# "Do you have McDonald's money?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 10, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553 "2020-05-10T22:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/41 "2020-05-11T17:19:39Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Nope, never heard it. I mean, considering [McDonald](https://www.warc.com/NewsAndOpinion/News/32289)’s itself is a [black thing](https://www.statista.com/statistics/670921/mcdonalds-most-frequent-diners-by-ethnicity-us/), it’s not surprising. It’s been kind of the business model for decades to build in low-income, non-white neighborhoods and advertise to that clientele. > > Not that “Chick Fil A money” is a thing anyone says, either. ::shrug:: Did you actually look at those links before you linked to them? The second one requires an account before you can even see the graph. The first one is to a press release that says that, in 2013, when about 35% of the US population was black, Asian, or Hispanic, 40% of McDonald’s customers were in those groups. That doesn’t exactly support the claim you made. But yeah, those links sure do come up early if you Google “McDonald’s Demographics Race” or some similar combination, don’t they? Great for linking to if you want to look like you’re supporting your preconceptions and are hoping nobody else will actually check your cites. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/42 "2020-05-11T17:48:25Z")
Never heard it before this thread. I’m a middle-aged white chick who grew up in pretty white surroundings. > [@ASGuy](#): > > I was 28 or so the first time I heard her say “Micky-D’s.” I had never heard that either and had her explain it to me. > [@Ludovic](#): > > I don’t remember where I first heard “Mickey D’s” but I think I understood it in context. > [@Patch](#): > > I think the first I ever heard the term Mickey D’s was in the Tom Hanks movie, _The 'Burbs_, back in 1989. I don’t remember when – must have been sometime in the 80s – but the first time I heard “Mickey D’s” was in a McDonald’s commercial featuring a black family. The teenage daughter said it, and I remember thinking that it was so sad of McDonald’s to be trying to give itself a “hip” nickname that would never catch on. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/43 "2020-05-11T17:59:26Z")
I’ve never heard it before. For us, it was a great occasional treat to get takeout from McD’s. We lived within a mile of Lake Erie; my dad would park the car at a road that dead-ended at the lake shore just behind these huge concrete block barriers. Sometimes, waves would hit the barriers and spray water on the car windshield. Exciting times! ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/44 "2020-05-11T18:22:23Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I don’t remember when – must have been sometime in the 80s – but the first time I heard “Mickey D’s” was in a McDonald’s commercial featuring a black family. The teenage daughter said it, and I remember thinking that it was so sad of McDonald’s to be trying to give itself a “hip” nickname that would never catch on. I was just about to post the same thing. I’ve never, ever heard anyone say “Mickey D’s” in real life, not even ironically. I always thought it was invented by some ad exec trying to be hip and only actors in commercials said it. We never had fast food, or any restaurant food except on road trips, as a kid. My parents were kids in the Depression/World War II-era so very thrifty. Although one of my Dad’s standard responses to complaints about dinner was “you can always take _your_ allowance money and walk to Crap-in-the-Sack if you don’t want to eat this” (There was a Jack in the Box about 5 blocks from our house). Never took him up on the offer. Instead I would go to the kitchen and make a PB&J sandwich, as that was the other option. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/45 "2020-05-11T18:43:40Z")
White, mid-50s, lived in exurbs and suburbs all my life. This post is the first I’ve ever heard of the term. But a day ago, after reading the OP, I did some duckduckgo-ing and found “McDonalds Money” is indeed a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/46 "2020-05-11T18:43:54Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Did you actually look at those links before you linked to them? The second one requires an account before you can even see the graph. The first one is to a press release that says that, in 2013, when about 35% of the US population was black, Asian, or Hispanic, 40% of McDonald’s customers were in those groups. That doesn’t exactly support the claim you made. But yeah, those links sure do come up early if you Google “McDonald’s Demographics Race” or some similar combination, don’t they? Great for linking to if you want to look like you’re supporting your preconceptions and are hoping nobody else will actually check your cites. Did _you_? If you’re in doubt, you