I mean, who in their right mind would buy a crappy antibiotic injected, hormone injected, washed in ammonia beef hamburger, when you could probably buy food made from people all over the place much cheaper in a free market.
Hell, I’d probably open up some sort of food stand if I could at a park or a place near my house, just to earn some extra money. There’s a big green cove that’s a perfect place near my house where all the nieghbors walk. Perfect p[lace to sell some food and or refreshments. I’m sure I could easily get the price down on some really high quality drinks and food.
McDonalds has the money to get through all the government regulations alot quicker than most, so I figure that’s why they succeed.
McDonalds gives consumers cheap, quick, fairly tasty, and identified food throughout a huge area. People who go there know generally what the food and service will be like, the fact is that they accept this and they buy it. I sincerely doubt that McDonalds would disappear in a free market because it plays into exactly what the consumer will buy.
“I mean, who in their right mind would buy a crappy antibiotic injected, hormone injected, washed in ammonia beef hamburger, when you could probably buy food made from people all over the place much cheaper in a free market.”
Because people tend to put a fairly low preference upon food quality/health and it tastes good, it’s cheap, and they already know what it’s like.
"Hell, I’d probably open up some sort of food stand if I could at a park or a place near my house, just to earn some extra money. I’m sure I could easily get the price down on some really high quality drinks and food. "
Will people from all around go there? Will you be cheap enough to drive away people from McDonalds? Will you be quick enough to do the same? Furthermore even in the most restaurant/food stand infected areas of the world there are still plenty of McDonalds. Indeed New York City which could have just about anything that you would ever want on all ends of the spectrum has the greatest number of restaurants per capita of any area in the United States
“McDonalds has the money to get through all the government regulations alot quicker than most, so I figure that’s why they succeed.”
Even in the most inhibited areas of the market the fact is that at the end of the day producers have to provide a product consumers will buy. McDonalds does this, something which is undeniable. You could say that in the market a competitor could drive them out of business, but there is little evidence for this when we consider the current degree of competition in the field. So it might cease to exist in a free market, but there’s no reason for us to believe this a priori.
There’s a difference between lobbying for protectionist regulation and skillfully navigating an existing regulatory framework. I’m not aware of McDonald’s lobbying activity but the fact that they navigate the regulatory hurdles in order to do business doesn’t make them anti-free market.
As for why their food is so poor, I think this is more of a reflection of the general dietary problems in the US. McDonald’s adapts their menu to the local area and the US has a lot of pretty bad dietary preferences in addition to bad dietary advice. For example, McDonald’s used to deep fry their french fries in real beef fat until the big campaign against the “heart-stopping” saturated fats began in the late 80’s. They switched to vegetable oils like everybody else at that point but it’s just a business decision in response to the changing landscape of public opinion, a change which they did not drive (it was driven by US ag industry which wants people to eat more grains, grains, grains, grains).
So, I don’t think any corporation is “pro-free market” per se since, of course, they’d prefer to simply take your money and give you nothing in return if they could. But some businesses have a more business-oriented approach (satisfied customers = revenues) and others engage in heavy rent-seeking. From what little I know about McDonald’s, I think they’re more into the business-oriented approach and less into the heavy rent-seeking. Of course, I could be mistaken.
McDonald’s is a franchise, so the degree to which any given McDonald’s store can cut through government red tape is not as high as you might think. I know someone who owns a McDonald’s and got in some trouble with labor laws - he had to pay the fines, not McD’s corporate offices. The real reasons that the company succeeds is that it meets consumer demand for fast, recognizably consistent, and inexpensive food. You might do just fine selling burgers on your street corner, but a family of 4 that just pulled off the highway on their way to Wally World is going to choose the place that they know they’ll enjoy from experience.
“Why not? Zero entry cost, no taxes. Sure McDonalds would flourish, just like most businesses”
I guess what I’m saying is, there’s be way more competition in a real free market for local eateries. Crappy food like McDonalds would have a hard time with all that competition.
“Will people from all around go there? Will you be cheap enough to drive away people from McDonalds?”
It doesn’t matter. I think there’s be more people setting up food eateries in a real free market all over the place. Also, right now, McDonalds is cheaper than real food because the government subsidies crappy beef. And regulations go after small farmer’s products, but not after beef inc the beef supplier that supplies McDonalds with beef rinsed in ammonia. So, those are 2 huge advatages. They keep cost for everyone else up, but low for McDonalds.
I’d like to think that right now, government keeps alot of competition out of the market for fast food. You can’t just setup an eatery using awesome ingredients. You’d get shut down without paying for licenses, inspections, government approved facilities.
I can count times I’ve eaten in McDonalds on my ten fingers in my lifetime, but I never noticed a bad quality of food. Yeah, it’s most likely unhealthy, but it’s tasty so who gives a crap (I believe most people prefer tastyness to healthiness)? However, on a second thought, I think that free market could offer much better and probably more fast food restaurants (so consumers could choose) still though, I think Mc’s would exist as it exists today.
What about McDonald’s chicken, fries, coffee, shakes, pies, salads, and fish (ugh) all of which are sold at dirt cheap prices? Also if beef is cheap and people will buy it why don’t more people use that? And why is it that those areas which have the greatest amount of competition (indeed the fact is that the food industry appears pretty damned competitive in general) on all fronts show the same numbers of McDonalds that everywhere else does?
What to you indicates that McDonalds would not maintain, expand, or keep its absolute role (not relative which would probably decrease with the increase in competition) in the economy in the free market?
“I guess what I’m saying is, there’s be way more competition in a real free market for local eateries. Crappy food like McDonalds would have a hard time with all that competition”
Maybe a small dent, but this wold likely occur to any fast food chain regardless of quality, and the fact is that local eateries exist already, people don’t go to them because they don’t provide what they need in this case, which is fast, cheap, reliable, and tastey. Very few turn up their nose at going to a family diner in favor of McDonalds, but they don’t provide the same thing.
“what to you indicates that McDonalds would not maintain, expand, or keep its absolute role (not relative which would probably decrease with the increase in competition) in the economy in the free market?”
their hamburgers would be more expensive. they wouldn’t be subsidized by the govenment. and I really believe we’d have alot more competition in the food area. there’s alot of peopl elike myself that would sell food if we didn’t have to pay a large property fee to setup shop, or perhaps even make it at home. Right now, you cannot sell food without paying for alot of government inspections, licenses, etc. that does keep alot of people out of the market.
By the way, their salads and chicken sandwiches are not cheap. And the chicken is also full of antoibiotics and hormones.
The only thing that you said that is even slightly compelling is the point about hamburgers, which, if entirely true, could well just lead to the franchise going to more chicken based products, but this would also mean that all other hamburgers would likely be just as expensive. Everything else I’ve already addressed.
who in their right mind would buy a crappy antibiotic injected, hormone injected, washed in ammonia beef hamburger, when you could probably buy food made from people
I get the idea that somebody is a food snob and would prefer McDonalds not exist. It would be like me asking if Justin Beiber would exist in a free market.
who in their right mind would buy a crappy antibiotic injected, hormone injected, washed in ammonia beef hamburger, when you could probably buy food made from people
"
Lol!..I was thinking the same thing…solvent green.
Seriously, though, in other markets where there is pretty much 0 barrier to entry, like in thailand, you have street vendors who offer all sorts of delicous food very cheap and healthy. I think it’d be that way anywhere there is a truly free market…
crappy government subsidized chicken and beef products would be history.
