I go out of my way to visit every McDonalds I come across--even so far as having a Google Map pinned board [drive thrus don't count]. I'm not a McD food fanatic but it suits my professional travel pace and personal wallet and one thing is generally reliable: the menu, globally [save for soda refills]. I have noted some consistences in service: older workers tend to make fewer mistakes but move slower; younger troops tend to move fast but also socialize with coworkers more often; managers generally yell for orders back to front; cleanliness is inconsistent [poor Ray K--see QSCV] as is 'free' wifi; bathrooms are generally clean although not always free; Asians 'all business' and in the West more chatty; airport locations are cash cows and get my orders wrong most often; It's nice to have regional variation in food and I actually anticipate some of that in customer service as well [despite McD having a Western approach]. I am far less forgiving domestically about variations and have no qualm talking to a manager about weak product or service delivery: although many people say to them "I eat here [or at McD] all the time" and they probably think I'm giving them a line but I take comfort in me being correct...sometime I emphasize the number of times I've visited in the past month :) As long as there is large turnover, there will be inconsistencies due to learning curves; not sure about mentorship versus training for the hourly workers. I'm not sure how choosy McD is [or can 'afford to be'] for minimum wage, entry-level jobs but they could learn a bit from a much smaller peer: In-n-Out has spectacular service and are 99.5% in all aspects of operations from store to store.

I should be a Secret Shopper.

In-N-Out pays a lot more than McDs.

Your post reminds me of an article that appeared in the WSJ in 1999. (You may need a subscription to view it.)

Like Fine Wine, a 'Collector' Visits McDonald's for Subtle Differences.

"These kinds of things make collecting exciting," Mr. Holden says as he orders a lunch of two Quarter Pounders with cheese -- no onions -- and a large Coke.

Collecting seems an odd way to characterize Mr. Holden's quixotic pursuit, but that's what he calls his quest to eat at as many different McDonald's restaurants as possible. "I'm not an oddball or weirdo," he declares, munching on his first Quarter Pounder. "I'm a collector of the McDonald's dining experience."

This store -- opened two months earlier and brought to his attention by a radio ad -- makes it 10,893 since he began counting, all of them in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. That's roughly 80% of the company's 13,800 North American restaurants, though he says the percentage is actually higher because he ate at 1,000 or so before he started recording his visits.

Are you Peter Holden? :)

In any event, the McDonald's near my place of employment is good for a cup of coffee, since they offer it for a price ($1 + tax) that's much cheaper than anywhere else nearby. The problem is they insist on "pre-pouring" it into the cups to stay ahead of the rush. The coffee sits out and can get tepid. Trying to return it becomes a headache -- they often act like they are doing me the favor of a lifetime to replace it. I'm coming to the conclusion that it's not worth the time and hassle to deal with them anymore.

Not quite Mad but happy...
 

I wish I'd kept better track. I can visualize most of them I've been to in the past 5-7 years--meaning if in the same city I could renavigate with my internal GPS--but beyond that the locations and visits are fuzzy. Now visits are purposeful as well, versus incidental or happenstance previously and I expressly look for them wherever I go, even if just for a drop in soda/ice cream: I don't count drive-thrus :cool:

What we've noticed lately is that, regardless of whether it's a Micky D's, BK or Wendy's - lines are shorter & fewer crowds waiting = sales down, and one obvious reasons being that, prices are kind of crazy high (and, tha't speaking of airport/airside locations, which are known to charge a premium on top of their ripoff prices & NOT selling $1 coffee in all sizes) ... Heck, unless there are no choices - why would anyone spend $7 or $8 for a combo meal at these places.

The only time that we would look for a McD and/or similar fast food joint is when we are driving thru towns & places on the freeway/interstate highways - and planning for a restroom stop. Nowadays, some of the gas stations at rest areas and off the exit ramps offer equally clean & usable restrooms while the tank is getting filled, and some have 99 cents hotdog specials .... extra bonus points if they offer them with low sodium .

While standing at the cashier's counter, a quick glance behind their station at the work/assembly area and sometimes the kitchen floor nearby will tell a great deal on how much they valued their customers by earning for repeat businesses ....

Speaking of which, how often do you see a McD employee properly cleaning & wiping down the tables & chairs in between .... :rolleyes:

I order my Big Macs with no pickle so they have to make it fresh , but I am sure sometimes they just open the box and pull off the pickles :(

Not sure how that will help with your coffee , maybe bring your own cup ?

I too fall into this category. I do not get out of line at a drive thrus. I am polite about it but I don't go to the drive thru so that I can park. On the most recent occasion, at McDonald's, I simply told the window person that if the wait was so long that I would just take a refund and be on my way. My order appeared less than 15 seconds later.

I'll be the contrarian, but IMHO, McDonalds remains one of the better of the fast food franchises in this regard. But of course, it is most likely also a function of the unemployment rate in the area of the individual franchise, and the attitude of the individual franchise owner.

A couple of the McDonalds stores near me make it a point to hire developmentally challenged workers - and invariably these folks go the extra mile to provide quality service, with a smile while they are doing so.

McDonald's adding 3 new Quarter Pounders to menu
 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdona...160308861.html

What struck me was later in the article:
I generally go to McDonald's when I'm in a huge hurry, need to eat in the car, and want something cheap. However, as I'm trying to really focus on healthy eating, I've found there's nothing there that meets my criteria. A salad is very difficult to eat in the car, and isn't cheap. If they tossed a few healthier options on their dollar menu, I'd consider it. I'd really appreciate it if I could get the egg white mcmuffin all day.

I "eat" McDonalds"food" maybe 5 times a year.

I am not about to pay 5 dollars for a McDonalds burger.

If I get a craving for a burger -- 5 Guys it is.

My junk food soft spot is Popeye's.

