Absolutely!

I don't know whats your "hype" about McD in japan. Tried it (my rule is: McD once in every country :D ) - it was "ok", but that was it. I prefered it in Korea and China over japan (not just cost wise, but also taste-wise)

Especially the french fries in japan were totally tasteless. And half-cold. Urks. The burger was soso..

But then, in a supermarket I could get a ready-to-eat tasty chicken stuff (or whatever) meal that cost me 150 Yen or so (billed by the gram), and which was more fulfilling than the junk from McD.

MacDonalds in the US compared to abroad is super cheap.. free unlimited refills on pop. I don't remember all the MacDonalds in Europe having free refills.. i.e. Switzerland.

I'd prefer to pay the money to avoid McDonalds but if you are on a budget I suppose it's not a bad place to have a crap as long as you don't eat the crap they serve there.

I've never understood why people from North America go to McDs in Japan. Tokyo has fabulous street food. Many other places do too.

Could be lots of reasons. For me:


I like McDonalds food. I limit my visits for health reasons, not taste.
I try to try McDs at least once in every country I visit.
Japanese food is far from my favorite ethnic cuisine.
Spending several months total working in Japan, I need a change from local food every week or so.
I have never been to Tokyo or any other large city in Japan. There is no street food where I stayed.

At least for me, there's some interest in how other countries adapt McDonald's to fit the local palate and curiosity about whether the food tastes the same. Obviously you miss out a lot if you exclusively eat McD's, but going a few times to try the chain's local options (e.g. China McD's has pretty great egg custard tarts) or see if a Big Mac tastes the same abroad has some appeal to it.

Great reasons people have given on why they'd go to McDonalds in Japan. When I would be away on long trips sometimes I'd want a taste of home. A decade ago I did a month long hunting safari in Tanzania, eating what we shot. I missed burgers more than almost anything else. The McDonalds I got when we landed in AMS was among the best food I've ever tasted, especially after I'd been dreaming of that Big Mac for weeks.

Which is why i never understood why airports don't serve lunch all the time

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!

A quick pit stop for people to grab a bite, a cheap senior hangout (at breakfast), a place to park kids (hence those play areas many have)... and they still keep trying various attempts to go "premium" (and the whole wifi+mccafe run at Sbux.)

At least they've largely abandoned the unhealthy maximum-calories-for-the-buck "young and hungry" demographic to other fast food chains; Carl's and Jack in the Box are the worst for that.

It also makes for a decent place to use the bathroom in a pinch. Also, if you just have a credit or debit card they aren't finicky about the whole "minimum purchase" requirement like some gas stations if you need a soda.

A new offering you can start shunning on Sept. 24.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...rants/2700313/

Wings at McDs in Hong Kong were good years ago when I had them. They weren't battered or sauced though. Just the way I like wings.

Sadly, from time to time I find myself in a strange place, desperate for something to eat and very wary of the limited greasy and dirty other options. This is where McDs comes into its own. However, these places tend to be in poor areas (otherwise there would be somewhere preferable to go). I do find, though, that the McDs I visit in the USA are in worse physical condition than elsewhere. The decor is dowdier, often the seats/tables are showing some physical damage and sometimes they are less than clean. Whilst I come across the latter two sometimes elsewhere, it's the exception rather than the rule. Almost invariably the decor seems fresher outside the USA, where it looks very 70s. The "food" seems the same everywhere.

Here in the mid-Atlantic region, many of the McDonald's have been recently rebuilt or renovated. In my town, they literally tore the place down to the ground and rebuilt. It didn't improve the service there any, or for that matter the style of the place, but I would not call the ones in this area dowdy. It is always almost Disney clean.

I'm still annoyed that they downsized the apple slices packet.

^ Definitely agree with you on that. The ones in China can also be ordered with spicy flavoring, and they're surprisingly good fried chicken wings. I'm thinking I'll try these "Mighty Wings" when they come out once, judge that they're "meh not bad," and go back to my life.

"The (Mighty Wings) sauces include Chipotle Barbeque, Creamy Ranch, Honey or Hot Mustard, Spicy Buffalo, Sweet Chili, Sweet 'N Sour, Honey and Barbeque."

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...-national-menu

The new McFlurry flavor look interesting, too.

Dumbdowned over the years.. MacDonalds was the leader in getting cheap food into hands fast. Nowadays with the competition, MacDonalds is starting to renovate and cleanup their act, which is great to see. Getting rid of dilapidated locations, and renovating new locations that work. Working with new concepts that seem trendy.

Name of the game has been get cheap food into hands fast.. nowadays its about the experience, and leaving a good impression, so that the customer has no problem dining there the next time.. Afterall, MacDonalds is still the most convenient fastfood in America hands down.

I like the European McDonald's better. For example they had some kind of burger-designing contest in Germany some months ago. Everyone could make a proposal and the best five can be bought now.

