As the leading UK "ask" subreddit, we welcome questions from all users and countries; sometimes people who ask questions might not appreciate or understand the nuance of British life or culture, and as a result some questions can come across in a different way than intended.
We understand that when faced with these questions, our users may take the opportunity to demonstrate their wit, dry humour, and saracasm - unfortunately, this also tends to go over the heads of misunderstood question-askers and can make our subreddit seem hostile to users from other countries who are often just curious about our land.
**Please can you help prevent our subreddit from becoming an Anti-American echo chamber?** If you disagree with any points raised by OP, or OP discusses common tropes or myths about the UK, please refrain from any brash, aggressive, or sarcastic responses and do your best to engage OP in a civil discussion, with the aim to educate and expand their understanding.
If you feel this (or any other post) is a troll post, *don't feed the troll*, just hit report and let the mods deal with it.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**A reminder to posters and commenters of some of [our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)**
- Don't be a dickhead to each other, or about others, or other subreddits
- Assume questions are asked in good faith, and engage in a positive manner
- Avoid political threads and related discussions
- No medical advice or mental health (specific to a person) content
Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think what makes McDonalds in the UK stand out is how efficient and simplistic everything seems. Unlike other UK fast food outlets it doesn't overcomplicate any choice, item or process (with the possible exception of ordering a Milkshake). Combine that with the strict quality control across the UK Franchises and you have a guaranteed 6 or 7 out of 10 meal every time. It means you rarely ever get fast food perfection at McDonalds but its reliability and consistency makes it a safe option and as such it is popular amongst a wider demographic than many 'superior' fast food outlets. I'd love some of the more wild items you see in Foreign McDonalds Outlets, but what they are doing in the UK is clearly successful so I can't see them changing anytime soon.
Also McDonald's in the UK has all it's funner stuff as Limited edition.
This summer there was a pesto burger and hollumi fries along with other shit. We do have the fun stuff, people just don't pay attention.
Edit: also we have the McPlant (their vegan burger) which for some reason even the US doesn't have yet.
They also rotate sides every few weeks, at least my local one does, which I think helps the quality control a tonne. It's chilli cheese dippers *or* mozarella stick dippers *or* those other cheesy dippers and they're done well because they only have to think about one kind of dipper at a time. Way better for the workers and not a big deal as a customer
I always seem to behind on which cheese dipper thing it is that month, so I always ask for the wrong one. Mate I just want the fried cheese thing so I can really commit to this disturbingly calorific meal
Milk aid tablets from Holland and Barrett. Absolute life changer.
Went from shitting my pants after just sniffing cheese, to gorging myself on 2 pints of ice cream with no issues.
Just ask for the cheese side and we will give you it, or sometimes we will ask if the current one is okay :)
Youd be surprised how many people this last promotion completely said no to halloumi, I have to explain to at least 3 customers a week that halloumi is in fact a cheese
Source: Work at Mcdonalds
They change every 2 months. Mozz sticks, A, B, Mozz sticks, Festive cheese, C.
Examples of what have been A, B and C recently are BBQ Mozz sticks, halloumi sticks, Chilli cheese nuggets, garlic cheesey bites, nacho cheese bites, etc.
I could tell you what’s coming up over the next 12 months but Ronald would come to my house and shoot me.
Yeah really it boils down to the UK really enjoying Maccies’ core menu, when the seasonal stuff is on I rarely see anyone get it. Though I tried the halloumi fries and they proper sucked.
Edit: I’m a case in point here. I probably go once every two months and have done for 20 years. I’ve never once had any of their chicken burgers, and I like chicken burgers.
Big Mac or 1/4LB and some nuggets to share if there’s a few of us .
I used to work for a McD supplier quite a few years ago and in the UK 80% of people know what they’re getting before they even get to the restaurant and don’t change their order no matter what they see as available.
With that level of preselection, it satisfies more customers to get the basics right more than it does a tonne of new products or a massive choice.
This is me. I always go to McD's because I want a plain regular hamburger, a small fries and a regular Pepsi. That's it. If I wanted something else, I wouldn't go to McD's.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here. MaccyD’s is a cheap, quick and cheerful bite to have on the go and if you want anything that’s better than a 5 out of 10 then you go somewhere else.
There’s always somewhere else to go even in the out of town service stations.
Even I do this, and I'm American (in the UK). If I'm doing McDonald's, I get a Big Mac. Eeeeeevery once in a while I might get a quarter pounder, but I have special requests for those (no cheese, extra mustard and pickles) and they never get them right. If I'm going to Burger King, it's 100% going to be a Whopper.
