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McDonald's Bites on Big Data With $300 Million Acquisition (wired.com)

Posted by msmash on from the whatever-floats-your-boat dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Mention McDonald's to someone today, and they're more likely to think about Big Mac than Big Data. But that could soon change: The fast-food giant has embraced machine learning, in a fittingly super-sized way. McDonald's is set to announce that it has reached an agreement to acquire Dynamic Yield, a startup based in Tel Aviv that provides retailers with algorithmically driven "decision logic" technology. When you add an item to an online shopping cart, it's the tech that nudges you about what other customers bought as well. Dynamic Yield reportedly had been recently valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars; people familiar with the details of the McDonald's offer put it at over $300 million. That would make it the company's largest purchase since it acquired Boston Market in 1999.

67 comments

  1. Would like a pie with that? by thechemic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Would like a pie with that? We already predicted that you don't.

    --
    Let's make like a bird... and get the flock outta here.
    1. Re:Would like a pie with that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only if it's fried. Like the deep fried left wing media and their boot licking supporters who are the true traitors and should be hung by the neck.

    2. Re: Would like a pie with that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Deep fried apple or cherry pie with boiling lava filling. None of that baked lukewarm garbage.

    3. Re: Would like a pie with that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Time waits for neither ant nor pie

    4. Re: Would like a pie with that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I use AI to choose products from the menu. That tells me what to buy, how much to pay, where my wallet is, and where to turn out of the parking lot. I haven't starved yet.

    5. Re:Would like a pie with that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would like a pie with that? We already predicted that you don't.

      Bah, it never prevented Chris Reimer from shoving it down our throats anyway, did it?

    6. Re:Would like a pie with that? by No+Longer+an+AC · · Score: 1

      Finally, George Clinton may get an answer to that age old question, "Do Fries Go With That Shake?:"

      Baby, can I cut your cake?
      Oh can I have it my way?
      Don't I deserve a break today?

    7. Re:Would like a pie with that? by stealth_finger · · Score: 0

      People who bought a burger usually also bought fries and a drink. These are the kinds of insights really worth the big bucks.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    8. Re:Would like a pie with that? by nukenerd · · Score: 1

      That almost sounds sensible. The way I find it works on shopping websites is that if I show interest in eg a garden fountain, it tells me that the last person who looked at that garden fountain also looked at frying pans. Why TF should I care what other people looked at?

  2. Retarded title, idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Try harder, moron

  3. it doesn't take a computer to notice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that the twelve McDonald's closest to creimer are always short of big macs, quarter pounders, french fries, all the flavors of soda, ice cream, kid's meals, all the toys and the toilets are always clogged

    it's a mystery

    maybe IBM Big Blue can solve it?

    1. Re:it doesn't take a computer to notice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe they can link it to Youtube videos of kids, taken and uploaded without their consent and constantly mentioned in connection to pedophilia as some kind of attention-seeking method.

  4. President Trump Going To Settle Some Scores by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All the Slashdot folks who disrespected President Trump better watch out. President Trump has been using the NSA to monitor this website. He knows who all the ACs are who disrespected him. This week or next there will be a late night knock on the AC's door. And that's the last anyone will ever see of them. President Trump has plans to "disappear" a couple dozen ACs who trash talked him. They better say their goodbyes now. When that knock comes on their door, there won't be time for long goodbyes. It's the end of the line.

    1. Re:President Trump Going To Settle Some Scores by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When they come to knock on my door, all they'll find is you sucking my cock.

  5. I can save them 300 million by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't even need to look at the big bad data. Fat people eat more garbage food than skinny, healthy people.

  6. Boston Market by 110010001000 · · Score: 0

    Boston Market was such a good acquisition they wanted to try it again.

    1. Re:Boston Market by chromaexcursion · · Score: 1

      Actually, when they bought them it was a good buy. And is still working. They bought well after the chapter 11.

    2. Re:Boston Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A startup from Israel will definitely be worth of $300 millions. Not. But getting a company with a hierarchical organization, where fighting, yelling, lying and backstabbing are normal way of operation is granted. I have worked in global IT corporations over 20 years, not once I have seen such culture anywhere else. Even French people are polite and civil when compared to Israels. And this is not one of those nazi rants, as the offices I have dealt with have many multinational and -cultural people, it is just the local way of working there.

    3. Re:Boston Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your generalizations lead one to suspect that you're still upset that your side lost WW2.

    4. Re:Boston Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Russia, China, America, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, nope all the same, women can drive in Saudi, No governmental control of everything in China, yep, all the same cultures.

      Dumbass!

    5. Re:Boston Market by nukenerd · · Score: 1

      Boston Market was such a good acquisition

      Other people who bought Boston Market also bought this garden chair. Can I add it to your basket?

