Pursuing the Perfect French Fries

McDonald's recently held its semi-annual french fry evaluation, which according to this Bloomberg article, is serious business.

McDonald’s suppliers spend weeks prepping for the fry evaluations, according to Ken Haynes, director of global quality at Lamb Weston: “It’s a big deal.”

The sampling began at 9 a.m. with the 15 tasters crowded around a large, rectangle table. Bottled water and unsalted crackers were on hand as palate cleansers.

Cooks in white lab coats served the first sample, the so- called “gold standard.” The tasters waited two-and-a-half minutes and then got started. Three fries were eaten on the first bite to discern unwanted buttery, sour or reheated potato flavors. The tasters scribbled notes on a score sheet -- rating the fries on appearance, texture/mouth feel and flavor/aroma.

Seems kind of hilarious as I read this article, but McD's seems to be interpreting the sign from BK correctly, as its largest competitor recently lost this title. I'm not sure that they are pursuing the correct strategy, however, as the article points out: McD's is too huge to truly offer a "local" or organic focus.

And honestly, the difference in price is trivial between a meal at McD's and Five Guys, for example. McD's maintains a solid value menu that you can't get at a place like Five Guys, but for consumers looking for full meals (families come to mind), quality between the two is staggering while price isn't.

I guess I've posed this question to WSO before, but...

Are we entering an era where prototypical fast food joints begin to lose their market power? McD's is so huge that it will always be around, but do we see its numbers falling as consumers seek alternative fast food sources?

Link to Bloomberg article