At McDonald’s, the happiest meal is hot profits, says Andrew Martin of the New York Times, as customers are “lured back by new menu items, longer hours and a sparkling new building that includes flat-screen televisions and video games for children”:
Mr. Ward says he’s a regular again because his McDonald’s is open until 1 a.m. Ms. Fillian and Ms. Milano, now moms, say they often bring their children to the playroom and feel no guilt serving them apple slices and white-meat Chicken McNuggets. Mr. Green was drawn back in — grudgingly — because McDonald’s lattes are cheaper and more convenient than those at Starbucks.