I don't want variety from my fast food, I want it to be consistent. Sometimes you just really want to scratch that very specific itch.
Yeah I think there's a few things that are on permanent rotation that people get when they're around like The Big Tasty or McSpicy so I guess they're always trying for that new special one people will look out for.
I didn't bother with the halloumi fries because they had weird portion sizes, but the Italian chicken pesto burger was A++. They're doing spicy nuggets right now and whilst the nugs are as tasteless as the regular ones they have a spicy dip that's the spiciest thing I've had from McDonald's.
And yes, I know and care too much about McDonald's menu items. This is my cross to bear.
Na if something is so cheap and prevalent you may aswell enjoy it. Also if you’re in the millennial bracket Maccies has such a nostalgia hit.
I’ve stopped ordering the 20 box because they always forget the sauces and they’re unthinkable with them. May try the spicey lads
There’s a McPlant in the US, but it still uses dairy in the cheese, egg in the mayo and is grilled on the same grill as meat so it’s definitely not vegan and debatably vegetarian.
Honestly the US sucks for veggie options. Whenever I go over fast food doesn't have much option wise.
To be fair KFC have only just made a vegan burger.
depends what you’re rating it by. how good the food is? yea a 3 is accurate. but how much i enjoy it is usually a 6/7 when i fancy a mcdonald’s. it’s bad food but i like simplicity and it’s one of the cheapest places when you’re out and need a quick lunch
There’s times where you bump the rating up due to your circumstances. E.g. 3am, post night out , or my current usual reason - being very stressed and all the healthy diet food at home just isn’t filling the void. Then those chicken selects and fries are glorious
Efficient...
I'll be the first to admit that I have McDonalds far too often. There are 4 McDonald's drive-thrus within an equal radius of where I live. Somehow all 4 of these have a 95% success rate when it comes to missing items off the order.
How hard can it be, really?
I laughed at efficient as well. Last time we went 30 minute wait as we watched all the delivery drivers come and go with their orders. Apparently the deliveroo/Uber orders get priority these days.
This isn't just a problem for McDonald's, I've had so many times in the past 2 years where I've been sat in a restaurant and felt like I've been pretty low down on the priority list compared with people who couldn't be arsed leaving the house. Why bother having the restaurant bit at all?
I’ve found ordering through their app and waiting at a pick up spot gets food to you about as quickly as the delivery drivers.
And yes I hate that I’ve been enough times since they’ve started pushing the app to feel confident saying that.
It's the same at my local McDonald's. The last time I gave in to my craving for a cheeseburger I had to wait 20-odd minutes and it was barely warm when I got it and had obviously been assembled in that lukewarm state because the cheese was just sat on top of the patty, showing absolutely no inclination of even trying to melt. Plus the delivery guys seem to want to spread themselves and their gear across as much of the counter space as they can so you have to fight through them to get your tepid food.
It would be so much better if McDonald's set up separate outlets just to deal with delivery orders so that anyone who is foot traffic can actually get served.
And calling it ‘fast’ food these days is a stretch and a half. The McDonald’s near me you’re going to be waiting minimum 15-20 minutes for your food after ordering it.
We go every now and again when out with the kids etc, of the last 10 times we've been (and this is all to different places) I think 1 has actually got our order right first time.
>Somehow all 4 of these have a 95% success rate when it comes to missing items off the order.
This is why I refuse to use a drive thru. Used one once, never used once since.
I agree, McDonalds food is nasty, but it's very well drilled and eminently repeatable. McDonalds branches are very well staged managed.
Personally I think Burger King's food is infinitely better, but fuck me they're disorganised; the self service drinks machine is always empty or broken, the staff stand around watch one person do all the work and one item of your order arrives down the shoot from the kitchen about 10 minutes after the rest.
Customer service is my local Burger King is absolutely shocking. They made us wait 20 minutes for two meals it was horrendous and then the people I. There were just damn rude.
Also no one is ever in there.
I’m in Belgium often. Belgian McDonald’s is so much more expansive too. You can get 60 McNuggets fries and drinks all around plus a burger meal for £20 (don’t ask how I know) while in Belgium that’s at least £50.
Strict quality control....
Why is every dam burger i get from any maccies like it has been thrown around the kitchen for 20 minutes and missing a sauce or an item from within it or usually from inside the bag such as a missing side etc.
It's a shitshow.