could just read the OP. I mean, have you ever even seen or heard any McDonald’s advertisements? It’s not a controversial position. I mean, do we need to ask the marketing director herself? It’s in the article. > [@](#): > > Marlena Peleo-Lazar, the company’s chief creative officer,… > “the ethnic plans are the foundation [of our marketing program], and influential in shaping that plan, and it is endorsed by the entire system,” she said. > > Fully 40% of McDonald’s business, and many of its most loyal customers, are now drawn from the Hispanic, Afro-American and Asian-American demographics. > > As population growth is almost entirely attributable to these segments, their importance is likely to grow further, too. > > “We are continuing to invest in the fastest-growing segments of our business: our ethnic consumers. We ensure that it is never an afterthought. In fact, incorporating an ethnic perspective actually begins our marketing process,” Peleo-Lazar said. Keep grindin’ that axe, buddy. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/47 "2020-05-11T18:57:52Z")
No, never heard of it. Fast food was pretty affordable for us and we went there a lot. I know that was unhealthy but that’s what we did. What I wouldn’t have asked for was something we probably couldn’t afford like going on a big trip. This “McDonalds money” saying is the total opposite of what I grew up with. I learned that I would get told yes for food but no for ”big asks.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/48 "2020-05-11T18:58:35Z")
Until I opened this thread, I’d never heard of “McDonald’s Money” White, in case that’s important. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/49 "2020-05-11T19:02:42Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > I’ve never heard it before. > > For us, it was a great occasional treat to get takeout from McD’s. We lived within a mile of Lake Erie; my dad would park the car at a road that dead-ended at the lake shore just behind these huge concrete block barriers. Sometimes, waves would hit the barriers and spray water on the car windshield. Exciting times! We had takeout more than occasionally, but I had a similar experience with Kentucky Fried Chicken and at least seeing, if not parking near, Lake Erie. I always associate the particular sound of the spork hitting the styrofoam with those occasional meals. (Back when they had real mashed potatoes. Someone pointed out that they’re now reconstituted and now that’s all I can taste.) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/50 "2020-05-11T19:07:30Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Did _you_? If you’re in doubt, you could just read the OP. I mean, have you ever even seen or heard any McDonald’s advertisements? It’s not a controversial position. That McDonald’s is “a black thing”? That’s not controversial, because it’s wrong. You may be confused because their ads aren’t as lily-white as the ads of some other companies. > [@](#): > > I mean, do we need to ask the marketing director herself? It’s in the article. Right: that article says that they **incorporate** an “ethnic perspective.” That’s not remotely the same thing as being “a black thing.” > [@](#): > > Keep grindin’ that axe, buddy. If you mean my axe of calling out sloppy cites, I’ll keep at it! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/51 "2020-05-11T19:28:48Z")
64, white, and no, I’ve never heard the phrase. I don’t think that we had a McDonalds nearby until I was in junior high. > [@monstro](#): > > The way people are responding, I’m wondering if anyone’s parents have said, “You want to go to McDonald’s! OK! Grab your coat!” Nope. But as some point Dad got a promotion and we went from knowing not to ask to if we were good then we would have McDonalds on Tuesday after piano lessons. Mind you, that was a hamburger and fries, only. We had milk at home and it was both healthier and not a sucker’s markup. The hamburgers were 25 cents. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/52 "2020-05-11T20:06:56Z")
“You got McDonald’s money??” is definitely a Black thing. Heard it often growing up. Heck, I still use it on my own kid occasionally (for the culture!), even though we definitely have McDonald’s money. Well HE doesn’t, so I suppose it’s still a valid statement ;). ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/53 "2020-05-11T20:24:40Z")
