# The "Things I remember about McDonalds" Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730 "2003-02-22T05:51:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/81 "2003-02-24T05:54:20Z")
I just remember the dorky uniforms my step-mom used to have to wear when she worked at McDonalds back in the late 70’s/early80’s. They were of course polyester, and the “theme” colors for the one she worked at were BROWN and the ugliest flourescent GREEN I have ever seen. She had a couple uniforms of each color and they had to wear the different colors on different days. It was a polyester button up long shirt thingee (like a lunch lady top), polyester pants and a matching striped hat. GOD those things were hideous, and the grease smell was impossible to take out of them. I also remember all the Saturday morning commercials with the “Fry Guys” and the McDonald land characters Plus, wasn’t the **Monopoly** game so much fun!!? We used to dream about what we would do if we got BoardWalk. It definitely got us to go to McD’s more when they had the game going on. Too bad a few bad apples had to ruin it for everybody!! ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/82 "2003-02-24T05:59:45Z")
What happened in the Monopoly game? What did those bad apples do? ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/83 "2003-02-24T06:03:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lizard \* > \*\* > I’m surprised **Adoptamom** and I are the only former McDonald’s employees to post on here. \*\* I’m one too, worked there from 1996-2000. Worked register the entire weekend of the first Beanie Baby Happy Meals. Still have scars. ---
**Author:** ![ghandi5569](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@ghandi5569](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ghandi5569)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/84 "2003-02-24T06:03:34Z")
Ahhh, McMemories. I remember working at McDonald’s back in high school. I remember playing with the headsets and climbing in the stockroom to “hide from customers.” I remember when $3.14 was “emergency money.” Because in an emergency when you were hungry, it was all you needed to get a #2 2 cheeseburger meal. I am so peeved that they raised the prices. And I remember in college when it was a big deal to go to McDonalds after staying up all night because I would actually be awake for breakfast. Woohoo! ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/85 "2003-02-24T06:08:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Adoptamom\_II \* > \*\* > I still have a very, very light imprint on my forearm from a rampant fry basket hitting it right out of the grease. > > \*\* Cool! We have matching scars! Mine’s just below my elbow, from when my wrist gave out while lifting the fry basket. My McDonald’s memories (aside from when I worked there) are pretty much limited to remembering when going there was a once-in-a-blue-moon treat we got when we went to visit Grandma. I don’t think my mother has YET eaten at a McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/86 "2003-02-24T06:09:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lizard \* > **I had to empty the grease troughs on the grills. These were long, narrow drawers about 10 inches high, 4 inches wide, and 3.5 feet long. They laid along the sides of the grill, and every time the cooks scraped the grill, all that grease went into these troughs. When I emptied them (into a bucket, that I then had to empty into a HUGE garbage-bin type thingie out back) they each held several gallons of grease. Once a month or so, somebdy came and took all the grease. I asked the managers once and they wouldn’t tell me what happened to it. For all I know, it became the stuff we fried the fries in.** I read an article a couple years ago that was about a local company that recycled restaurant grease. It would be put to a variety of uses, none of them for human consumption. The one use I remember was cattle (!) feed. Guess cows aren’t too fussy. The pick-up driver interviewed for the article said he liked stopping at Chinese restaurants and Taco Bell best. Their grease was just grease and relatively benign to handle. Most of the other places would get meat particles in with the grease and, after sitting around for who-knows how long, they got pretty rank. Oh, yeah, getting back to the subject at hand, I remember “Over 2 million sold!” I _think_ I remember 12¢ hamburgers. I _know_ I remember 18¢ burgers. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/87 "2003-02-24T06:27:57Z")
"Hey, **Lizard** , you got time to lean, you got time to clean–wipe down the stainless in the grill area with a bar towel and pickle juice, pronto! Then get out and do an international! Freakin part-timers…mumble…fry yield…must brix multiplex…you want a break? We gave you a break the day you were hired, pal!" ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/88 "2003-02-24T14:23:01Z")
I never got to go to McDonald’s when I was a kid, we were a Wendy’s family. Dad said MickeyD’s food didn’t agree with him. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KRC \* > \*\*So were they getting customers from other planets or what? It took me a while to realize the “billions served” referred to meals and not to individual customers. \*\* Actually, it refers to individual hamburger patties. In other words, a BigMac counts twice. I know there’s a cite for this somewhere but I don’t feel like looking for it. