'I'm Done With McDonald's': Fast Food Fans Are Up In Arms Over The Chain's Latest Change

McDonald's has always aimed to be on the cutting edge of the restaurant biz, trying to push the burger envelope with new technology and implementing changes to stay one step ahead of the competition. For example, McDonald's has been quick to try the latest high-tech kitchen equipment and offer the flashiest ordering experience. But customers are saying McDonald's has gone a step too far after the restaurant chain began displaying ads for non-McDonald's companies at its drive-thrus and elsewhere.

Imagine pulling into the McDonald's drive-thru to order your Big Mac for lunch and after placing your order you're regaled with the annoying, flashing scene of a Geico ad or that of some other random company that should certainly not be involved in your dining routine. As part of a new initiative known as the McDonald's Media Network, the ads will soon appear on drive-thru menus as well as inside the restaurants, including on interior menu boards and at ordering kiosks. Most companies will have the chance to buy their way into your McDonald's experience by purchasing ad space, though there will undoubtedly be limits. It's a massive media and advertising venture that McDonald's hopes will bring in billions of dollars in revenue.

McDonald's has already admitted that it keeps tabs on its customers' ordering habits. Whether this will be used to customize ads to each customer is speculation at this point, but it's certainly well within the realm of possibility. The restaurant chain has begun testing its ad campaign at more than 400 McDonald's locations so far, and that's already enough to thoroughly annoy customers, who are none too happy to have ads included with their Happy Meal.

For many, this latest frustration is just the icing on the cake — or the cheese on the burger — of their discontent with McDonald's. "ANOTHER reason to never go there again," one Redditor posted. "Welcome to McDonald's, I love you," someone else added in reference to the movie "Idiocracy." 

Some would-be McDonald's fans questioned the feasibility of this new ad-based system. As in, apart from actively aggravating customers, they were wondering if the ads are even going to work, saying, "What's the ROI on a gas station pump ad or McDonald's drive thru ad? ... Who's buying Tide Pods because they saw it on repeat sitting for their cold Big Mac?" Another Redditor agreed, saying, "For some reason, they've eliminated 'customer satisfaction/ retention' from their goals."

Most everyone's miffed, but what will they do about it? Some say they'll drive away if a single ad comes up or order and then drive off without paying. While we're not quite there yet, one Redditor joked about what the future could hold if this slippery slope is allowed to continue: "You pull up to pay, the receipt has ads all over it and the cashier tries to also sell you life insurance ... You open up your Burger Product, triggering yet another recording ... the bun has an ad on it, printed with edible ink." Far-fetched? Maybe. But we're talking McDonald's, after all; one of the biggest boys in the burger biz, with all the resources and capabilities that come with that. So, who knows?