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I don't understand how McDonalds is still relevant outside of food deserts. The food quality is trash, and the prices are so high that you can and should just g

I don't understand how McDonalds is still relevant outside of food deserts. The food quality is trash, and the prices are so high that you can and should just go elsewhere and buy real food.

yk 2y ago
Known quantity, especially when I'm travelling I go there because I know that I get kinda consistent quality without having to think.
- tstrimple 2y ago
  I wish this was still the case, but in my experience the differences between individual fast food joints is enormous. We've got one Taco Bell in town for example which is known to take 10+ minutes per car and they constantly screw up orders. This usually shows up as a 1 star fast food restaurant rather than the more common 2-3 stars on review sites. For me the tell is their soda. My guilty McDonald's pleasure is their Coke mix. Something about it tastes much better than other restaurants or bottles. Except at some McDonald's where they seem to have the CO2 cranked up too much. I can't even get a consistent soft drink from McDonald's anymore. When I get unsalted fries though... those are basically inedible.
  - antifa 2y ago
    McDonald's seems to recently have really bad soda at increasingly close to all restaurants in my general area, and if you try to Google information on this (prepare your tin foil hat) you can only find people claiming Joe Rogan told them McDonald's has a secret exclusive best coke formula.
djaychela 2y ago
Not my experience in the UK. I hate macdonalds and have eaten there three times in 30 years. But it's a cheap place to take a family to eat compared to most other options. I say this as someone whose wife is a keen cook and I know what decent food is... Definitely not defending the food but the price is often right, particularly if you have multiple kids or their friends with them.
- smaudet 2y ago
  I was legitimately surprised last time I went to a UK McDonalds, it was like they actually served food. That is not the experience in other countries though, even in the US it is a pretty consistently shitty experience...
  - an_aparallel 2y ago
    Problem is, its price goes up, while its quality stays "OK"... At that point you might as well eat somewhere that serves better food for a few more $
    - smaudet 2y ago
      I agree with you. But half of relevancy is branding, the other half is delivering. McD has advertising dollars still (also they own other successful franchises such as Chipotle), and in some places in the world it's not crap. It's just another over-priced food chain with some weird marketing attached.
      - _dark_matter_ 2y ago
        They haven't owned any part of Chipotle since 2006 [0]. [0] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdonalds-once-owned-90-chipotle-233019706.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdonalds-once-owned-90-chipo...
    - astrange 2y ago
      The price hasn't gone up much in the US, but they did shift all the coupons to the app, which means you're missing out on huge deals if you don't use it. It's like 50% off once a day iirc.
brookst 2y ago
The fries can be amazing when fresh and hot. One of the most satisfying things in the world is eating a pound of salty fried potatoes after a big day of hiking.
kortilla 2y ago
> and the prices are so high that you can and should just go elsewhere and buy real food. Not sure what you’re implying here, but McDonald’s is still contending for the bottom for price on fast food. Groceries are of course cheaper if that’s what you mean by “real food”, but there aren’t restaurants that really compete with that value meal outside of Taco Bell/Time and maybe Burger King.
- anon373839 2y ago
  > Not sure what you’re implying here, but McDonald’s is still contending for the bottom for price on fast food. No, that's exactly my point. McDonalds isn't all that cheap anymore. There are high-quality fast-casual restaurants and local shops that deliver much better quality food at roughly the same price point. E.g.: it looks like $12 is the current price for a Big Mac meal in my area. But I can think of several places I regularly go for lunch that would offer a handmade sandwich and proper side dish, made with organic ingredients no less, for the same price.
  - kjkjadksj 2y ago
    That sort of sandwich joint is $12- $15 before tax by me with no side.
  - tstrimple 2y ago
    I think this is true of the normal menu items, but I still see the value meal as a decent deal. McChicken, small fries, 4 piece nugget and small drink for $5. Similar to Taco Bell where the normal meals aren't that cost effective anymore, but if you pick and choose the value items you can get a ton of food for little money. Taco Bell is a staple post gym meal for my son and his friends who are trying to bulk as cheap and easily as possible.
    - astrange 2y ago
      Every time I eat Taco Bell I feel like it's so obviously made of normal ingredients that you could just make it at home.
- 2y ago
spike021 2y ago
most of it is trash but there are some items you can order that are a bit more average quality. for instance iirc the quarter pounder patties are grilled in-house and when you order egg on a breakfast sandwich you can choose an option where they use real egg not just the processed stuff. i’ve also noticed locations in Japan tend to taste a bit better. could be supply chain or something being different. not sure.
ergocoder 2y ago
The food quality is decent. It is also cheaper than 99% of the restaurants out there. It's a cheaper option for people who don't want to cook and don't want to spend a lot of money eating.
Clamchop 2y ago
I see this sort of remark every time McDonald's comes up and I always wonder why it doesn't prompt people to check their assumptions. Clearly they are doing well enough so you're missing something.
- anon373839 2y ago
  Seeing as how the remark begins with “I don’t understand how…” it seems you’re the one with unchecked assumptions: namely, about what the text actually says.
  - baumy 2y ago
    No, I don't think that's fair. There are 2 assumptions in your comment which I think the poster you're replying to is suggesting you should reevaluate: > The food quality is trash, and the prices are so high If these assumptions are true, it makes sense why you wouldn't understand why McDonalds is relevant / successful. I do not think these assumptions are true. The food quality is fine - it's somewhere between palatable and mildly tasty for most people. If you use their app, the prices are lower than most other places you could get the same number of calories + protein content. The food is also very consistent. I've surely gone to at least 20 different McDonalds locations in my life all over the USA, and it tastes pretty much the same every time. I can't say the same for most of their competitors.
    - anon373839 2y ago
      But those aren't assumptions: they're statements of personal opinion. > If you use their app, the prices are lower Now, that's an interesting data point. I am very app-resistant. It's definitely possible that regulars aren't paying the prices I am seeing. > The food is also very consistent. This is so surprising to read! In my experience, this was true 1-2 decades ago, but no longer. I actually do crave "good McDonalds" on occasion, but it's so hard to come by that I rarely bother. Even in the EU, where McD's has always tried harder, I now see the same deterioration and neglect.
  - Clamchop 2y ago
kjkjadksj 2y ago
They are open for breakfast at 4am when you need to get up early and no where else is open. They are close to the job site and everyone knows the menu already to send one person out to pickup lunch. Many reasons why one might go for mcdonalds even in a food mecca.
- astrange 2y ago
  This is also the reason for Cheesecake Factory (which is actually good, unlike the other restaurants in its class.) It has everything, so if you take a group of people there won't be an argument.
m463 2y ago
Youth is wasted on the young. Kids love mcdonalds. Parents like seeing that, and get some relief. also, as an adult, unhealthy food is sometimes tasty.
crazygringo 2y ago
The food quality is fine. Nutritionally, the burgers and fries are no different from if you made them with ingredients from the supermarket. It's certainly not gourmet, but if you use the app the prices are cheaper than basically anywhere else. Where I am, I can spend $9 on a McDonald's meal or $18-25 for "real food". And actually get enough protein from a double quarter pounder, whereas the expensive "real food" is often three teensy strips of meat on top of a gigantic serving of carbs.
astrange 2y ago
The food is very limited but it's also, like, fine. I think the fruit smoothies are good. My opinion that nobody else has is that Japanese McDonald's is bad and worse than Silicon Valley McDonald's. Too much bread.
WeylandYutani 2y ago
McDonald's was always a middle class thing. It was never for the poor.