^^

There are times when you just need those fries or the frozen yogurt. ;)

in other news http://www.globalresearch.ca/no-more...urants/5334539

News? That McDonalds in Bolivia went bankrupt 11 years ago? News?

Maybe they should focus on providing healthier options rather than "cheap premium" burgers.

Yeah I know most of McDonalds isn't healthy, but I just don't like Subway. Jimmy John's is much better.

McDonalds may be seeing a modest sales bump for the rest of the summer. After following that Cleveland kidnapping last week and hearing the 911 call and interviews of the rescuer on youtube "I'm just here eating McDonalds bro!" I have been to McDonalds twice in the last week, which matches the total for all of last year. I can't be the only person who has experienced a sudden craving for McDonalds in the past week.

I know there are much better tasting burgers out there, especially at local mom and pop places, but still a Big Mac from time to time is mighty nice. :cool:

Healthy choices don't make money because people may say they want them, but very few end up buying them.

That's because they charge an arm and a leg for those. Would you pay 5 bucks for a salad that costs 50 cents to make on your own?

The value meals are just about the same price. They give Chipotle as an example, and that is far from affordable healthy considering the type of food. McDonald's isn't as expensive as Chick-fil-A, but it is close!

You misspelled "In-n-Out" ;)

Popeye's is just about the greatest fast food fried chicken there is.

Nah, KFC's Spicy Chicken in Asia is way better.

Burger King to serve BBQ sandwich. Attempt to compete with McDonalds McRib?
 

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/a...wich-620xa.jpg

...
The menu, also featuring a Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich and a Carolina BBQ Tendercrisp Sandiwch, will debut on May 21.

While a Burger King publicist wouldn't confirm if this menu is intended to lure customers away from the McDonald's McRib, the Burger King rib sandwich does bare a BBQ-themed resemblance.

Burger King described the Rib Sandwich as a "juicy boneless rib patty with a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce" that is "topped with crispy bread and butter pickles" served on a "warm toasted artisan style bun."
...
http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/15/news...source=cnn_bin

I'd try it.

It's been around in select markets for about a year, if not more, so it's not really a new product.

The reviews from last year were actually not bad.

Any resemblances between the pork patty in a McD's McRib and at least visually, the BK facsimile are less than tenuous. BBQ, be it beef or pork (or other meats), is a cultural icon to those of us who live/have lived in the belt across the US from whence the culinary tradition came and in which it survives in classic form. Sloshing some thick, gummy, over-sweetened glop atop baked, prepared meats in not BBQ, and practitioners and regular consumers thereof are not worth the wood it would take to immolate them at some gala auto-de-fe purging us of heretics.

Royal Farm convenience store chicken beats them both, hands down.

Next up...

The Three Quarter Pounder.


For those who just can't tolerate the slow pace of atherosclerosis.

Yes please on In-n-Out and no thanks on Mickey D's :D.

Royal Farms can be a pain though, if you're trying to order more than a few pieces of chicken.

McDonald’s Seen Overhauling U.S. Menu From 145 Choices
 

Royal Farms can be a pain even if all you're ordering is a few pieces of chicken. Fortunately, most of the stores have fairly good service, and it helps that most of them also have automated ordering systems (except when you get a techno-illiterate customer who can't figure out the menu screens with pictures of the food right on them).

When it's fresh, Royal Farms chicken is the best tasting fast food chicken I've had, and it is extremely popular in my part of the country (central Maryland). Most people I know prefer it to KFC or Popeyes.

Dang, I think I just decided what I'm going to have for lunch today...

Back to the original topic, though - I liked the Angus burgers, but they're just too doggone BIG. Replacing them with quarter-pounder versions, but with the same options, is a good move for McDonalds. Since they are reducing the number of different size burgers and buns they need, they will simplify supply ordering, prep time, amount of grill space needed, and overall cost.

Personally, I just wish McDonalds would go back to the make-in-advance model they used in the 1980s when I worked there. Having a stack of ready-made burgers waiting in the heat bin made service so much quicker than the current made-to-order model.

Yes, but El Pollo Loco is actually healthy food and tastes even better, IMHO

Y'know what I really hate about Subway? The decision tree. What kind of bread do you want? What size? What kind of sandwich? What kind of cheese? Now, please tell us individually each vegetable you want on your sandwich...

Aaarg! I want a sandwich, not a conversation *about* sandwiches. There is such a thing as decision fatigue, and needing to make fifteen different decisions before I can actually get my sandwich means fifteen more important decisions I can't make after lunch. I might as well just make my own darn sandwich.

Also, the paradox of choice. The more choices you have, the less likely you are to be happy with whatever choice you make.

I value my time at around $200 per hour. The salad that takes me 30 minutes to shop for and make make costs me $100, not 50 cents.

Perhaps you should be able to say, "I want a footlong Club #1125". 1125 would designate bread, and toppings needed. Probably too complicated for many of the Subway workers, though.

At least 10% of the time, they can't get it right even when I'm standing there, telling them what I want on my sandwich... I doubt they'd be able to follow a coded system. :)

I so agree! I don't know what gives me anxiety about picking toppings, but I would rather they had a standard for how they make sandwiches and I was able to modify it if I didn't like something within that combination. There are too many choices!

Not sure what a Carolina BBQ Tendercrisp Sandwich is supposed to be, but I'll give it a shot.

What? Just because 99% of the time when I tell them I want a turkey sandwich no cheese, they still ask me what cheese I want two seconds later, doesn't mean they couldn't follow a coded system.:rolleyes: I finally gave up going to Subway. It was easier than trying to get them to stop putting cheese on my sandwich.;)

To add I've had similar problems at McDonalds who can't understand why I would want a quarter pounder without cheese. I make it simple for them - I just order a hamburger now and at least that doesn't confuse them.