Changing a well established brand is always risky, but because McDonald’s is such a strong worldwide power and does not appear to be suffering economically, they can probably get away with it. As it is, most people see McDonald’s as just a building in which to get really cheap food that may or may not taste okay. The décor and overall appearance does not really come into play for the millions of customers all over the world.

If they’re interested in expanding the operation even more, a severe overhaul could definitely work. If the atmosphere is nicer and invites customers to stay longer and enjoy the facility at a new level, it could definitely draw in new customers. Returning customers most likely will not object to the changes unless they have a really intense affinity for places that look cheap, sterile, and uncomfortable.

However, simply changing the décor and environment of an eatery is not enough to make new customers stay. As it is, much of the food at McDonald’s tastes cheap, which is fine because it is cheap, but customers that are drawn to a more upscale environment and eat at McDonald’s because of the décor and otherwise would not are not going to be impressed by cheap food. They might try it once or twice, but the current menu is not going to make them stick around.

I agree that the menu also needs an overhaul if McDonald’s wants to change their image completely. However, this is even riskier than spending billions of dollars to change their buildings. The customers that have made the business the multi-billion dollar entity that it is might not want the menu to change. If they drive away their recurrent customers, their profits could deplete very quickly.

Still, revamping so many locations in such a severe way is a waste of time and money if it fails to draw in new customers. If new people are not drawn to the new look, only the same customers that have always bought their food will come. Why spend all the money to change so many locations in such a major way if the only people that come in are the ones that liked the big ugly red roof and hard booths? To get new customers drawn in by the new atmosphere to continue to frequent the establishment, severe changes to the menu are needed; however, this must be done without changing staple items or inflating prices as not to turn away longtime customers.