On 420 Center Street, Ludlow, Massachusetts, there lies a life-changing establishment. A place that brings joy to those of all ages and smiles to all faces. The local McDonald’s is a common meeting place for many people. What is it that makes the Ludlow McDonald’s so great? What exactly is it that attracts customers, and has the quality changed over the years?
Culture
There’s something special about the McDonald’s that separates it from the other fast food restaurants in Ludlow. It’s more lively, there always seems to be people there. Sitting, eating, talking. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen another person eating in the Taco Bell (although that could be because I often don’t go within the typical rush hours). Burger King, Wendy’s, and KFC occasionally seem to have a customer or two, but never to the same extent as McDonald’s. Other restaurants seem to lack that environment, that popularity.
The store also seems to be intertwined with the high school to some extent. Almost every time I visit, I spot someone else from the school perusing there to buy a quarter pounder with cheese, or a 10 pc nugget with fries, and if they’re not at the automatic kiosk, they’re likely working behind the counter. Their workforce is made up of many current and former students: Kenny Clark, Dillon Horton, and Anthony Emco, just to name a few. This likely contributes to the popularity of the location. Students can go in and almost assuredly see familiar faces.
Quality and Consistency
McDonald’s also has a quality that other branches strive for. According to Mason Marques, A former Ludlow McDonald’s employee and Ludlow High School alumnus, “The Ludlow McDonald’s is the golden standard of quality for all locations owned by the Gomez Family.”
Across the 40 or so locations, the 420 Center Street McDonald’s reigns supreme in terms of order time and accuracy. The food is extremely consistent across the board. There isn’t any leeway for error or cold orders, and on the off chance that there is a mistake, they always swiftly remake it free of charge. Quality is key and so is consistency across the large franchise, so being the standard is no small feat.
Prices and Deals
McDonald’s has very competitive pricing, but where they really stand out is their Deals and rewards program. The Ludlow McDonald’s (and all other McDonald’s, for that matter) offers a wide range of app deals that keep customers coming back. These include, but are not limited to, buy one breakfast sandwich and get a second for one dollar, 30% off a cheeseburger, $1.49 any size fry, and my personal favorite: the $7 medium Big Mac meal. In an era where fast food is only growing more and more expensive, these deals become increasingly valuable.
Other fast food restaurants employ similar tactics to lesser effects. Wendy’s 4 for 4 is a better value equivalent to the McDonald’s $5 meal deal, but it lacks the rewards system to provide the most consumer-friendly prices. To the best of my knowledge and research (although limited), McDonald’s has the most economical rewards system out of any location in Ludlow. If utilized as efficiently as possible every $15 spent can earn you a $3 McChicken. That return rate is unprecedented in the fast food industry. Take, for example, Wendy’s, where you would need to spend 25% more to get their crispy chicken sandwich of comparable worth. That’s over 60% more value per dollar. Junior Sophia Alvaro says she appreciates that
“You can get a lot of food there for cheap.”
That seems to be a shared sentiment and defining factor in the success of the restaurant. Obviously, it will never be cheaper than cooking at home, but for quick food, it’s relatively affordable.
The Negatives
Some believe that McDonald’s as a whole is on the decline. Prices have skyrocketed, play places have closed, and health concerns seem to be on the rise. These are all valid qualms. While remaining competitive relative to their industry, the fast food industry’s minimum hourly wage disparity has grown ever larger, especially for those who refuse to adapt and download the mobile app.
Now play places may not be of the utmost importance to high schoolers, but to parents, they are certainly an important factor. Ever since the remodel, the Ludlow McDonald’s has felt more corporate, more efficient, more cold, and less welcoming. It used to be an experience, and now it’s just in and out. Some may be happy that they can eat at the restaurant without their kids running wild down slides caked in numerous diseases, but others would likely benefit from their children having an outlet to expend their energy. An outlet that the remodel took away.
Health concerns have been of utmost importance for an incredibly long time now, and it’s hard to argue that people are more health-conscious now than they were 10-15 years ago, but the targets of these concerns have changed. In the early 2000’s healthier options at fast food locations became extremely popular with health-conscious groups online, but as of today, fast food places seem to be villainized as a whole. When asked whether or not she liked McDonald’s, Keyanna Fuller responded, “Yeah, I love it, but it’s really bad for you.”
Even with this concern, however, she still eats the food on occasion: “I get a medium Dr. Pepper with a large fry and an ice cream sundae, and dip my fries in it.”
That’s an equally brave and disgusting combination.
There is one other health concern that I was made aware of, and that is the issue of sanitation. Jack Demperio, a former McDonald’s employee, told me, “Everyone stays happy eating the food because they have no idea what’s in it or how it’s made.”
He called the sanitary conditions overall disgusting and seemed unhappy with his experiences there as a whole. As far as I can find McDonald’s passes all health and safety requirements; however, this may be a testament to the fact that fast food overall is less sanitary than many people may think.
Despite the negatives, the Ludlow McDonald’s carries a level of Greatness that other locations and chains lack.