But I like the sticky floors

Alex Krupp asks about the McDonald's redesign.

Sure looks like Starbucks. Will it work?

The other day, I walked into a Dunkin Donuts to buy a friend a muffin. There, in the center of the store, were six or eight seniors, clearly having been there for at least an hour. They were sitting in those classic DD plastic chairs, the kind that don't move, and they were really enjoying themselves.

They had plenty of options, options that were virtually the same price or possibly even cheaper, but they like it there. Because that's how it's always been.

The challenge McDonald's faces is not to be like Starbucks. Why? Because Starbucks is already like Starbucks. The challenge is to to tell a story to the existing McDonald's fan, a story that combines fresh and comfortable with the stuff they've always liked and trusted (the place is cheap, and it feels cheap, which makes it easier to bring the baseball team...)

The question, and I don't know the answer, is how does a regular feel when she steps into the new store? Better? Worse? Good enough to bring a friend next time?

Good for them for trying something. Now, if they test and measure, we'll see...