Because, unless you go every weekend I honestly can’t complain (Europe) about the taste of the meals (even though they’re rising in pricing).
Also for what I’ve seen the ones we have are smaller than USA big menu
My bugbear with Mc’D’s is how they now always ask you if you are using their damned app.
I know I shouldn’t, and that they’re just teenagers reading from a script. But I just can’t help myself. Whenever they ask if I’ll be using the app, I flippantly reply, “nah, I don’t want Ronald reading my email.”
I don’t really eat there much, but I’ve heard that it’s significantly cheaper to eat there if you use the app.
yeah because they’re selling your data…
I like the app personally, I like to modify my burger a lot so it saves me time and I don’t like talking to people, so instead of saying a long ass line of words I get to go
“Yes”
“My Code”
My Macca’s will just give you a thumbs up when it’s done and I don’t have to talk to people, plus when you’re in a line where everyone’s using it, it’s actually fast food again.
But I get why people won’t use it.
“I didn’t realize you guys did appetizers!”
And if you’re there with a group, spend some time asking everyone if they want to try the new appetizers before letting them correct the “misunderstanding”.
If you go there repeatedly, have your eyes light up each time they ask.
It’s definitely a gut bomb.
All my aussie friends who’ve been to the US mentioned the fast food there is really gross and the portions are concerning. Food quality difference maybe, I’m not sure
For me its been total shit. Inflation, and shrinkflation dug it’s claws deep. Two tiny paddies, between 3 big buns. Take one big bite and it tastes like nothing.
On top of shit quality, prices have been going nuts. A big Mac near me is 8$. 8$ for one! Not a meal deal with a drink or fries included, just one burger!!!
Thats nearing the price of actually good places like five guys and other local joints that are like $12-16. The small burger from them probably has twice the meat of a bigmac. The bigmac is now a kid sized Burger.
Also ice cream machine always fucking broken.
not to mention I get IBS levels of GI pain now if I eat McD, so naturally I don’t anymore.
McDonalds beef makes me sick every single time. It doesn’t matter which McDonalds I go to or in which state, it’s a widespread problem with their food.
If I eat any of their beef, I’m guaranteed to spend the next two or three days vomiting and sitting on the toilet. Sometimes both at the same time.
I wonder if you’re allergic to one of the fillers they use in the meat?
Whatever it is, it always happens with McDonalds beef and no other beef from fast food places.
I wonder how much of it is people’s taste changing. As in people who didn’t eat good food before starting to realize there’s more to food than fast food so their opinion of McDonald’s changing over time.
I ask this because in South America and Europe McDonald’s has always been consistently the same taste since I can remember. There were a couple of random specific locations where the food was subpar, but in general it’s been the same, a Big Mac is a Big Mac since I started going to McDonald’s over 30 years ago and in every city I’ve eaten it (never been to the US though).
Having eaten at McDonald’s in both USA and Europe, I can say the food quality is noticeably better in Europe.
I can add that the same is true for south America and Japan. I don’t have an explanation for it, but the quality and taste is consistently worse in the USA compared to my experiences elsewhere. Incidentally, KFC is almost inedible in the USA, but quite good in Japan for example. Maybe it’s related.
I only ever get nuggets and fries there, and those always taste fine to me, I even look forward to it sometimes. can’t speak on the rest of the food they serve. thier water taste like ass
Same, but I stopped going after they raised the price to over a buck a nugget.
where do you live where its more than a Buck a nugget? I can get a 20pc for $8.39 and thats before any discounts from having thier app
Eastern North Carolina. The last time I picked up a 10pc meal, it was over $11.
It’ll be interesting to see how things change now that we’ll possibly get flooded with unregulated meat from Argentina et al.
It’s that bad everywhere!
USA here. I’ve gone to McDonalds twice in the past year. Here’s the experience:
- Wait in line at the Drive Thru for 15 minutes.
- Get to the speaker, no one acknowledges me for several minutes.
- Someone finally asks me what I want. I tell them and it’s radio silence for several minutes, no acknowledgement that they heard me. The screen that shows my order is shattered.
- “Pull around”
- Get to the window, person opens it and holds out their hand for my payment. Doesn’t tell me how much it is or confirm my order. Doesn’t respond when I say “Hello, how are you?”
- Get to the next window, wait several minutes.
- Get my food. Person at the window doesn’t respond to my hello, Doesn’t even look at me.
- Get home, fries are raw, order is wrong.
I go to Wendy’s sometimes for the chili and it’s a similar experience, but at least my order is always right. Taco Bell at least the people say hi, depending on who is working.
I don’t go to McDonald’s very often, but the location near me has remarkably good service. I never use the drive thru, so maybe that’s it. The one time I thought my order got messed up I had actually ordered the wrong thing, and they offered to replace it for free when I came back in to order the correct thing.
Must be your region, all of the McDonalds here in my state and the two I travel to next to me seem to be able to get it right, actually talk to me, the screens almost always work (almost), and the orders are almost always right (almost). I’ve never had raw fries, those are usually the best part of the meal. I don’t usually eat it unless I am roadtripping, but that’s been happening a lot recently.
None of this is to invalidate your experience, mind you. What region are you in, so we know where not to get McDonalds at?
Franchises are very hit or miss. But you don’t need any of them, just buy frozen pizzas and cook em at home. Fast food.is for when you travel, and even then you can just buy bread/crackers and peanut butter at a grocery store.
There’s a reason hotel rooms with a kitchenette are so much more. It’s because they know tmyou can recoup that cost by not eating out one single time.
I havn’t eaten at McDonads in years. Maybe 1 time in 10 years+.
But its not about the taste, its about everything else. I don’t really go to any of the major chain fast food places. Sometimes I will go to Taco Bell or Carl’s Jr but usually I try to go to the locally owned or regional chains.
In my area there is a place called Zips thats an old fashioned burger place and Taco Time which is not mexican food but a weird PNW version. They have crisp burritos that are so dang good.
Generally I try to support local so thats why I don’t go to McDonalds.
Ah I remember getting Zips when I lived out in the PNW just after the millennium, good stuff.
Hey, another Spokane user on Lemmy! There
aremay be dozens of us!Your description of Taco Time captures it perfectly. It should be their slogan.
TACO TIME
Not Mexican Food
They are very high on my list of things I miss from Washington.
I mean last time I had it it was better than it used to be like decades ago but all fast food places got expensive enough that it make more sense to go to a bit better alternative.
It’s really just a matter of habit and opinion. The only burger places near me are Jack in the Box and McDonalds, and if JitB burned I wouldn’t eat hamburgers anymore.
Back when they were significantly cheaper than competing products, it was “you get what you pay for.”
Now…just go to Wendy’s.
This is how I feel about fast food in general.
They are only good for exceptional situations, like needing to stretch rations so you don’t eat into the food at home so okay you go to a fast food restaurant instead.
No menu item at all is healthy but people conveniently ignore that. Regardless of the many programs and attempts all fast-food chains have tried to be healthy, they just practice wrong because they’re still in environments surrounded by grease, fried cooking oil and processed pre-bought items.
They should not be treated like you would at a sit-down restaurant that actually has waitresses/waiters, chefs .etc
They’re good for eating at very moderate and scarce amounts. Not a weekly or daily consumption level.
The prices don’t justify the quality.