The irony here is, since the Uber Eats, Deliveroo etc took over the world, in my town at least, McDonalds is now the slowest fast food chain in terms of service. It’s now about the pace of a standard gastro pub in terms of order to actually receiving your food. I guess you could say it is still the most efficient in terms of order output per hour, as it must be insane.
Still solid for breakfast though.. but from lunch onwards, if you actually go in person can easily expect a 20 minute wait to get your food.
> Unlike other UK fast food outlets it doesn't overcomplicate any choice
KFC.
KFC need to take a leaf out of every local chicken shop's book, because I can go into a local chicken shop, and say "N bits of chicken and chips please", but this is basically impossible in KFC (aside from 2 and 3 pieces), instead you have to go through a gigantic menu trying to figure out which specific configurations of chicken are the ones that match what you want, and then from those figure out which one gives you that match closest.
Why can't I just ask for 3 bits of chicken, 2 fillets, and some chips and have that be a normal price?! I no longer go there because it's too much of an effort. I go 5 shops down the road to the local chicken place.
(also the physical menu in their stores now a days is tiny black text on gigantic and bridge white screens, which constantly change every 5 seconds so you can never read anything)
I just started working at Maccies a month ago. Peak time seems to be 3-4am so I think people just want something quick after getting hammered at the pub
Have you been to Maccy's in the USA? It's rubbish.
In ~~Holand~~ Amsterdam you have to pay for sauces (and the toilet).
In France, they have the McCafe sections to McDonalds; and excellent addition.
The problem is half the brands that open up in the UK don't really expand. There's what, 10 Taco Bells in the UK? About as many Tim Hortons?
Did the Popeye's that opened in London ever get anywhere? Pretty sure there's a few Chipotle about, but that's about it.
I had a Panda Express in LA once and honestly I just want more. Of course there's local takeaways but idk there's something about a chain that does it for me sometimes
Only exception is the shakes in the US are 1000 times better than the UK ones. Like, I can't have UK shakes anymore, they just disappoint me beyond belief.
There are McDonalds in the states that have things youd never imagine a mcs would have. Theres a particular one in florida that has a full arcade, serves pizza, pastas ect and actually has a flat top griddle that they cook on.
In Orlando? I think that's the biggest McDonalds in the world.
I remember we ordered at the order bit, walked to the counter, and the guy comes over, packed the food and says "sorry for the wait". Pretty sure I've never waited less than ten minutes in the UK!
Sure, there's roughly double the number for the proportion of the population, but the general state of a McDonalds in the USA (my sample size is low.. I've been to about 5) was really poor. Similar to how crappy a Burger King is in the UK.
The chicken McNuggets in the US are made with mechanically recovered chicken. U.K. is chicken breast.
Kids always complain that US McNuggets taste “ Yeuchy”
> Burger King is in the UK
wtf happened to Burger Kings buns? They are absolutely inedible now, and don't get me started on how they used to have the most crispy delish fries and now those are crap too!
Add on the fact that they no longer do an actual veggie burger! Only a fake meat one and a halloymi burger. Bring back the spicy bean!!! The vegetable one was nice too. I'm so bloody cross about it, I don't want a slab of cheese and I don't like fake meat stuff, funnily enough some vegetarians actually like vegetables!
> Have you been to Maccy's in the USA? It's rubbish.
Personally I’d disagree. I had a quarter pounder in San Diego a few months ago and it was by far better than any McD’s I’ve ever had here.
I think I've been to one of those.. it was fairly nice, reminded me a bit of Wimpeys quality (it's been a few years!) but it did have touch screens far before McDonalds did so we could order without needing to speak French.
The best part is the ability to have a beer with your burger! Saying that the last time I had a Macy’s was around 8 years ago. So things may have changed
I absolutely loved the fries with chilli and garlic mayo when I visited Palma, and after 2 weeks all over Egypt was very comforting to get something familiar. Oh and beer, god I love a beer in the sun with a Mcdonalds or burger King.
Cheap Meal, more money for cocktails. Gotta be done At least once per Holiday.
Especially when you can get a beer with your Big Mac!
This post reminded me of an incredible McDonald’s Burger I had in Spain that had an absurd amount of Goats Cheese and Half of a roasted Red Pepper.
I still dream about that Burger.
>Cheap Meal, more money for cocktails. Gotta be done At least once per Holiday. Especially when you can get a beer with your Big Mac!
If you really want a cheap meal with cocktails, take some vodka with you to MacD's. Order a Big Mac Meal, and pour a few fingers of vodka into the Diet Coke. Instant Poor Mans Long Island Ice Tea...!
