I just think the name brand has diminished for a few reasons, the most obvious being that competition is fierce and the other is that the medical community has beaten into our heads that fast food and soda are BAD FOR US. You can try to sell salads or make your food items healthier, but it doesn't turn the tide of bias against the brand name. McDonalds is unhealthy and the audience is listening.
I have 3 kids. The first two are 12 and 10 and loved McDonald Happy Meals. At the time, their mom and I would occasionally treat them to a Happy Meal because it was fast, cheap and the boys would eat it. Good for them? No. But come on, we weren't feeding them kale shakes and Fiber All at home. Plus, some kids can be tough to feed and when you find something they will devour in the midst of a busy day/life/career, you get over the "BAD FOR YOU" message.
But my 2.5 year old daughter has never been to a McDonald's. Her mom prefers that she not eat McDonald's and chooses to feed our daughter healthier foods that she makes. Now, we'll go out to eat and she'll eat stuff off the kids menu that I'm sure isn't on top of the pyramid of healthy foods,
but there's a stigma against McDonald's that my wife objects too, so that's out. I think the fact that my wife is 8 years younger than me and grew up in an era where the message of food health was quite clear and strong plays a part in this.
Blah blah blah....I think newer generations of parents care about what to feed their kids and
some are opting to stay away from McDonalds.