Wednesday 11 August 2010

Japan Teaches McDonalds USA How To Surrender

You'd think that a multi-national organisation which has experienced the hysteria of health-obsessed righteous would learn from similar assaults on other legal products, wouldn't you?

You'd be wrong.

Most new McDonalds' outlets to ban smoking

The nation's most popular hamburger joint will ban smoking at most of its new outlets despite an anticipated loss of sales, sources said.

McDonald's Co. (Japan), the nation's largest restaurant chain, plans to replace about 30 percent of its approximately 3,500 stores nationwide over the next several years.

Sales usually decline slightly when smoking is banned. Still, Eikoh Harada, president of McDonald's (Japan), said that he expects customer numbers will eventually increase.
Remember that Japan is a nation which hasn't yet imposed draconian smoking bans. It's also a nation which has traditionally viewed meek surrender as shameful.

Yet surrender this is. And their jumping before being pushed, as this can accurately be described, will be gleefully received by the anti-fast food lobby in the US.

Because, you see, Eikoh Harada has lobbed a nasty little verbal grenade.

He also said the company has a responsibility to society as the nation's largest restaurant chain.
Oh dear.

McDonalds across the Atlantic are under attack from those who say they have the same moral responsibility to ban happy meals. Yank CEO, Jim Skinner, was bloody angry at the very suggestion.

At McDonald's, we listen to what our customers tell us. For the past 30 years they have told us -- again, overwhelmingly -- that they approve of our Happy Meal program. Three decades provide a lot of listening time.
Yeah, but don't you have a "responsibility to society as the nation's largest restaurant chain" to ignore what your customers tell you and implement a ban anyway? Your Jap colleagues appear to believe so, Jim.

It seems that, despite being subject to their own continuous barrage from risk-terrified health freaks, even McDonalds don't understand how the righteous work. They thrive on the apologies and self-flagellation of those they seek to subjugate. The giving of an inch is bad enough, but the whole nine yards is worse.

Appeasement is never a good idea, and Harada's capitulation here may well have hastened the day - and it will come if current trends continue - when he will be apologising for his company ever having served a Happy Meal or pre-mix Pepsi in Japan.


9 comments:

subrosa said...

Restaurant? McDonalds? The man's deluded. It's a fast food diner as they would say in the US.

The day will come Dick, it's coming closer faster than I thought.

Pat Nurse MA said...

I hate McDonalds. Frankly, it deserves what it gets. It banned smoking in it's "restaurants" way back in the early 90s to please the middle class wingers who hated the smell of smoke. Ha ha ha.

The middle classes soon abandoned it anyway as nanny told them that the mere sight of a burger would kill them stone dead at 100 ft. Now there is nothing I would like to see more than McDonalds go the wall as the pressure builds on it's disgusting and "unhealthy" food. Serves 'em right for setting the trend of denying choice and alienating former customers.

Anonymous said...

Japan recently elected a new left-wing party government, the same as Labour.

It was only a matter of time before collectivism would begin rearing its head sowing seeds of intolerance, division, hatred and destruction of property rights, for the good of the collective.

I imagine more good news will come out of Japan under their new left-wing government as they will rush to imitate Labour's success in the UK.

Dick Puddlecote said...

Very good point, Anon. I remember reading something about that now you mention it.

Demetrius said...

What about all the greasy smoke that comes out of their kitchen ventilation outlets?

Anonymous said...

Fag smoke and greasy ventilator smoke is the least of their worries - didn't someone once find a decaying mouse in one of their burgers?

Jay

SorenK said...

Heist
Wed, 23 Apr 2008

Dick Puddlecote and his gang break into the vault at Westminster Abbey to steal the gold. (Repeat)

???

Mark Wadsworth said...

Agreed. I quite like a filet o'fish meal every now and then, and my kids like a Happy Meal a month (or whatever). The food's not all that, but the toys are often excellent.

Anonymous said...

Agreed. I quite like a filet o'fish meal every now and then, and my kids like a Happy Meal a month (or whatever). The food's not all that, but the toys are often excellent.

Yes you are right Mark the toys do taste better than the food.