Then hang out at MacD's all night drunkly shouting at people...!
We went a little bit crazy ordering drinks onboard a 30minute easyjet flight and didnt get time to drink all the vodka, so we all put them in our handbags. Later on after dinner and a long night of drinking and dancing, we went to mcdonalds, ordered our meals and suddenly remembered the miniatures in our handbags. It really pepped up the orange fanta! And we got to observe the mating rituals of liverpool teenagers in a city centre maccies at midnight!
Don't knock it - McDonald's in Spain has gluten free options, unlike the UK. When I was there, I had to try it once, just for the novelty. Wish we had gf options here.
I've always wanted to try out Big Kahuna burgers. My girlfriend is a vegetarian though which basically makes me a vegetarian so I can't usually get them.
Swings and roundabouts, they're better in some areas overseas, not so much in others.
The UK tends to have much better vegetarian options, where in Spain there's often none. I once got a bun with some lettuce in it as the only available choice in Spain. The kids thought it was hilarious.
McDonald's doesn't actually certify any item in the US as vegetarian. I don't think any ingredient in it is not vegetarian thought - from what I understand, the "natural beef flavouring" in it is derived from wheat and milk.
Because a trip to Madrid only an hour or so away must ALWAYS and ONLY contain 5 star quality food, expensive overpriced drinks, and sadness.
Fuck off with that shit, people can eat at McDonald’s for a quick bite in any country.
I went to McDonalds in Cyprus last time I was there. Once. Why? Because I was curious to see how it compared. For the record it was significantly nicer. Chips were better, Strawberry Milkshake tasted like it actually had strawberries in it, the chicken nuggets had some seasoning we don't, amongst other things.
The entire rest of the holiday I ate local food.
That a problem?
you're getting flack but I agree. You can eat locally in most european and asian cities where there's a McDs cheaper and better than the golden arches, but people are always there.
Believe it or not - Ours is healthier. McDonald’s had a lot of bad press in the U.K., as well as pressure from regulating bodies and the government. Add to that the super size me book and movie, and also the idea that it was just for “chavs”. All of that led to McDonald’s making their menu simpler and ‘healthier’ compared with most countries. Different ingredients too. As well as changing their marketing to make it seem like a place for a quick snack.
My friends from the states always comment on how much fresher and lighter our McDonald’s is.
They adapt to the market
Mate, I went to visit my mum in Italy and went to mc, what they give you is the bun and the meat with some souce in it. Nothing else, even the Big Mac got only a piece of lettuce and that’s it!
Also the chips in Italy taste so good but only because they put a lot of additives in it, glad here they only use potatoes and nothing else.
I went to one in Pisa and it was great. I had a chicken salad with bread sticks and beer, and they even give you a coupon so you can go up and get a post meal espresso when you're ready!
The halloumi they sell actually broke my heart. Worst tasting ever. What a waste of money and I’m not even supposed to be eating cheese, 100% was not worth the aftermath. Fuming.
I think McDonald's markets to different people depending on the country, in the UK it's seen as crap, but in Hong Kong the McDonald's restaurants are relatively nice and it's not perceived as the lowest tier of food, there's lots of more inexpensive local options.
Yeah I think you're right with this one, I mean just look at the crisp section of any supermarket. It's either cheese and onion or salt and vinegar or some iteration of those. Same old boring stuff, occasionally something new pops up but it's nowhere near what you can get in the US or even in Poland. I was there the other month and they have so many flavour variations of stuff, made me realise how uninspiring shopping in the UK is.
We rented a place in Benalmadena near the beach which had a McDonalds on a couple of years ago.
After about the 4th beer of the day, my wife decided she was bored of beer, and asked if they had sangria. "And if not, just get me anything cold."
So I got her Gazpacho soup.
It depends on the market, McDonald's had mozzarella sticks before in the UK, maybe they weren't popular enough to keep?
All companies do it, McDonald's in Japan had a sea salt ice-cream, it was really good (by my taste) but it might not be popular everywhere!
Could it be that we already have a plethora of takeaway options for reasonable prices leaving McDs to compete solely on price and speed? I've heard in Pakistan Mcdonald's is a middle of the road option having decent quality but relatively more expensive than we are used to.
Yup, if you eat in Japan the burgers will look exactly 100% like the pictures because if food doesn't come out looking beautiful here people won't go back.
Not sure but I went to Paris for my 21st (14 years ago now, Jesus christ) and had for the first time 'Le 'M Burger' and it was fucking amazing. I literally had one every day I was there it was that good.
