt that McD's was not into whatever offer the franchisee was trying to do at P&L, but we're taking their word for it on this one? It's clearly not a corporate mandate, so I think there's a bit more to it than what has been presented here.
All their locations without drive thrus are either in very large metros with a ton of foot traffic or have been there for decades. Like the one in downtown New Orleans. I don’t think it’s a flat out corporate mandate, but it surely applies to our market. For now.
And the original discussion was in regards to a MCD in the BK space. Which is just silly prime for success.
I've heard it reversed though and that locals wouldn't invest without drive thru because they weren't familiar with how to run the stores and they couldn't agree.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2020 10:52 am
McDonalds has a new space-conscious "take-out-only" concept. Would be interested if that may be something that could work here. Seems like less overhead and some good opportunity for success. But I don't much about this kind of thing.
Re: Fast Food Options
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:16 pm
Are the take out only stores still equipped with drive thrus? I assume so.