Is McDonald's Leaving Him Behind?

“You’ll never believe what happened to me today.” I hear as he picks up the phone. No greetings, no politeties, just right into the story.

“I went to McDonalds and ordered a Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a Fish Sandwich.”

I was taken aback by the size of his order but remained quiet.

“Do you know what the guy told me? He told me to pull over to the side and wait until my meal was ready.”

“Did you wait?” I asked him still focused on the size of his meal and the fact that even after heart surgery he still has such unhealthy habits.

“Yeah,” he said with shame. “Can you f’in believe it? A McDonald’s without a Big Mac?! It’s like you without a pen.”

His cardiologist had done the same thing to him a few days earlier—he blatantly explained to Mitch and all his other patients who had an afternoon appointment that his time, an hours worth, was more important than theirs. With the doctor, he left. “Sounds like you value your time?” I suggested. “It’s happened to me before too,” I commiserated. “When I order a bunch of shakes. And once for French fries.”

We hung up and I promptly shared the story with my husband—"a McDonald’s without a burger,” I regurgitated. My husband knows more about the current trends in quickservice restaurants than I do. He eats on the run. “Well sure,” he explained as he so often does. Think how we ordered grub hub last week and the pre-order pre-pay system at Starbucks. It’s at McDonald’s now.” He laughed. “They looked at the fast food model and made it more convenient.”

I picked the phone back up and mirrored Mitch’s behavior. “It’s societal jet lag, Mitch. It’s the last chapter I need to write for the book.” He was silent. “ I explained, you know how people pre-order their coffees, run into Starbucks and pick-up their order without paying the cashier?”

“Yeah, they use their phones to pay too. Not me, I use cash. Cold. Hard. Cash.”

“Exactly,” I replied. Years ago when drivethru was introduced people in China parked their cars and walked up to the window. “I’ve been reading this book, Industries of the Future by Alec Ross and that’s where technology is going. It’s good, because it will even the playing field, it will eliminate check cashing. It’s societal jet lag, Mitch. If you don’t understand the technology, you feel left behind. Like it’s you. Like there is something wrong that you did. And that lack of understanding creates that downward spiral in your brain. The one we get from longing for the past and not looking toward the future.”

“You better write that chapter.” He said. “Gotta go.” He started into another conversation at his office. Fumbled to find the talk-off key and hung up.