    6. Re:Boston Market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      WTF are you trying to say?

  7. Mc big data by Major_Disorder · · Score: 1

    We know you want fries with that...

    --
    First law of people: People are generally stupid.
  8. Re:if-trump-obstructed-justice-he-cant-be-exonerat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Michael Avanatti arrested for 20 million dollar extortion scheme on Woke Nike! lmao LOSERS!

  9. Re:if-trump-obstructed-justice-he-cant-be-exonerat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What does that have to do with Trump, that a pornstar's lawyer tried to extort Nike lol? Is Trump going to somehow NOT have paid the porn star to keep quiet, an "in-kind" contribution he didn't disclose, lol? Good luck in prison.

    Say hi to Avenatti for me, and your buddy Paulie Gout.

  10. Would you like Fries with that by chromaexcursion · · Score: 1

    The previous post had it wrong.

  11. Hamburgers don't matter... by Real+Data+Collection · · Score: 1

    McDonald's is a real estate company that owns more land than the Vatican.

    1. Re: Hamburgers don't matter... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      true but the filet o fish is good

    2. Re: Hamburgers don't matter... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hang in there fish on wall singing

    3. Re:Hamburgers don't matter... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's some greasy-ass land!

    4. Re:Hamburgers don't matter... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I thought they were a franchise company with outrageous lease backs for the fryers and such and rental scams that mean the IRS gets little.

      I find McD a expensive for dull food. They want to charge me more for a real coffee not weak stuff - which is a dealbreaker for my age group and country heritage (ask any Italian in NYC or Melbourne .au) for instance.
      $2.25 for ONE hash brown in Australia -really! may come out oily and warm, not crispy. At that price it had better be good.

      I usually go when on long drives, then need a clean toilet. if they want to sell more, text me a 30% off message.

    5. Re:Hamburgers don't matter... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought that was hamberders!

  12. Other customers bought by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Get that and this customer goes elsewhere.

    Big data will only disappear when the money does, so vote with your wallet.

  13. People still eat McDonalds? by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seriously, do people still eat that garbage? It's food-substitute at best.

    1. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      These "gosh I live under a rock and can't believe that anyone buys products from a 100B+ company" posts aren't clever

    2. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by No+Longer+an+AC · · Score: 1

      I'm such a hipster that I stopped bragging about quitting eating Big Macs before it was cool to stop bragging about not eating Big Macs.

      But let's face it, McDonald's is the closest thing humans have ever come to a machine where you could just demand food and they would give you whatever you wanted almost instantly.

      FISH!

      And we haven't advanced any further on the evolutionary scale than Cat! And Trout a la creme is just a fancy name for Filet-O-Fish.

      They never showed it that I can recall, but you have to know Lister was cleaning up cat puke for days after Cat found that device.

    3. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by mlw4428 · · Score: 1

      I think, in general, the food itself isn't all that bad. It's the people who order a triple quarter pounder, a large fry, a gallon of coke, 2 dessert pies, a sundae, and then work a desk job and couch surf while repeating the same meal for supper who have problems. There's nothing inherently "fake" about any of their products.

    4. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have kids. McDonalds will become relevant again.

      I also eat only at McDonalds or Subway when I'm traveling. After getting food poisoning during a long trip, I opt for safety and convenience over quality.

    5. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For some reason their cheeseburgers give me anxiety and panic attacks. Usually 30 to 60 minutes after I eat it but sometimes it can last much longer. I can't explain it but no other burger does that to me (in fact I usually feel better after eating a burger). I wonder what the hell is in those things.

    6. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, do people still eat that garbage?

      Do you still see McDonald's restaurants in the world? Is McDonald's still a multi-billion dollar company?

      Of course people still eat there. You may not and I may not, but it's pretty fucking hard not to notice that the company is still in business.

      Are you blind, stupid, or just under the impression you've said something clever?

    7. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is it really necessary for all you ACs to be such insufferable cunts about everything? Also stop voting for Republicans, you're shitting up my country.

    8. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      If you actually think McDonalds is 'good', then you have no taste.

    9. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      AC didn't say it was 'good'. Way to go strawmanning.

    10. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      AC didn't say it was 'mediocre' or 'bad' either; merely posting the comment at all implies he thinks it's 'good' somehow. Shut up.

    11. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's cute that you think it's your country.

    12. Re:People still eat McDonalds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Criticism of one party does not constitute praise of another. I can say "grapes are really gross" and you shouldn't instantly jump to the idea that I'm really just defending strawberries. AC called you an idiot (paraphrasing here), because you are one. Then another AC called you an idiot for another reason. Finally, I'm a third AC calling you... You guessed it: An idiot. Congrats.
      You should really post as AC yourself more often. It would be less embarrassing.