I don't understand how McDonalds is still relevant outside of food deserts. The food quality is trash, and the prices are so high that you can and should just go elsewhere and buy real food.

yk 2y ago

Known quantity, especially when I'm travelling I go there because I know that I get kinda consistent quality without having to think.

tstrimple 2y ago
I wish this was still the case, but in my experience the differences between individual fast food joints is enormous. We've got one Taco Bell in town for example which is known to take 10+ minutes per car and they constantly screw up orders. This usually shows up as a 1 star fast food restaurant rather than the more common 2-3 stars on review sites. For me the tell is their soda. My guilty McDonald's pleasure is their Coke mix. Something about it tastes much better than other restaurants or bottles. Except at some McDonald's where they seem to have the CO2 cranked up too much. I can't even get a consistent soft drink from McDonald's anymore. When I get unsalted fries though... those are basically inedible.
- antifa 2y ago
  McDonald's seems to recently have really bad soda at increasingly close to all restaurants in my general area, and if you try to Google information on this (prepare your tin foil hat) you can only find people claiming Joe Rogan told them McDonald's has a secret exclusive best coke formula.

djaychela 2y ago

Not my experience in the UK. I hate macdonalds and have eaten there three times in 30 years. But it's a cheap place to take a family to eat compared to most other options. I say this as someone whose wife is a keen cook and I know what decent food is... Definitely not defending the food but the price is often right, particularly if you have multiple kids or their friends with them.

smaudet 2y ago
I was legitimately surprised last time I went to a UK McDonalds, it was like they actually served food. That is not the experience in other countries though, even in the US it is a pretty consistently shitty experience...
- an_aparallel 2y ago
  Problem is, its price goes up, while its quality stays "OK"... At that point you might as well eat somewhere that serves better food for a few more $
  - smaudet 2y ago
    I agree with you. But half of relevancy is branding, the other half is delivering. McD has advertising dollars still (also they own other successful franchises such as Chipotle), and in some places in the world it's not crap. It's just another over-priced food chain with some weird marketing attached.
    - _dark_matter_ 2y ago
      They haven't owned any part of Chipotle since 2006 [0]. [0] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdonalds-once-owned-90-chipotle-233019706.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdonalds-once-owned-90-chipo...
  - astrange 2y ago
    The price hasn't gone up much in the US, but they did shift all the coupons to the app, which means you're missing out on huge deals if you don't use it. It's like 50% off once a day iirc.

