Consumers are often swayed in their food selections based off of the season in which they order making McDonald's newly designed menu recommendation boards an ingenious concept. The food displays suggest various foods to buyers based on the current weather to provide a customized meal that is suited to the temporal atmosphere.
The fast food chain is set to have digital menu screens appear above the cash register that will be able to suggest meal items based off of the current weather in the region. For example, when it is cooler the board will recommend McDonald's hot beverages such as teas, coffees and hot chocolates. In contrast when the weather is warm, the menu will shift to highlight cold beverages such as smoothies, lemonades and ice cream treats.
While these high-tech weather boards aren't currently installed, they should be in McDonald's locations throughout the U.S. by 2016.
Temporal Menu Recommendations
McDonald's New Menus Suggests Items Based Off of Current Weather
Trend Themes
1. Seasonal Menu Selection - Fast food chains can utilize personalized menu displays based on the current weather to cater to consumers' seasonal preferences.
2. Digital Menu Screens - By implementing digital menu screens, fast food chains can provide customized meal recommendations to consumers in a high-tech and engaging way.
3. Weather-based Suggestions - Fast food chains can suggest menu items to consumers based on the current weather to enhance the consumer experience and increase sales.
Industry Implications
1. Fast Food - Fast food chains can utilize weather-based menu recommendations to increase sales and enhance the customer experience.
2. Digital Signage - The implementation of digital menu screens in fast food chains provides an opportunity for growth and innovation within the digital signage industry.
3. Food and Beverage - Customized food and beverage recommendations based on consumer preferences could be a disruptive innovation opportunity for the food and beverage industry.