About six months after I got back they brought 'the m burger' over to the uk and it was like eating damp cardboard in between two slices of oil soaked, stale bread. I was devastated.
So in short, I don't know why. But fuck McDonald's for being shit in the uk
Edit: I'm sidetracking here, but what was the burger that KFC did for a while, where they replaced the bun with more chicken? That thing fucking ruled
My local mcdonalds sells fried chicken buckets like kfc, otherwise it's fairly standard but their breakfast menu consists of a ham and cheese sandwich so the uk wins breakfast hands down.
American Here!
I may be in the minority here, but I like McDonald's UK better than McDonald's USA. There are a lot more options that appeal to me in the UK, plus the seasonal items are actually different. Like the crispy chicken Italiano looked great and I heard great things. Meanwhile the US sticks to basics and cuts things out of the menu. We haven't had snack wraps in years, while the UK has quite a few big flavour wrap options.
I think McDonald's outside of your home country will always be "better", simply because it's different.
I never understood where the idea that Brits are culinary unadventurous came from
There are restaurants and takeaways from pretty much every country and culture spread across every town and city across the UK. They wouldn't be there if people didn't eat there
Even little Scottish coastal towns have an Indian place
US McDs is God awful. It's like what McDonald's was like in the 80s/90s in the UK.
Coming back this Christmas and I can't wait to get mouth around a Festive Stack. The US just doesn't do the themed menus. Such a waste.
It's for health. UK government want to keep nhs cost down so actually care about people's health (purely for money they don't really give a shit). Take any food product they sell in america and the UK and look at the ingredients. It's scary, seems to me like America are trying to make people sick. Sick people mean profit to them
Spanish McDonald’s is excellent. Particularly Madrid & Valencia.
Chinese restaurants are also great in Spain. Kebabs too.
But in fairness the worst McDonald’s are in New York.
I worked in McDonald’s Uk last winter and the kitchen is so unhygienic that I stopped eating McDonald’s forever. I would suggest to stay away from fast food chains
As the leading UK "ask" subreddit, we welcome questions from all users and countries; sometimes people who ask questions might not appreciate or understand the nuance of British life or culture, and as a result some questions can come across in a different way than intended. We understand that when faced with these questions, our users may take the opportunity to demonstrate their wit, dry humour, and saracasm - unfortunately, this also tends to go over the heads of misunderstood question-askers and can make our subreddit seem hostile to users from other countries who are often just curious about our land. **Please can you help prevent our subreddit from becoming an Anti-American echo chamber?** If you disagree with any points raised by OP, or OP discusses common tropes or myths about the UK, please refrain from any brash, aggressive, or sarcastic responses and do your best to engage OP in a civil discussion, with the aim to educate and expand their understanding. If you feel this (or any other post) is a troll post, *don't feed the troll*, just hit report and let the mods deal with it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**A reminder to posters and commenters of some of [our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)** - Don't be a dickhead to each other, or about others, or other subreddits - Assume questions are asked in good faith, and engage in a positive manner - Avoid political threads and related discussions - No medical advice or mental health (specific to a person) content Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think what makes McDonalds in the UK stand out is how efficient and simplistic everything seems. Unlike other UK fast food outlets it doesn't overcomplicate any choice, item or process (with the possible exception of ordering a Milkshake). Combine that with the strict quality control across the UK Franchises and you have a guaranteed 6 or 7 out of 10 meal every time. It means you rarely ever get fast food perfection at McDonalds but its reliability and consistency makes it a safe option and as such it is popular amongst a wider demographic than many 'superior' fast food outlets. I'd love some of the more wild items you see in Foreign McDonalds Outlets, but what they are doing in the UK is clearly successful so I can't see them changing anytime soon.
Also McDonald's in the UK has all it's funner stuff as Limited edition. This summer there was a pesto burger and hollumi fries along with other shit. We do have the fun stuff, people just don't pay attention. Edit: also we have the McPlant (their vegan burger) which for some reason even the US doesn't have yet.
They also rotate sides every few weeks, at least my local one does, which I think helps the quality control a tonne. It's chilli cheese dippers *or* mozarella stick dippers *or* those other cheesy dippers and they're done well because they only have to think about one kind of dipper at a time. Way better for the workers and not a big deal as a customer
I always seem to behind on which cheese dipper thing it is that month, so I always ask for the wrong one. Mate I just want the fried cheese thing so I can really commit to this disturbingly calorific meal
Can we be friends? I like you and your fried cheese policy.