> [@cardinal\_fang](#): > > A similar meme I’ve seen that was true for us growing up was “We have food at home.” (Or, “We have _xxx_ at home.” when asking for _xxx_.) When I was 8 and 9, I belonged to a children’s orchestra (I played violin). We practiced once a week, and many of the parents would take their children to the nearby Friendly’s afterwards. This was a sit-down restaurant, not just an ice cream stand. Before long, they started going as a group. When I asked my mom if we could go with the others, she said, “I can make you a hamburger at home.” I never asked again. But since part of the purpose of my being in orchestra was so I could be with other kids my age, I should have said “Can you make me friends at home?”. What is so wrong with having fun once in a while? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/54 "2020-05-11T20:51:06Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > many of the parents would take their children to the nearby Friendly’s afterwards. This was a sit-down restaurant, not just an ice cream stand. I’ve never seen a Friendly’s that \*wasn’t \*a sit-down restaurant. Most of them also had a walk-up window for getting ice cream, but I’ve never seen one that was just a stand. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/55 "2020-05-12T01:58:39Z")
White, and I’ve never heard the “McDonald’s money” phrase. However, this well-known joke of David Letterman has me wondering: > [@](#): > > he was in Vegas doing a week of shows and he tells this joke where this guy outside a casino is begging with this big story about his wife being sick and he desperately needed money for an operation or she would die. Dave says "How do I know you won’t use this money to gamble? and the guy says “Oh I got gambling money!” After learning that “McDonald’s money” is a Black thing, is the beggar in Letterman’s joke also black? Was Letterman’s joke in any way racist? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/56 "2020-05-12T02:42:39Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > That McDonald’s is “a black thing”? That’s not controversial, because it’s wrong. You may be confused because their ads aren’t as lily-white as the ads of some other companies. > > Right: that article says that they **incorporate** an “ethnic perspective.” That’s not remotely the same thing as being “a black thing.” > > If you mean my axe of calling out sloppy cites, I’ll keep at it! Next you’ll be telling me Cracker Barrel isn’t a white restaurant. BTW, I don’t know what’s up with the graph link. It was there yesterday. Perhaps there’s an algo that makes it premium when people start clicking it. Anyway, it was a survey of what percentage choose McDonald’s over another fast food restaurant, broken out by race. African Americans were slightly, but clearly, ahead of every other race. It was something like AA choose McD’s 38%, whites only 33%. I’m a little off on the numbers, as I’m going from memory, but you get the jist. Secondly, not being “lily-white” doesn’t somehow invalidate the point. McDonald’s corporate executives not only say they target minorities, but are proud to say it. Surveys show African Americans prefer McDonald’s to other fast food restaurants, more than other races do. Black and other minorities patronize McDonald’s more than their proportion to the general population. What’s the objection, exactly? Do you disagree with one or more of these claims? What statistic are you taking issue with? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/57 "2020-05-12T11:14:46Z")
McDonald’s being a “black thing” is a new thing to me. I guess I didn’t get the memo. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/58 "2020-05-12T12:35:31Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > White, and I’ve never heard the “McDonald’s money” phrase. However, this well-known joke of David Letterman has me wondering: > > After learning that “McDonald’s money” is a Black thing, is the beggar in Letterman’s joke also black? Was Letterman’s joke in any way racist? No. I’ve heard about this before. There’s also “walking around” money. I’ve never heard either of these associated with race in any way. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/59 "2020-05-12T12:44:43Z")
50, white, grew up in a mixed area of Minneapolis. I didn’t get “Do you have McDonald’s money?”, I got “WE don’t have McDonald’s money”. The only time my parents would buy Macca’s would be when they had sales. I remember two instances - cheeseburgers for like 15c and fish sandwiches for something ridiculously cheap. We had frozen cheeseburgers and fish sandwiches for a few months. Absolutely repulsive. Funnily enough, while my sister and I were pushed to eat the cheeseburgers (wrap in foil and bake!), the fish sandwiches seemed to disappear much faster despite mom being the only one who would eat them. She later admitted to buying in bulk was a very bad idea and was throwing them out quietly, so dad wouldn’t get upset at food waste. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553/60 "2020-05-12T13:03:21Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > McDonald’s being a “black thing” is a new thing to me. I guess I didn’t get the memo. Same. McD’s is omnipresent: from the whitest town in the middle of the Great Plains to the deepest heart of the urban jungle. It’s not an any race thing, it’s just an always thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-mcdonalds-money/853553.md?page=4)