brookst 2y ago

The fries can be amazing when fresh and hot. One of the most satisfying things in the world is eating a pound of salty fried potatoes after a big day of hiking.

kortilla 2y ago

> and the prices are so high that you can and should just go elsewhere and buy real food. Not sure what you’re implying here, but McDonald’s is still contending for the bottom for price on fast food. Groceries are of course cheaper if that’s what you mean by “real food”, but there aren’t restaurants that really compete with that value meal outside of Taco Bell/Time and maybe Burger King.

anon373839 2y ago
> Not sure what you’re implying here, but McDonald’s is still contending for the bottom for price on fast food. No, that's exactly my point. McDonalds isn't all that cheap anymore. There are high-quality fast-casual restaurants and local shops that deliver much better quality food at roughly the same price point. E.g.: it looks like $12 is the current price for a Big Mac meal in my area. But I can think of several places I regularly go for lunch that would offer a handmade sandwich and proper side dish, made with organic ingredients no less, for the same price.
- kjkjadksj 2y ago
  That sort of sandwich joint is $12- $15 before tax by me with no side.
- tstrimple 2y ago
  I think this is true of the normal menu items, but I still see the value meal as a decent deal. McChicken, small fries, 4 piece nugget and small drink for $5. Similar to Taco Bell where the normal meals aren't that cost effective anymore, but if you pick and choose the value items you can get a ton of food for little money. Taco Bell is a staple post gym meal for my son and his friends who are trying to bulk as cheap and easily as possible.
  - astrange 2y ago
    Every time I eat Taco Bell I feel like it's so obviously made of normal ingredients that you could just make it at home.
2y ago

spike021 2y ago

most of it is trash but there are some items you can order that are a bit more average quality. for instance iirc the quarter pounder patties are grilled in-house and when you order egg on a breakfast sandwich you can choose an option where they use real egg not just the processed stuff. i’ve also noticed locations in Japan tend to taste a bit better. could be supply chain or something being different. not sure.

ergocoder 2y ago

The food quality is decent. It is also cheaper than 99% of the restaurants out there. It's a cheaper option for people who don't want to cook and don't want to spend a lot of money eating.

Clamchop 2y ago

I see this sort of remark every time McDonald's comes up and I always wonder why it doesn't prompt people to check their assumptions. Clearly they are doing well enough so you're missing something.

anon373839 2y ago
Seeing as how the remark begins with “I don’t understand how…” it seems you’re the one with unchecked assumptions: namely, about what the text actually says.
- baumy 2y ago
  No, I don't think that's fair. There are 2 assumptions in your comment which I think the poster you're replying to is suggesting you should reevaluate: > The food quality is trash, and the prices are so high If these assumptions are true, it makes sense why you wouldn't understand why McDonalds is relevant / successful. I do not think these assumptions are true. The food quality is fine - it's somewhere between palatable and mildly tasty for most people. If you use their app, the prices are lower than most other places you could get the same number of calories + protein content. The food is also very consistent. I've surely gone to at least 20 different McDonalds locations in my life all over the USA, and it tastes pretty much the same every time. I can't say the same for most of their competitors.
  - anon373839 2y ago
    But those aren't assumptions: they're statements of personal opinion. > If you use their app, the prices are lower Now, that's an interesting data point. I am very app-resistant. It's definitely possible that regulars aren't paying the prices I am seeing. > The food is also very consistent. This is so surprising to read! In my experience, this was true 1-2 decades ago, but no longer. I actually do crave "good McDonalds" on occasion, but it's so hard to come by that I rarely bother. Even in the EU, where McD's has always tried harder, I now see the same deterioration and neglect.
- Clamchop 2y ago

kjkjadksj 2y ago

They are open for breakfast at 4am when you need to get up early and no where else is open. They are close to the job site and everyone knows the menu already to send one person out to pickup lunch. Many reasons why one might go for mcdonalds even in a food mecca.

astrange 2y ago
This is also the reason for Cheesecake Factory (which is actually good, unlike the other restaurants in its class.) It has everything, so if you take a group of people there won't be an argument.

m463 2y ago

Youth is wasted on the young. Kids love mcdonalds. Parents like seeing that, and get some relief. also, as an adult, unhealthy food is sometimes tasty.

crazygringo 2y ago

The food quality is fine. Nutritionally, the burgers and fries are no different from if you made them with ingredients from the supermarket. It's certainly not gourmet, but if you use the app the prices are cheaper than basically anywhere else. Where I am, I can spend $9 on a McDonald's meal or $18-25 for "real food". And actually get enough protein from a double quarter pounder, whereas the expensive "real food" is often three teensy strips of meat on top of a gigantic serving of carbs.

astrange 2y ago

The food is very limited but it's also, like, fine. I think the fruit smoothies are good. My opinion that nobody else has is that Japanese McDonald's is bad and worse than Silicon Valley McDonald's. Too much bread.

WeylandYutani 2y ago

McDonald's was always a middle class thing. It was never for the poor.