Recently, I went to McDonald’s and got a double-cheeseburger. I hadn’t been there in awhile and was surprised on how salty it tasted. Does anybody else think their burgers taste too salty?
McDonald’s is no longer cool which is why people don’t like their food… Or maybe, you ate it a lot when you were young and now your taste buds don’t like it, like most everyone else… Go a few years and maybe you will enjoy it again…
Hmmm… Maybe it’s all in my head, but I find the quality of McDonalds in my small part of Japan to be fresher and better on average than they were in Boston. They still taste pretty much the same, although the ketchup is sweeter… Screw you Japanese ketchup! I am appeased by your kewpie mayo and bulldog sauce, but not by much!
Of course, Freshness Burger blows McDonalds out of the water.
Mmmmm, Bulldog.
I need to go make some pork chops…
My guess is because they are targeting kids, and kids are notoriously picky eaters.
So, they remove any distinctive flavors and the results are hamburgers that taste like cardboard.
I never eat at McDonalds in the USA because there are so many other better choices.
But, when I am traveling abroad I will sometimes eat at a McDonalds only because it is familiar and I do enjoy the french fries.
McDonald’s is cheap, convenient, and kids like it. Their fries can actually be pretty good (assuming you get then fresh and not sitting around) and some of their burgers used to be decent (before they put yellow industrial sludge on everything). I’ve always preferred Wendy’s. Burger King used to have the bet burgers because they were broiled, but their fries taste like they’re cooked in detergent and lately their burgers have been the worst around.
No. They are quite salty, but that’s part of what makes them what they are. It’s why I prefer Fatburger to In-N-Out. They salt their burgers.
Their (fresh) fries are surprisingly good. I say ‘surprisingly’ because they seem to be better now than when I remember them. JITB’s fries have gone downhill since I was younger, and have been sub-par for years. Wienerschnitzel has great fries (for a given value of ‘great’). Fatburger (Alas!) has really good fries. I like the Fat Fries. Del Taco (Double alas!) has crinkle-cut fries that are tasty. Unfortunately there are only one or two Fatburgers in this part of the country, and the closest one is like 80 miles away. The one Wienerschnitzel (40 miles away) is closed. I think there might be a Del Taco (Heh. ‘Of The Taco’.) down at the bottom of the state – and I’m at the top. There is one Carl’s Jr. (the best of the McDonald’s/JITB/Burger King crowd) that is fairly convenient on the way home from work. But I’m not hungry after work, and it’s 60 miles away from home.
To everyone who says that McDonald’s burgers taste like cardboard: Hook me up with some of that delicious cardboard you are chewing on? 
The thing to consider is how little money you are handing over for food from McDonalds. You really have no right to expect the best burger in the world (you know, one made by me) if you are only willing to pay a buck for it. (If you’re curious, one of my burgers, on average, would run you about $50. $45 if your sister is cute.)
And yeah, McD’s tends to be pretty consistent in quality. When a McD’s doesn’t give me acceptable-for-the-cheap-price, consistent food quickly and friendly-ly, then that’s the exception, rather than the rule (incidentally enough, if you get lousy service from a franchise business, see if you can complain to the corporate offices. They might ignore you, but sometimes they’ll light a fire under someone’s ass for damaging their brand.)
I also like BK, though oddly enough, not for their burgers (they feel too “heavy” to me). Whenever I go there, it is typically for a chicken sandwich. Their fried chicken sandwiches are delicious if you get it fresh.
In-N-Out is OK. I mean, it’s no Whataburger, but the food is quality enough. I don’t like that they don’t put their whole menu up though.
Me too. I rarely get a burger there. If I want a chicken sandwich, I go to BK for their Original one. If I want a filet of fish sandwich, I go to McDonald’s. If I want a burger, I’ll go to Carl’s Jr. if I can. (Since it’s not convenient, as I said, I don’t get many drive-through burgers.)
