Originally Posted by
Badenoch
The OP's premise is that McDonalds in North America sucks and I agree. So what then is the point of visiting their outlets around the world? To confirm that the food does or does not suck globally too? Also to accurately determine if another countries, uh, interpretation of a Big Mac is comparable you would have to choke down a few at home, a stomach-turning prospect at best.
That point was addressed earlier in the thread, it's better abroad because McDonald's capitalizes on the perception that it uses higher quality, safer ingredients than what's available locally, so it's forced to serve up to that expectation. On top of that, it tries to foster the image that it's a middle class "luxury" food in other countries. In North America, I think McDonald's recognizes that it's more or less just a pit stop for people to grab a bite. I don't disagree with OP, but honestly if a Big Mac is the worst food prospect you have, I'm jealous of your luck!