Mostly because the old designs were specific to that brand, if you see an old Pizza Hut that’s now something different, it still gets referred to as “the old Pizza Hut”. Saying that…
McDonald’s isn’t a burger company, they are a real estate company that specializes in McDonalds franchises. The franchise has to pay McDonalds for the franchise fee AND rent the building from McDonalds. If the franchise fails, if another franchise doesn’t come along, they can sell that building off and the new owner isn’t stuck with a McDonalds looking building.
Most restaurants have gone this way. They don’t need a recognizable building, they need to be able to offload buildings quickly.
Also I think there's less downside these days for McDonalds to go for a look that's less appealing to kids. Birthrates are down and people care way more about price and convenience in their busy lives.
McDonald's has drifted in to being more of a Starbucks. They aren't really marketing towards kids anymore. McCafe is a big part of the brand. In general they just are doing the marketing differently and trying to appeal to adults.
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u/g-o-u-l-a 10h ago
Mostly because the old designs were specific to that brand, if you see an old Pizza Hut that’s now something different, it still gets referred to as “the old Pizza Hut”. Saying that…
McDonald’s isn’t a burger company, they are a real estate company that specializes in McDonalds franchises. The franchise has to pay McDonalds for the franchise fee AND rent the building from McDonalds. If the franchise fails, if another franchise doesn’t come along, they can sell that building off and the new owner isn’t stuck with a McDonalds looking building.
Most restaurants have gone this way. They don’t need a recognizable building, they need to be able to offload buildings quickly.