Have you ever felt like Ronald McDonald is watching you? Well, you would be absolutely right.
The trendy burger restaurant not only caters to fast-food joints with its trendy milkshakes and signature fires, it also closely monitors each customer through data collected through the McDonald’s app, says the former executive chef of the restaurant.
“Why do you think McDonald’s wants you to use the app for everything?,” asked Mike Haracz, former head of culinary innovation at Mickey D’s, in a mind-blowing expose on TikTok with over 37,000 views.
The whistleblower’s explosive revelation came in response to a commenter’s question asking why McDonald’s knows “how much money do I have when I eat there?”
And Haracz, who virally exposed the once-sacred secret recipe for the ever-beloved Big Mac sauce and dissuaded would-be diners from frequenting the restaurant at 10:30 a.m., spilled the beans with alacrity.
Haracz says Mickey D’s is one of several companies using personal data obtained from its app to “specifically target” individual customers. FellowNeko – stock.adobe.com
“McDonald’s, (via) the app, can absolutely target you based on your shopping habits,” he insisted.
“Whatever consumer science data is used to group different groups in different places,” Haracz continued, “they know how much money you have, they know what you buy, they know what you like. “
He added that the bigwigs behind Golden Arches aren’t the only ones capitalizing on collecting customer information.
“A lot of places do this with credit card numbers,” Haracz said.
Haracz says McDonald’s can track its customers’ spending habits, preferences, tastes and finances through the information it gets from the app. TikTok / @chefmikeharacz
“After they swipe your credit card, they kind of know what that card has ordered from them in the past,” he added, “and can use that information to specifically target you or adjust their marketing, their advertising to ensure that what they are promoting in a specific region is relevant to you.
Food junkies were stunned by the bulletin.
“No wonder the app’s offerings are so good…data is king!!!” said one stunned viewer.
“I noticed that if I open another restaurant’s app, I shortly after get a notification from McDonald’s announcing something,” noted another.
“So cash only lol,” joked one aspiring off-the-grid prankster.
Is Ronald McDonald watching you?Aaron – stock.adobe.com
But others didn’t seem bothered by being hawked by the burger house.
“I don’t care,” wrote one unfazed fan. “The app makes dining at Mickey D’s affordable.”
Haracz concluded his speech with a parting word: “McDonald’s knows a lot more about you than you think.”