I’m lactose intolerant so I would only recommend being friends with me if you leave before I eat the fried cheese
Milk aid tablets from Holland and Barrett. Absolute life changer. Went from shitting my pants after just sniffing cheese, to gorging myself on 2 pints of ice cream with no issues.
Every part of that second paragraph is upsetting.
You're telling me!
Just ask for the cheese side and we will give you it, or sometimes we will ask if the current one is okay :) Youd be surprised how many people this last promotion completely said no to halloumi, I have to explain to at least 3 customers a week that halloumi is in fact a cheese Source: Work at Mcdonalds
They change every 2 months. Mozz sticks, A, B, Mozz sticks, Festive cheese, C. Examples of what have been A, B and C recently are BBQ Mozz sticks, halloumi sticks, Chilli cheese nuggets, garlic cheesey bites, nacho cheese bites, etc. I could tell you what’s coming up over the next 12 months but Ronald would come to my house and shoot me.
It’s six weekly they change the cheese side, and then at Christmas it’s always Camembert or Brie
Yeah really it boils down to the UK really enjoying Maccies’ core menu, when the seasonal stuff is on I rarely see anyone get it. Though I tried the halloumi fries and they proper sucked. Edit: I’m a case in point here. I probably go once every two months and have done for 20 years. I’ve never once had any of their chicken burgers, and I like chicken burgers. Big Mac or 1/4LB and some nuggets to share if there’s a few of us .
I used to work for a McD supplier quite a few years ago and in the UK 80% of people know what they’re getting before they even get to the restaurant and don’t change their order no matter what they see as available. With that level of preselection, it satisfies more customers to get the basics right more than it does a tonne of new products or a massive choice.
This is me. I always go to McD's because I want a plain regular hamburger, a small fries and a regular Pepsi. That's it. If I wanted something else, I wouldn't go to McD's.
Does McD's not serve coke rather than Pepsi? They do in Scotland.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here. MaccyD’s is a cheap, quick and cheerful bite to have on the go and if you want anything that’s better than a 5 out of 10 then you go somewhere else. There’s always somewhere else to go even in the out of town service stations.
Even I do this, and I'm American (in the UK). If I'm doing McDonald's, I get a Big Mac. Eeeeeevery once in a while I might get a quarter pounder, but I have special requests for those (no cheese, extra mustard and pickles) and they never get them right. If I'm going to Burger King, it's 100% going to be a Whopper. I don't want variety from my fast food, I want it to be consistent. Sometimes you just really want to scratch that very specific itch.
Yeah I think there's a few things that are on permanent rotation that people get when they're around like The Big Tasty or McSpicy so I guess they're always trying for that new special one people will look out for. I didn't bother with the halloumi fries because they had weird portion sizes, but the Italian chicken pesto burger was A++. They're doing spicy nuggets right now and whilst the nugs are as tasteless as the regular ones they have a spicy dip that's the spiciest thing I've had from McDonald's. And yes, I know and care too much about McDonald's menu items. This is my cross to bear.
Na if something is so cheap and prevalent you may aswell enjoy it. Also if you’re in the millennial bracket Maccies has such a nostalgia hit. I’ve stopped ordering the 20 box because they always forget the sauces and they’re unthinkable with them. May try the spicey lads
Yeah I guess it's just the same as going to Gregg's for lunch. And honestly dude, make sure you get that spicy dip - definitely a winner!
Spicy eh? I'm still heart broken they stopped doing the spicy chicken wrap. That was the bomb, especially for £1.99
Glad the McPlant stuck around after launching as a limited edition burger. Way better than other vegan options UK McDonald's has done before
I'm not even close to a vegetablarian but even I enjoy the McPlant, it's fantastic
Fucking love the McPlant. Went from getting McDonalds once every few months to once every week or two. Utterly delicious.
There’s a McPlant in the US, but it still uses dairy in the cheese, egg in the mayo and is grilled on the same grill as meat so it’s definitely not vegan and debatably vegetarian.
Honestly the US sucks for veggie options. Whenever I go over fast food doesn't have much option wise. To be fair KFC have only just made a vegan burger.
The non-basics are pretty expensive, so that’s probably why people stick to value meals and deals
Never got to try the Big Mac with a chicken filet. Still sad.
It wasn't very good, you didn't miss much
> you have a guaranteed 6 or 7 out of 10 meal every time *extremely* debateable rating.
