# Billions served at McDonalds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-served-at-mcdonalds/37371 "2000-10-18T04:45:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zankokuten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e99b99/32.png) [@Zankokuten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zankokuten)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-served-at-mcdonalds/37371/1 "2000-10-18T04:45:52Z")
I know this question is now pointless because most MickeyDees archways have the vague ‘billions served’ instead of the ‘99 billion served’ declarations of the past. However, WHAT was served? I don’t think it’s people because I’ve been there multiple times and I dont’ think they keep track… Therefore, ‘billions’ must be a function of orders. However, does this mean items? meals? or was this counted as per payment? Things you wonder while procrastinating… ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-served-at-mcdonalds/37371/2 "2000-10-18T04:51:29Z")
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**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-served-at-mcdonalds/37371/3 "2000-10-18T04:52:33Z")
It’s hamburger patties. I forget where I heard this, but I’d put money on it. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-served-at-mcdonalds/37371/4 "2000-10-18T04:53:56Z")
David Feldman, the author of Imponderables (the original “Straight Dope”) researched this and said it was burger patties that were being counted. Thus, a Big Mac would count twice while a Fillet O’Fish wouldn’t count at all. I don’t think they had chicken sandwiches back when they actually posted real numbers, eg “50 Billion Served”. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-served-at-mcdonalds/37371/5 "2000-10-18T05:53:15Z")
All this talk of billions and billions made me think of, who else, Carl Sagan. Anyway, in keeping with the non-sequitur nature of my more blatant pads, I wonder what alien life would think of an ostensibly intelligent species eating little greasepucks served with a starchy little patty called ‘meat’ for some unobvious reason. They might decide to give up on humans entirely and talk to the rats. Or the second-highest intelligence, the dolphins. And nobody wants to know what the alien teens do to poor bovines in the middle of the night. 😃 I’ll stop now. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-served-at-mcdonalds/37371/6 "2000-10-18T06:32:35Z")
The pattie count prior to 1968 might have worked. After that the Pittsburg owner, Jim Delligatti, would have popularized the BiG Mac and thrown all counts off. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-served-at-mcdonalds/37371/7 "2000-10-18T07:18:30Z")
I once saw a Bizarro cartoon that showed a giant McDonalds-esque sign, arches and all, literally smack dab in the middle of a packed stretch of highway. The sign read “McObstacle”, and below it, “Billions Swerved”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2000, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-served-at-mcdonalds/37371/8 "2000-10-18T07:36:22Z")
Related SD column: [How many cows are slaughtered each year to make McDonald’s hamburgers?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_186.html) Cecil said they were selling 5 billion burgers every 16 months.