As part of my daily routine, I use Smart Scan to look for stocks hitting new 52-week highs. I was shocked today when I saw McDonald's on the list. I can honestly say that McDonald's hadn't crossed my mind as of late, other than when the talking heads on TV talk about how poorly the company is performing here in the United States. And yet there it was, making a new 52-week high of 101.44 yesterday. Not only that, but it's closing in on the all-time high of 103.78 on 5/14/14.
It just so happens that I took my youngest son out to lunch yesterday and of course he wanted to go to McDonald's. So we jumped in the truck and headed over to the brand new one that they built in my town. Yes, I said new one. There are now two in this little town, the established one that's been here forever and the new one about 3 miles north of the old and on the other side of town. I remember asking myself, will the new one be busy? Will it take away to much business from the old one? I guess time will tell.
We pull up to the new one, and I notice that they still have a "Now Hiring" sign out front, and I think, "Oh boy, this isn't going to go well." As I walk in, I'm hit with the newness and completely different look and feel of this McDonald's. It's very futuristic and almost characterless honestly. I also notice that there is a line of cars around the building and 5-6 people waiting on food inside with looks of disdain on their faces. As I turn to get in line, I notice that they only have one person working the counter with a line of people waiting. As people start to complain about the wait I make an executive decision, "kid, were going to the other one" and we leave. Continue reading "Don't Look Now, But McDonald's Hit A New 52 Week High" →