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Osiris \* > \*\*What happened in the Monopoly game? What did those bad apples do? \*\* Someone within the company that was responsible for the gamepieces diverted a bunch to his friends. The last Monopoly game was a sting operation, and a successful one. There should be a thread on this somewhere, most likely in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/89 "2003-02-24T16:05:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Triss \* > \*\*I remember part of the parody song we used to sing in those days… \*\* Our version went something like: \*McDonald’s is the place to go The service is so damn slow Hamburgers up your nose French fries between your toes McDonald’s is the place for me Their food is so greasy McDonald’s is the place to beeeeeeee!\* I remember, as a teenager, eating 2 or 3 Big Macs in one sitting, washed down with a chocolate shake that was so thick I thought my head would cave in from sucking on the straw so hard. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/90 "2003-02-24T16:39:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LifeOnWry \* > \*\*Cool! We have matching scars! Mine’s just below my elbow, from when my wrist gave out while lifting the fry basket. > \*\* Oh yeah? Well, _I_ have a scar from a **knife cut** on my left ring finger. I had to go get stitches and everything! Top _that!_ 😃 Since I incurred this injury while working at Burger King I suppose it wouldn’t count anyway in a MCDonald’s thread. In any case I learned my lesson that night about getting in too much of a hurry. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/91 "2003-02-24T17:04:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skelji \* > \*\*I remember, as a teenager, eating 2 or 3 Big Macs in one sitting, washed down with a chocolate shake that was so thick I thought my head would cave in from sucking on the straw so hard. \*\* Shoulda used two straws. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/92 "2003-02-24T17:35:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by japatlgt \* > \*\*I remember when they were 15 cents a pop and they had competition in Atlanta called **Burger Chef**. Burger Chef was actually better but they tanked financially. \*\* Oh! Oh! I remember Burger Chef! There used to be one about two blocks away from where I live now. Burger Chef & Jeff! Apparantly, I’m not the only one who remembers: [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=burger+chef](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=burger+chef) ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/93 "2003-02-24T18:15:48Z")
Burger Chef ruled because it had a condiments bar. All the burgers came plain and you put whatever you wanted on them. This was quite a thrill for me as a kid, because I could make a burger that was more pickle than meat almost. Plus it was a super thrill to use those pumps to squirt out your mustard/ketchup/mayo. Everyplace has those now but at the time I think they were the only one. Burger Chef was bought out by Hardees, who has been bought out by Carl’s Jr (but still goes by Hardees on the east coast, I believe.) ---
**Author:** ![Beija](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@Beija](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beija)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/94 "2003-02-24T18:37:44Z")
Hey–stop putting the lobster roll down–I LOVE those things! When I was a teenager my best friend and I had some time and money to spare, so we went to McDs and had a contest to see who could eat the most Filet o’ Fish sandwiches. I won. Seven. I still love them. And thank goodness for the Egg McMuffin! When I was in my twenties and had spent a long night partying, I’d stop at a drive-through on the way to work and get a McMuffin and a huge glass of orange juice. It was what kept me alive until lunch… ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/95 "2003-02-24T22:10:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by leafrog \* > \*\*I don’t live in Japan anymore, and can live without the deep fried apple pie, but would give anything for a bacon potato pie. > > Mmmmmm, pie. \*\* Buy a round-trip ticket to Tokyo. Go to Japan and hit a few McDonald’ss. When come back, bring pie. [But leave this Hell-Beast where you find him. He’s EEE-VIL!](http://www.adtoymuseum.com/inside/c6/3265071.html) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/96 "2003-02-24T23:46:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*[But leave this Hell-Beast where you find him. He’s EEE-VIL!](http://www.adtoymuseum.com/inside/c6/3265071.html) \*\* LOL! That angle makes him look like Jay Leno as a Conehead! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/97 "2003-02-25T01:24:21Z")
I remember when I was little I always hated that I got a small fries in that little bag. I always wanted the red carton with the yellow stripes inside. Oh man…I am seriously jonesing for some McDonalds right now. And it’ll probably be a while before I can be satisfied. Thanks a LOT!!! ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/98 "2003-02-25T01:26:58Z")
15 cent hamburgers ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/99 "2003-02-25T03:10:56Z")
Used to see, but not anymore… I haven’t seen fries of any size in a greasey little paper bag. Haven’t seen paper hats. ---
**Author:** ![kspharm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@kspharm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kspharm)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/100 "2003-02-25T04:40:01Z")
I grew up in Egypt and we had this McDonald’s ripoff called “McBurger”. They copied almost every item on Mickey D’s menu, and come to think of it, most of their burgers were better. During my honeymoon in Cyprus, we visited a McDonalds (nothing but the finest for my honey), and were able to order beer, which came out of a tap right next to the soft drinks. In Egypt nowadays, there are approximately 80 locations, and almost all of them offer home delivery and stay open 24 hours. Mmm, Big Macs delivered fresh to your door at 4 a.m… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730.md?page=6)