Today's Mc D employee strike doesn't help that proposition in 50 US cities.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...50-cities.html

Funny, McDonalds in Canada is top 100 and top 50 best employers recently..

http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en/career..._benefits.html

http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/10/18/c...est-employers/

Not a stark difference between the two countries regarding product and service that I've seen this year.

:D Oh, those McDonalds radio ads on Bayern3 are absolutely vomit-inducing, as are some of the print ads.

'Asian month' is always interesting in Germany...

McDonalds has been replaced by Burger King in many places in Germany, including a large number of Autobahn rest stops and at MUC (I don't patronise either)

And the German slow/fast food chain Nordsee seems to have also been replaced by either Burger King or Subway in a number of places too. McDonalds doesn't seem as popular anymore?

(I will admit that I recently stood outside a McDonalds in London whilst my German colleague satisfied his craving. I went to EAT instead for my meal, and we met back up to eat outside)

Im glad Burger King is making a comeback. My wife likes McDonalds cheeseburgers because they are thin and flat (expensive for what you get). But, if there is a Burger King, my wife will take a cheeseburger from there. At HNL last night, there was a Burger King, and I got her a Whopper with Cheese. The kids liked the Hershey sundae pies.. Alas, our flight was final call, and announced our the PA.. "where is Maestro Family of Four, Final Call." We rushed off and left everything thats left on the table.

And many are not happy to see the continued spread of American junk food imperialism. At least McDonalds acknowledges local culture and taste; Burger King does not.

Burger King has much to learn. I noticed alot of places shut down in the 90s early 2000s. At least their burgers are Flame Broiled. They got rid of the Big Fish in Calgary.. gotta get it back. And the Steakhouse Mushroom.. gotta get that back too.

At least Burger King is getting into some delicious unique desserts nowadays.

I had a very similar experience in Tokyo. After a long flight my colleagues and I were hungry. We walked down a street until they found a McDonalds. I ordered an excellent udon from a street vendor. The process was simple even though I speak no Japanese. Point, pay, slurp. :)

Funny. I never have cravings for noodles in broth. 9-)

I ate at an Istanbul McDs near the overwater bridge in Sultanamet (that goes to Beyoglu), and the Big Mac and fries tasted the about the same as the McDs in my local neighborhood in Southern California. It was ok but not great.

Impossible. I have been to hundreds of McD locations in China and have never once not been able to order a Big Mac. Perhaps they were sold out? (Seems unlikely though because they would have gotten supply from another location.)

Regarding KFC, the American version, when not managed by a lazy franchisee, simply blows the doors off of the Chinese version. In China, the mashed potatoes taste like saw dust and instead of biscuits, we get plasticesque bread rolls.

And, don't even get me started on Taco Bell Grande. There's a reason it only lasted for a year in Shanghai; everybody knew that its food was abominable.

I hadn't been to a Pizza Hut in ten years until I came down to Nanning. In light of the lack of western food here, I eat there on occasion. I don't like it, but it beats a lot of the other crap out there. And, it is REALLY cheap... (i.e. less than McD's for lunch). Maybe it costs more in other cities.

Can you get burgers & fries or Filet-O-Fish at U.S. McDonald's at 7AM?
 

Can you get burgers & fries or Filet-O-Fish at U.S. McDonald's at 7AM?

Nope.

Gotta go to Burger King for that.

Don't ask me how I know.

That's not universal, though. None of the BKs I know of in my part of the country serve breakfast food and lunch food at the same time. Breakfast is served from opening until 10:30 or 11:00, and lunch thereafter. There is generally about a 15-minute period after the switchover where you can buy leftover breakfast food, if they have any.

It might be more common in other parts of the country. I'm only familiar with the southeast.

on a recent Vegas trip, I had a 3-pound lobster and prime rib, with a side order or whipped cream-covered waffles for breakfast around 6AM, just before getting ready to go to the airport. after that, I just cant bring myself to eat regular breakfast foods anymore. :(

After a breakfast like that, I'm surprised you can bring yourself upright.:D

oh, believe me, it would have been much worse if I was in a lie-flat seat.

what is the deal with these fabulous buffets at Vegas casinos anyway? they want people to explode or something? :D :D :D

Also, many McDs in airports serve both burgers and brekkie in the AM.

Where in the Southeast are you? Here in South Florida (can't get any further SE than that in the US), BK serves some lunch in the morning like Whoppers, Jrs, Big Kings, Original Chicken Sandwiches, etc. The one I go to will make me almost anything on the regular menu once I pointed out that they already had the patties cooked and the buns and condiments are already there. The one good thing is that I am not just buying one at a time so they usually are receiving a $10-15 order.

My work schedule has me eating backwards as I work overnight. Sometimes I can't think of eating what most people think as breakfast items.

I'm in the suburbs of Baltimore. I visit Orlando every year, but I haven't been to south Florida since the early 90s.

Not in the US. Know how I know? Because in the US, nobody calls it "brekkie". :D