McDonald's CEO Reveals The Brand's 4 Biggest Problems

The fast food giant has lost market share to fast-casual brands like Chipotle and better-burger restaurants like Five Guys.

In a recent call with investors and analysts, CEO Don Thompson revealed the four biggest issues facing the brand - and how he plans to fix them.

1. Offering the best value. McDonald's spent several years experimenting with high-end items like Angus beef burgers and Chicken Selects. By focusing on this, McDonald's ignored one of its biggest strengths.

"Value is one of our grand pillars," Thompson said. "So we must continue to fortify our position within this key consumer attribute."

The brand is luring back cash-strapped customers with offerings like the low-priced Jalapeno McDouble and Buffalo Ranch McChicken.

2. Customer service. McDonald's drive-thru wait times have gotten worse over the years, in-part because of an increasingly complex menu. Thompson acknowledged this problem and said that the company is sending corporate representatives in for a "service reset." This could include adding more workers and assigning new tasks to existing ones.

The company is also remodeling European kitchens for faster food assembly.

3. Marketing. Thompson is aware that many view McDonald's as unhealthy junk food. This problem has been exacerbated by a food factory scandal in China. In order to improve public perception of the company, McDonald's is doing a global audit of the marketing department. Thompson said he plans to make new internal hires and also

"We are also strengthening our creative messages by placing greater emphasis on the quality of our food and again reestablishing the emotional connection that our customers associate with the McDonald's experience," Thompson said.

4. Simplifying the menu. McDonald's menu has grown 70% since 2007. The new menu items are a burden on employees, and have helped contribute to long wait times. Franchisees are also angry about the overloaded menu, saying that the extra ingredients and equipment are costing them money.

Thompson stressed that the restaurant is going back-to-basics.

"We are streamlining our merchandising menu board and product offerings and in addition to making it easier for customer to order their favorite products, this will reduce complexity in our restaurants which in turn should enhance accuracy and speed of service," he said.