Final Word from Thursday, September 3, 2015
McDonald's is in trouble, as healthier eating, increased competition on its home turf and slower emerging markets have pushed its second-quarter global revenue down 10%. Its Czech operations are merely a drop in the bucket, accounting for only 0.7% of global sales, but every drop counts, and its local managers have come up with a crafty way to increase revenue. When a customer orders a McMenu, the smiling guy or gal behind the counter automatically marks up a "large," which costs 8.7% more than a "small." It's the same for a breakfast menu, where the unsuspecting customer automatically gets a "hearty" egg breakfast for 23.5% more than a regular one. When asked about this, manager Jiří of the flagship Wenceslas Square store said defensively that its corporate policy. If customers don't say "small," McDonald's automatically assumes they want a "large." Who wouldn't want so much extra high-value nutrition anyway, right? [Czech Republic value meal]
Glossary of difficult words
turf - an area regarded as one's personal territory; one's home ground;
a drop in the bucket - a very small amount compared to what is needed or expected;
crafty - clever at achieving one's aims by indirect or deceitful methods;
hearty - (of food) wholesome and substantial;
flagship - the best or most important thing owned or produced by a particular organization.