I don’t love McDonald’s, but since I end up there only about twice a year, it’s not a bad treat. I do like a Quarter-Pounder with cheese (and mayonnaise!) if I’m starving on a road trip, with a Coke or hazelnut iced coffee. I used to love their sausage biscuits and hash browns, but they both have changed sometime in the last couple years…not so good. Same with the Chicken Nuggets…the dark meat ones were awesome. Now all you can taste is canola oil.
Somebody mentioned the burger with cheddar, mushrooms and onions. Now **that **was pretty darned good, but I haven’t seen that sandwich in years. I still miss the Arch Deluxe, too–I worked at McDonald’s for a few months as a teen when those came out.
Basically just a Blizzard, but since Mickey D’s is more ubiquitous, I head there. And now they have a very small size, because honestly, who need a big one?
It baffles me why people even eat at Mcdonalds personally, apart from lack of choice.
Perhaps its much much better in america, because when I’ve had it in the uk. and last time was at Hannover airport, the burgers were tasteless, the buns didn’t fit the burger and the only big thing about the big mac, was the the word ‘big’ in its name. It was a tiny double burger.
When I’ve been in the states, it seems a massive waste of opportunity to eat at a chain, though have tried White Castle because I couldn’t work out why the european renamed “Bill and Kumar get the Munchies” (aka Bill and Kumar go to White Castle), was being so sought after. Of course it was druggie food in small portions.
I might do it if someone can say that they are better in the US. What with the other food I’ve had over there being very good, it does seem massively out of place…
McD’s are fairly consistent throughout the world, in my experience. Not exactly the same, but close enough that if you don’t like what you’ve tried, you’re not going to like it in the U.S. any more.
My friend and I found an entire have of winning tickets by the dumpster and our whole group of friends ate for free for months it felt like. I’m talking a full on garbage bag stuffed.
White Castle’s in the US is a fairly regional chain and has a reputation of being somewhat love-it-or-hate-it, as well as being late night soak-up-the-alcohol food for its greasy, oniony hamburgers. I’m not aware of it having any specific reputation tying it to stoners before the Harold and Kumar movie, but, like any other greasy fast food joint like, say, Taco Bell would work for someone with the munchies. Personally, I love 'em.
I actually enjoy visiting fast food establishments while traveling abroad because that to me is also an interesting part of the local food scene. I’m not just talking the local versions of McDonald’s (though I did stop by one in India to try the Maharaja Chicken sandwich and the McPaneer, or whatever it was called), but mainly the local chains. Maybe one meal in six or so.
It does seem weird, but they are the only typical fast food fries I like, and I usually don’t like any fries on the thinner side. I pretty much only like fries that would be closer to Five Guys on the fast food side. Or McDonalds. FWIW, they are rarely limp and usually crispy when I get them.
Sorry for hi-jacking, but this is a thing I’ve wondered about in every food/burger thread here. Is this use of “salad” regional or generational or message board specific or just very common and I’ve never heard of it? Specifically, until reading this message board I’d never seen/read/heard anyone call stuff that goes on a sandwich as salad, only “toppings.” Maybe as a joke referring to Reagan-era school lunch or something. I might have meat on top of a salad, but never salad on top of a meat. FWIW, I’m 35 and come from a “Coke” region.
They’ve pretty much doing this or better for a long time. I think there’s some illusion about a “combo” being a deal.
Double cheeseburgers were $1 for a long time. So were small fries. Then they raised the double-cheeseburger, but if you could deal with 1 slice of cheese instead of 2, you could get a “McDouble” for a dollar. The McDouble now goes for $1.39 in my area but I think they still have Dollar Menu fries (or they might be 1.39 now). When they were running a $2.29 Triple, you could get 2 mcDoubles for $2.58. I remember when you used to be able to get a Big Mac and fries for $2.22 on Mondays (and some different daily special M-F) and a 2 Cheeseburgers meal for $2.99.