Oh, and if you want a hamburger that genuinely tastes like cardboard, please, eat in the chow hall at my base. I’m so glad that my food allowance is automatically deducted to pay for that place. :rolleyes:
I just want to concur with the opinions that the Angus burgers are the worst on the McDonald’s menu. They are the uncanny valley of burgerdom – just wrong.
I’m also smiling at the love for Fatburger being shown in this thread – I think I know what I want for lunch…
In-N-Out?
I have to give BK props for having a veggie burger - from Morningstar Farms, last I checked. When I do road trips from Chicago to Boston and my husband and I are only stopping long enough to pee, gas up, and grab something to eat on the road, BK has been my saving grace in those rest stops that don’t have anything else I can eat/dare trust.
(Side complaint: McDonald’s basically doesn’t have anything I can eat, being a vegetarian. Nearly all of their salads - except for the “Side Salad” - have chicken on them. The Side Salad is tiny and just an expensive box of some shredded lettuce with a cherry tomato on it, and maybe some slivers of carrot/red cabbage. Their fries and hash browns are dipped in beef broth during processing.)
But anyway, I agree - it’s the familiarity and the sameness. You know what you’re getting. If your kids are hungry, they won’t turn up their nose at something that doesn’t look “right.” If you grew up on it and want fast food, you’ll probably like something there.
I’m disappointed at the size of the lines I’ve seen at the McDonald’s stand at the annual Taste of Chicago festival. I hope most people are just trying to get something for picky kids, or to grab a cheap soda, because really - you’re paying a crapload of money and standing in a huge crowd to get something that you could get cheaper (and their full menu, not the shorter festival menu) if you left the festival and walked a couple of blocks. McD’s is headquartered in the Chicago suburbs, so it’s not like it’s hard to find one in this town.
Best McD’s experience - going to the one near the Spanish Steps in Rome during the afternoon break hours when other restaurants were closed. They had a yummy salad and pasta bar. Points off for the American tourist who loudly yelled, “I’m hoooome!” upon entering. :smack:
The chicken is served hot, and therefore is added at the last minute, so you can ask for a salad without the chicken. I mean, if the salads are otherwise appealing to you.
Huh, I didn’t realize they were doing hot chicken on their salads. Shows you how long it’s been since I’ve been able to go to one!
I used to like McD’s a lot years ago. Yeah, I know, it’s cheap fast food but something they did to their burgers made them really tasty. But I think the whole “let’s pretend we’re trying to make everything healthy” thing brought that to an end. They used to be nice and greasy and yummy, but now they’re dry and salty and I haven’t really enjoyed them in a long time. The cheese isn’t as good as it used to be, either. I hardly ever go back anymore unless I’m in a hurry (there’s one 5 minutes from my house.)
In general, when people complain about McDonalds food being unhealthy, my first reaction is always to say “If your first priority is healthy food… why are you going to a fast food joint, let alone McDonalds?” It’s like saying that American Chinese restaurants shouldn’t serve fried food or sugary sauces. It’s kind of the point of eating at one of those places.
So it will appeal to the Everyman (or Everychild.) One time my gf swung by & picked up some chicken nuggets. She realized she’d been doing that too often when her daughter said, “Mmmm-mmmm. Home cooking.”
And even then, it’s not really all that bad if you read the nutritional info. The McDouble is, what, 420 calories, off the top of my head? When I want a quick lunch and have no time to dick around looking for a place to eat, I get the McDouble for a buck, a large Diet Coke, and I’m good to go. Under 500 calories for lunch is not that bad. Sure, there’s saturated fat and all that other stuff, but it’s balanced out by what I would eat for breakfast or dinner. To be honest, when I lost 40 lbs, McDonald’s actually was in the equation from time to time because I knew what I could order and stay within my calorie count, and it would keep me sated until my more wholesome meal back home.
I have to drop off Mr. singular at the doctor’s office on Fridays, and then I have an hour to kill until I pick him up. Their mango-pineapple smoothies and strawberry lemonades have drawn me in for lunch recently (damn good stuff, too), and I ate there for the first time in years. I was surprised at how good the grilled chicken sandwich was. I no longer avoid them on my weekly lunch break.