  14. Yes by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 4, Informative

    Rank Location Number of McDonald's
    1 US 14,146
    2 Japan 2,975
    3 China 2,391
    4 Germany 1,470
    5 Canada 1,450
    6 France 1,419
    7 UK 1,274

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    1. Re:Yes by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 2

      Yeah, they're pretty rank, alright...

      --
      -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    2. Re:Yes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Try JollyBee in the Philippines

      Looks and feels like McD's , Only better and more popular. serves spagetti and fried chicken. But somehow, they DO cope with the expanded range.

    3. Re:Yes by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Rank Location Number of McDonald's
      1 US 14,146
      2 Japan 2,975
      3 China 2,391
      4 Germany 1,470
      5 Canada 1,450
      6 France 1,419
      7 UK 1,274

      France has more McDonalds than the UK... We mustn't allow an Obesity Gap. Deep fry that pie immediately.

      As required by the UK Ministry of Being British I must now point out that the above is hyperbole, at no point should a pie be fried, deep or otherwise and should be served with a real ale appropriate to the pies flavour.

      As required by the UK Ministry of Sarcastic Pragmatism, I have no doubt the McPie will be a thing.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  15. Correlation by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 2

    Funny how well the set of hateful nefarious big corporations and the set of companies that get into big data seem to intersect.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  16. The app by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They became a big data company when they started tracking your phone via the mc app.
    My guess is they see the $$ and are vertically integrating that

  17. Thanks Uncle Ronny you clown! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whenever you see big corporations blowing hundreds of millions of dollars acquiring worthless companies you can be sure that it's just a scheme to transfer stockholder money to friends and/or relatives of the executive.
    In more news, Facebook acquires SniffMyBalls.com from little Ralphy Zuckerberg for 400 million dollars!

  18. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  19. Menu Size is the bigger problem by packrat0x · · Score: 1

    Money for analytics, but not one dime to make the menu smaller.

    --
    227-3517
    1. Re:Menu Size is the bigger problem by coofercat · · Score: 1

      That's okay, you'll be able to write apps to perform McQueries, using the McQL Mc-Language to get to the McData that makes up the McMenu, which is McPersonalised to each Mcregion they sell in. You'll be able to run your McApp on a McCloud, using Filet-o-serverless technologies to deliver McContent at the McEdge. We're headed to the Internet of McThings.

      I'm an old fart, but I don't understand McDs. A few years back I had a BigMac - the sauce was nice, but every other item in the meal lacked the flavour it's supposed to have. They keep telling us that they only buy quality beef from British farmers, yadda yadda, but how they managed to extract all the flavour from it (and the other ingredients) before serving it is a mystery to me.

    2. Re:Menu Size is the bigger problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some of it comes down to execution, some of it is indeed lack of flavor. But if you had a Big Mac assembled by an employee who cared, with fresh ingredients (that hadn't sat being kept warm for too long) it'd taste fairly good. Things like the cheese have no hope. I'm also not a huge fan of the re-hydrated onions. I worked there in the USA about 20 years ago. The bread also is especially bland.

  20. Nudge = Harass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Except without the connotation you are doing something illegal or immoral. Mcdonalds just spent $300 million so they have the technological capibility to ask "Do you want fry's with that?" to find the weak minded people who will click yes.

    This is McDonalds we're talking about; this is a company that would literally poison and kill you if it meant making a buck. You are a science experiment if you eat there, and their accountants are the scientists.

  21. Big Data Big Mac by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Data shows that reducing the size of the patty by 1%, customers won't notice but it will reduce cow farts by 2.4%, the average waistline by %.02" and increase revenue by 4.6%.

    Big Data FTW

  22. Their food by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Last time I had food from them, it gave me shits for the whole night.

  23. 300 Million? by kingbilly · · Score: 1

    Is 300 million a price anchored in reality? I have seen free modules and plugins for eCommerce sites to show recommendations in the cart. Is it the technology itself (the lines of code) that is with 300 million, or does Dynamic Yield have a trove of data, which is what is really being purchased here?

    1. Re:300 Million? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought that too. Any half-competent data scientist could build that app in a few weeks.

    2. Re:300 Million? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazon's recommendations are hardly amazing, they just show me items other people have purchased with this one, or other items similar in search terms.

      Then again, advertising rarely works on me, since I grew up with advertising everywhere, you learn to block it all out like white noise.

      I agree, $300m is hardly worth it.

  24. Menu is the problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That almost sounds sensible. Thanks for the Information