Any idea what the weird sauce is? When I’ve had them there (a bagel sandwich would be my default preferred breakfast option) I couldn’t get over that, and it and some inconsistency drove me to Dunkin Donuts, Tim Hortons, Panera, or Steak n Shake, instead.
good salads. decent coffee. I think the reason their sales are down is because so many people were eating the $1 burgers during the recession that they got seriously tired of them. No clue what happened to their fries but they should offer the hash browns as an alternative.
I see your point but the profit margin (if any) would still be very slim. Yes, I realize that the food costs are a small part of the picture but when you consider the overhead of the building, waste, labor costs, franchise costs, etc, I see it difficult to make much profit
As previously mentioned, I’m a fan of the McD’s breakfast options. I thought I read that McD’s in San Diego was going to experiment with selling breakfast 24/7. I hope that experiment goes well enough that the idea expands into the Chicago market.
Yeah, I like 'em. Especially the fries. I’m getting tired of the hamburger though, even though it is the cheapest. But then their salads are pretty good.
And their breakfast is the only one I can eat, as they don’t use milk products in their eggs and serve their sausages on the side.
I kinda like it for when you want something cheap and unhealthy.
It’s fascinating visiting a McD’s in a foreign country and seeing the small changes. Plus, free toilets! I’ve been to a McD’s in almost every country I’ve visited at least in part because I needed the loo.
Ethically, because of their size, they’re actually better than the many independent junk food shops or small chains, like the ones that have a KFC rip-off name (Kennedy Friend Chicken, Kwick Fried Chicken etc). Their staff get paid, aren’t on zero hours contracts, so they get sick pay and maternity pay and guaranteed hours, etc (even an optional pension scheme), there’s lots of opportunity for progression, etc. There’s usually disabled access and a disabled loo. And because they’re so famous they get a lot of people checking exactly where they source their meat from.
The same goes for the other really big international chains like KFC and BK, but I know people who refuse to go to McD’s for ethical reasons but will still eat at a dodgy chicken shop or kebab shop. :smack:
They didn’t even change the White Castle bit in the UK despite the fact that the only white castles here are actual ancient buildings so it sounded like they were going on a cultural excursion.
Yes I still go to McDonald’s. My wife likes them too.
Working there as a high school kid (I’m 54 now), it was a great job. Fast, not boring, working closely with others, and speed was of the essence.
I worked there for 4 years, into my college days. At that age 4 years is a long time. When I turned 16 back in 1977 I quit my paper route (the Hartford Courant - America’s Oldest Newspaper!) and got the Mickey Dee’s job. I’ll always remember my first boss because I learned some important first lessons from him. I think it’s okay to write his name here, and now almost 40 years later: Mike Pothier, a great boss. That was in downtown Hartford CT on Asylum Ave. across the street from the old Civic Center. In all I worked at four different McDonalds from 1977 to 1981:
► 51 Asylum St., Hartford CT - near the old Hartford Civic Center.
► 214 Prospect Ave., Hartford CT - across the street from the old King’s Department Store and in front of a large now-gone water tower (gas tower?) that I painted with my brother M and my best friend V, HALL RULES 79!!!.
► 609 Market St., San Francisco CA - in the heart of SF’s Financial District.
► 146 S. Fairview Ave., Goleta CA - close to UCSB and lots of co-eds in bikinis. And college
The one on Asylum St. is gone now, but the others are still there. I still temember some core McD’s tenets like Clean As You Go, and QSC, Quality, Service and Cleanliness. When I cook in my kitchen, to this day I clean as I go.
Thanks for letting me share my trip down memory lane. And to Lisa L, a girlfriend from the Goleta store, you were an angel, and I was not very mature back then.
And thanks again Mike Pothier, wherever you are. You were a great boss.
Generally, I don’t like burgers. If I feel like eating a burger, I’d go to Jewel and buy a frozen pack or even fresh meat that I will cook / back myself. The only burger in McDonalds that I like are their new steak burgers, but they are way too expensive. Plus, the fries are way too oily. If I feel like a sandwich and I don’t want to cook, I go to SuperDawg. The sandwiches are really really good and the fries are heavenly.