Show me where fish & chips (#1 fast food in the UK) places are in abundance all over the US and then I'll believe you.

You may be confusing fast food and fast food chains. Not all fast food restaurants are parts of chains. Perhaps that's more the case in the UK? (I don't know.)

The only fast food restaurants I eat at regularly (in SoCal, very much in the US) are indie ones (that particpate in airline-miles-for-dining programs, which the big fast food chains don't tend to).

(Though what fast food differences between the US and the UK has to do with why someone's card is refused at one store because it has EMV, I'm not sure, though!)

I'm making the assumption that as of today, majority of the cash tellers right now are just accepting cards presented to them and swiping it without even glancing or giving much thought to it.

And for the most part, majority of the cards out the in the US are non-EMV ones (except for US at FT who are so adamant about getting one :D).

Hence, the first action that most people staffing the register for a while will just swipe the card EMV or no-EMV (likely odds that they don't even notice the chip to begin with), whatever "guidelines" VISA expects "merchants" (or whatever minimum wage cashier is doing the processing) to do.

Besides, by now we all know VISA guidelines are taken for a grain of salt anyway.


Likely process:

I'm a cashier at Taco Bell/Carl's Jr./Staples whatever. I get paid crap and I don't have any loyalty to this company. I could care less about customer service, I am here for the summer so I can buy a new bike.

I am given a card by a customer. I just swipe the thing. It says "use chip" Da f---k? :D


Not likely:

I'm a cashier at Taco Bell/Carl's Jr./Staples whatever. I get paid crap and I don't have any loyalty to this company. I could care less about customer service, I am here for the summer so I can buy a new bike.

I am given a card by a customer. Oh yes, this is the new EMV card that is mandated by VISA, MC, AMEX and Discover that all merchants must switch over by 2015. I am very well versed in the differences between Chip-and-PIN, Chip-and-Signature, offline verification, online verification. I am very well versed in Discover-Union Pay-JCB agreements and fully aware of DCC policies. I will stick this card into the chip reader and I am very well knowledgeable in AIDs, no CVM, and how EMV operates differently from the magnetic stripe through the use of dynamic private keys.

I think we're defining fast food differently, I don't consider fish and chips fast food - they're usually independent shops. I completely meant chains :) The chains are mostly the same - McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Subway. Independent quick service restaurants are very different, yes.

And it's relevant in the context of chains since they're catering to international travelers often (same thing everywhere in the world. Except McDonald's in India, which has a VERY different menu).

So true, so true. I fill out a LOT of merchant violation reports, though I wonder if they ever do any good.

I take it you've never been to McDonald's Hawaii or McDonald's Japan. ;)

Hawaii yes, Japan no... what's different?

You're reminding me of the times I've seen standalone JCB acceptance decals at Mexican restaurants where the staff barely speak English, let alone Japanese. And the NH in-flight purchase I managed to make on a Bluebird, which is technically not supposed to be able to run offline transactions.

Last year they had burgers themed after different American states, I remember. Then the Indian-themed ones. Just a while ago there was the "Black Diamond" quarter-pounder (1000 yen for a McDonalds burger? Really?)

And then the drink sizes. "Large" in Japan looks like an American "medium", and no refills. I'm very glad they have the "all sizes for 105 yen" promotions now and then.

And lastly, they don't seem to take credit cards. CC->VR->Bluebird->Mobile Edy is the way I still earn points on those kinds of purchases (and it double-dips- Avios/UA miles/whatever from buying the VR and NH miles from the Mobile Edy spend).

One of my all-time favorites is the often on-again-off-again limited time promos (kinda like the McRib over here) is their Teritama Burger. It's like a cross-mix of a very nice teriyaki burger (fully marinated, not just topped with that crappy sweet teriyaki sauce like "teriyaki" burgers over here) with an Egg McMuffin (the egg portion).

http://s12.postimg.cc/6ekc0ul8t/teritama.jpg

mmm...I miss this.




Yep, McDonalds Japan pretty much are a separate entity which enjoys a lot of autonomy from McDonalds Corporate HQ (USA).

Rumor states that McDonald's USA lost a bet to Mr. Fujita, the Japanese person who bought the McDonald's franchising for Japan. McDonald's USA advised Fujita that he will be more successful if he builds McDs in the suburbs with drive thrus. Instead, Fujita built the first McD's Japan right smack in the middle of Ginza. When it exceeded all expectations, McD's USA gave a lot of autonomy to McD's Japan. :D

The board of directors of McD's Japan stance is "it doesn't make sense to use of credit cards and pay fees to credit card companies for something as cheap as buying burgers," hence the only form of accepted payments are:

1. Edy (a Suica-like propietary load-value contactless cash card)
3. WAON (another Suica-like propietary load-value contactless cash card)
2. iD (a post-pay type contactless cash card)
4. McD's gift cards
5. cash

Definitely sounds like Japan's going to be like Germany - even there most McDonalds' took cards, but not all. But that was two years ago, I'm smarter now - I have a Schwab account. Yay for free ATM withdrawals at least.

Still can't wait to try their McDonald's though, it sounds yummy.

Hopefully when you go there, it coincides with their limited promo period. The Teritama Burger promo is exactly like the McRib - you never know when they're coming back. :D

Not at all! Every time I look at a McDonalds somewhere other than the US or very similar countires, it's all a very different menu. It's different in Hungary, it's different in Japan, it's different in Argentina, etc, etc.

And I'm happy for you that you think fast food is only chains, but look at industry classifications and you'll see that fast food is not restricted to chains. It's a type of establishment, not a type of ownership! (And chain is a type of ownership.)

Now, if you want to talk about fast food chains, that's fine, but in the case IMHO to be understood by all you need to say "fast food chains", not just "fast food".

But I still don't quite see the point. The very nature by which I see McDonald's localizing the food in so many of the countries I go to implies that it's mostly targeted to the locals, not to the tourists.

Perhaps you've just not been to enough "different enough" countries to realize how much McDonald's localizes beyond "just" India??? :confused:

There's the McKinley Mac in McDonald's Alaska. There's the Spam, egg and rice breakfast menu of McDonald's Hawaii. In southern states McDonald's also offers (offered?) Catfish Sandwich.

I remember also when I was in Norway, McDonald's offered salmon wrap which was really good. I'm surprised PacWest states like Oregon, Washington and perhaps BC, Canada doesn't do the same as they're also known for good salmon.

I don't care which states it's in, I would expect a McDonald's in the US that offered salmon to use farm-raised salmon, from wherever (farm raising of salmon being more geographically widespread than wild salmon), which would then negate the issue of whether there's good wild salmon in that state or not.

There's enough sit-down restaurants in the US (and elsewhere) that use farm-raised salmon these days, I can't imagine McDonald's (at least in the US) using wild salmon.

I suspect where they have what depends not so much on what's available locally as what's popular locally (at that price). The US doesn't have a tradition of non-fried fish at fast food or anything close (rare in the US is the sandwich restaurant of any type that has a salmon burger or salmon wrap on the menu, for example), whereas it may be more a tradition in Norway. The closest thing I can think of is some other types of fish that are available in burritos or tacos or wraps at certain Mexican food fast food chains (like Baja Fresh) or (usually indie) health-conscious fast sandwich places.

Some salmon goes even further north to Alaska...

Granted it's charbroiled, but Carl's Jr. has the Atlantic Cod sandwich and from what I gather, seems to be doing pretty well. Hopefully it stays on the menu as it has become one of my favorites at CJs.

And at what point does this thread get moved to the Dining forum? :D