McDonald's in Indonesia is generally of much poorer quality than McDonald's in other countries.

It is also the only place where I have ever been in a McDonald's outlet, ordered a burger and told that they had run out of burgers...all burgers.

In some places the food sourcing is different, such as in Australia where they like to point out that they can get beef, apples and potatoes in that country.

Another factor is whether they have deployed the "Made for You" kitchens (those ones where they're always opening & shutting what look like small drawers). I think that system really helps with the taste.

Lowest on the totem pole are places where they have to import frozen ingredients and then put them through the old-style kitchens. Indonesia probably qualifies, and I'm sure the Philippines does as well. Places where they operate in a very small physical space also are suspect.

OTOH, I think Burger King is much worse with the "freezer taste" problem in those countries.

I think the source materials are pretty much the same but in Korea it's prepared a little differently. The biggest difference is that amount of sauces and extras. For example, the filet o fish in the US is usually drowning in tartar sauce but in Korea it's usually just spread on top (like mayo).

The big macs are a little neater and there is usually less lettuce and secret sauce.

Of course everyone is free to choose where he/she eats and I don't want to be too preachy but I stopped eating McDonalds about 3 years ago mainly due to the following:

1) Everyone knows that the food isn't good for you but most people don't know how bad it is for you. Even 1 meal a week is enough to really wreak havoc to your internal systems (higher cholesterol, liver functions, etc.). Most people think a meal a week or a meal every other week is fine...it's not.

2) There are so many chemicals and preservatives that it only bears a visual resemblance to food. Did you know that if you buy a hamburger and lay it down on your desk...a year later it will still be there without any mold or rot? It will simply dry out. Sorry but that's not how real food should react in this world.

And there's obviously much more...

Even this is different from country to country. Here in Germany the food laws are pretty strict and a lot of preservatives are not allowed. So I doubt that a Hamburger form a McDonald's in Germany would survive.

What I noticed that McDonald's outside the USA is becoming more upscale. Almost every McDonald's in Germany got renovated last year and has now a Starbucks like McCafé where you get all kinds of coffee in real mugs and glasses, cakes and some snacks like bagles. The coffee is pretty good and the cakes, too.

By the way: The McGriddle has finally arrived in Germany :) .

This is currently being done in US McDonald's restaurants too. It's likely part of what is killing Starbucks.

Big Macs in Fiji are terribly untidy but taste as good as their US counterparts. We get no premium burgers here though....

I'm familiar with McD's in the Philippines and found the quality and taste comparable to the US. The McDs I've been to (Davao) are almost brand new so maybe they have the modern kitchen equipment.

It's also nice to spend US$2 or so on a combo meal that doesn't have stupid sized soft drinks and fries. The Coke made with real sugar is also a welcome change from the HFCS crap here in the US.

Although I've tried most sandwiches, I mostly eat the filipino foods at McD's: Chicken McDo and McSpaghetti ^ The sweet filipino spaghetti sauce takes a little getting used to...

I read somewhere that the McD's in Davao served banana ketchup - haven't found it yet...

If you're ever at the FRA McDonald's and you're tempted to try something called the "McFarmer"--don't. Just trust me on this one. :td:

That was the veggie burger. I'm not sure if they still have him.

We usually end up once or twice at a McDonald's anytime we're traveling internationally with our young son. So far he's had a Big Mac in Chile, Argentina, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico and Canada.

His favorite Mickey D are those in Japan - they had some kind of seasoned fries (I think they were called "shaku-shaku" fries) where you dump the fries in a bag, add contents of a seasoning package and then shake the bag to coat the fries.

However his real favorite international hamburger place is Mos Burger in Tokyo. Heck, those are my favorite burgers too!

Maybe not just McDonalds - I find that food in Japan in general is of pretty decent quality, even at very ordinary places like Denny's.

In the Philippines, those fries were called "shake shake" fries and were a promotional item tied in with the release of Kung Fu Panda. They also had shake shake McNuggets.

My favorite McDs are also those in Japan. I loved the Mega Mac with egg. 3 beef patties and one fried egg done up Big Mac style :eek:

Italian McDs have started using Parmigiano-Reggiano and SudTirol Speck in some dishes. Other European McDs have started sourcing to high quality local ingredients as well.

Still have never eaten there, but it's an interesting phenomena

I just ate at Mac Donald's this evening. Took a Big Mac menu and a portion of mac nuggets. I actually think the US Big Mac is better. The only thing I hate about mac donalds abroad is that they don't have the same mayonnaise as they have here ( As some of you might know, we in Holland eat mayonnaise with our chips). I do like the Dutch Mac Nuggets better than the ones I can get abroad, I believe there more crispy here.

Actually, I found a picture--it was a pork burger. The meat tasted like bland greasy sausage: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=118693 (scroll down)

The McD's in St. Petersburg was like a bizarro hyperefficient McDonalds--almost like the entire staff was being constantly timed with stopwatches. The food was about the same though.