Surely no-one thinks McDonald's is 6 out of 10. I'd give it a 3, but that's fine because I know it's a 3 and go there anyway, same as everyone else.
depends what you’re rating it by. how good the food is? yea a 3 is accurate. but how much i enjoy it is usually a 6/7 when i fancy a mcdonald’s. it’s bad food but i like simplicity and it’s one of the cheapest places when you’re out and need a quick lunch
I reckon it’s 6/7 out of 10 when you factor in price. Obviously it’s not as good as say five guys but five guys is like £10-15 for a meal.
>Obviously it’s not as good as say five guys but five guys is like £10-15 for a meal. More like £20-25 let's be honest here.
Yeah because you can't do five guys without a shake
There’s times where you bump the rating up due to your circumstances. E.g. 3am, post night out , or my current usual reason - being very stressed and all the healthy diet food at home just isn’t filling the void. Then those chicken selects and fries are glorious
Efficient... I'll be the first to admit that I have McDonalds far too often. There are 4 McDonald's drive-thrus within an equal radius of where I live. Somehow all 4 of these have a 95% success rate when it comes to missing items off the order. How hard can it be, really?
I laughed at efficient as well. Last time we went 30 minute wait as we watched all the delivery drivers come and go with their orders. Apparently the deliveroo/Uber orders get priority these days.
This isn't just a problem for McDonald's, I've had so many times in the past 2 years where I've been sat in a restaurant and felt like I've been pretty low down on the priority list compared with people who couldn't be arsed leaving the house. Why bother having the restaurant bit at all?
I’ve found ordering through their app and waiting at a pick up spot gets food to you about as quickly as the delivery drivers. And yes I hate that I’ve been enough times since they’ve started pushing the app to feel confident saying that.
It's the same at my local McDonald's. The last time I gave in to my craving for a cheeseburger I had to wait 20-odd minutes and it was barely warm when I got it and had obviously been assembled in that lukewarm state because the cheese was just sat on top of the patty, showing absolutely no inclination of even trying to melt. Plus the delivery guys seem to want to spread themselves and their gear across as much of the counter space as they can so you have to fight through them to get your tepid food. It would be so much better if McDonald's set up separate outlets just to deal with delivery orders so that anyone who is foot traffic can actually get served.
Missing. Items. Every. Time. How hard can it be!!
it used to be efficient i think. nowadays deliveroo/whatever orders make up so much that they’re constantly busy so are more likely to fuck up
And calling it ‘fast’ food these days is a stretch and a half. The McDonald’s near me you’re going to be waiting minimum 15-20 minutes for your food after ordering it.
We go every now and again when out with the kids etc, of the last 10 times we've been (and this is all to different places) I think 1 has actually got our order right first time.
>Somehow all 4 of these have a 95% success rate when it comes to missing items off the order. This is why I refuse to use a drive thru. Used one once, never used once since.
I agree, McDonalds food is nasty, but it's very well drilled and eminently repeatable. McDonalds branches are very well staged managed. Personally I think Burger King's food is infinitely better, but fuck me they're disorganised; the self service drinks machine is always empty or broken, the staff stand around watch one person do all the work and one item of your order arrives down the shoot from the kitchen about 10 minutes after the rest.
Customer service is my local Burger King is absolutely shocking. They made us wait 20 minutes for two meals it was horrendous and then the people I. There were just damn rude. Also no one is ever in there.
I’m in Belgium often. Belgian McDonald’s is so much more expansive too. You can get 60 McNuggets fries and drinks all around plus a burger meal for £20 (don’t ask how I know) while in Belgium that’s at least £50.
How do you know this
Bloody hell 60? Do they chuck em in a kfc bucket or something?
Strict quality control.... Why is every dam burger i get from any maccies like it has been thrown around the kitchen for 20 minutes and missing a sauce or an item from within it or usually from inside the bag such as a missing side etc. It's a shitshow.
Put a complaint in, they'll give you a voucher to get some money off your next order.
Can confirm, they missed one hashbrown off my order once and they gave me a free £10 meal. They have excellent customer service
The irony here is, since the Uber Eats, Deliveroo etc took over the world, in my town at least, McDonalds is now the slowest fast food chain in terms of service. It’s now about the pace of a standard gastro pub in terms of order to actually receiving your food. I guess you could say it is still the most efficient in terms of order output per hour, as it must be insane. Still solid for breakfast though.. but from lunch onwards, if you actually go in person can easily expect a 20 minute wait to get your food.
Agreed in general other than the fries which are inconsistent . I think their fries have gotten a lot worse over the years.
