The last time I went into a McDonalds it felt so soulless. I've never seen a fast food restaurant that makes no attempt at color. The whole place was grey.
It felt like walking into an office.
I wonder what the business idea is behind this.
I can share my thoughts on why.
When it first came about, the targeted audience was children. It was also a known fact that bright bold colors also encourages people to eat more. Like how toned down colors and cool colors are used in bedrooms for sleeping.
As McDonald's gain popularity, and McDonald's altered their recipes, people started acting out more when they didn't get their way. Many studies are done by many companies on what keeps people to continue buying their food. Certain neurological responses happen to certain chemical combinations even if the individual chemicals are not lab made and can be naturally found. It got to the point people would have a complete melt down and harm other people and destroy property if they happened to be out of something they wanted or they didn't want to wait.
Some people became turned off eating at places that looked tacky or looked like they were for children. Especially as the population started and continues to produce less offspring. The added bonus of news frequently reporting on violent incidences happening there didn't help. It also started to deter people with children from going.
The colors being removed helps keep the peace in McDonald's, and encourages a wider audience, even with the knowledge and reports of how the food effects people's bodies especially developing people, profits increased with the building interior change. Such as someone with a higher economic status or someone without children. It is way cheaper for the company to stick to gray, black,white paint and dyes and not worth the cost of colors since they are doing well. If they even wanted to spend the cost on a mascot statue for whatever reason, sticking to those kinds of colors won't have too large of an emotional or neurological response from someone who is triggered and addicted to certain chemical compounds in the food because they frequently eat there.
Beige white and brown could work similarly, but gray black and white go the extra mile.
I would actually expect to see this color palette to spread overtime in the nation.