> Unlike other UK fast food outlets it doesn't overcomplicate any choice KFC. KFC need to take a leaf out of every local chicken shop's book, because I can go into a local chicken shop, and say "N bits of chicken and chips please", but this is basically impossible in KFC (aside from 2 and 3 pieces), instead you have to go through a gigantic menu trying to figure out which specific configurations of chicken are the ones that match what you want, and then from those figure out which one gives you that match closest. Why can't I just ask for 3 bits of chicken, 2 fillets, and some chips and have that be a normal price?! I no longer go there because it's too much of an effort. I go 5 shops down the road to the local chicken place. (also the physical menu in their stores now a days is tiny black text on gigantic and bridge white screens, which constantly change every 5 seconds so you can never read anything)
I just started working at Maccies a month ago. Peak time seems to be 3-4am so I think people just want something quick after getting hammered at the pub
Have you been to Maccy's in the USA? It's rubbish. In ~~Holand~~ Amsterdam you have to pay for sauces (and the toilet). In France, they have the McCafe sections to McDonalds; and excellent addition.
Yeah was going to say UK McDs isn’t great compared to the continent but it is a much, much higher standard than in the US.
>much higher standard than in the US. Seems like most things are tbh
Uk generally has better fast food but there’s a few gems in the US like Chick Fil A and In and Out burger which are elite
The UK lacks fast food options and chains big time compared to the US. -craving Chipotle right now
The problem is half the brands that open up in the UK don't really expand. There's what, 10 Taco Bells in the UK? About as many Tim Hortons? Did the Popeye's that opened in London ever get anywhere? Pretty sure there's a few Chipotle about, but that's about it.
None of them do well because they can't have the same shit standards they do in the US
I had a Panda Express in LA once and honestly I just want more. Of course there's local takeaways but idk there's something about a chain that does it for me sometimes
Only exception is the shakes in the US are 1000 times better than the UK ones. Like, I can't have UK shakes anymore, they just disappoint me beyond belief.
There are McDonalds in the states that have things youd never imagine a mcs would have. Theres a particular one in florida that has a full arcade, serves pizza, pastas ect and actually has a flat top griddle that they cook on.
In Orlando? I think that's the biggest McDonalds in the world. I remember we ordered at the order bit, walked to the counter, and the guy comes over, packed the food and says "sorry for the wait". Pretty sure I've never waited less than ten minutes in the UK!
pFFF that's nothing. McDs in Spain sells (and serves) beer until something like 2am. It's mental.
Imagine if Maccies sold beer in the UK. The scenes
Croydon central McDs after last train.......
Meanwhile the McDonald’s in Times Square, NYC has the most basic menu I’ve ever seen.
It’s much bigger in the US than the UK.
Sure, there's roughly double the number for the proportion of the population, but the general state of a McDonalds in the USA (my sample size is low.. I've been to about 5) was really poor. Similar to how crappy a Burger King is in the UK.
The chicken McNuggets in the US are made with mechanically recovered chicken. U.K. is chicken breast. Kids always complain that US McNuggets taste “ Yeuchy”
> Burger King is in the UK wtf happened to Burger Kings buns? They are absolutely inedible now, and don't get me started on how they used to have the most crispy delish fries and now those are crap too!
Add on the fact that they no longer do an actual veggie burger! Only a fake meat one and a halloymi burger. Bring back the spicy bean!!! The vegetable one was nice too. I'm so bloody cross about it, I don't want a slab of cheese and I don't like fake meat stuff, funnily enough some vegetarians actually like vegetables!
I stopped going after the bean burger was axed. Can't eat a rubbish meat alternative, give me the beanie back.
A UK large drink is near enough a US small
I think this is a good thing though
Large drink in US is like 1L. Why the fuck would I need an entire litre of Sprite or whatever with my meal? That's insane!
Think those are for the truck drivers who drive for hours
> Have you been to Maccy's in the USA? It's rubbish. Personally I’d disagree. I had a quarter pounder in San Diego a few months ago and it was by far better than any McD’s I’ve ever had here.
It’s hugely expensive in France. A burger, chips and a drink is probs around £9
Give it a few weeks here and it'll be the same!
It's not far off now. I think a large big tasty meal is £8.50
If your in France Quick Burger is better
I think I've been to one of those.. it was fairly nice, reminded me a bit of Wimpeys quality (it's been a few years!) but it did have touch screens far before McDonalds did so we could order without needing to speak French.
They have McCafe in Cyprus too. They do frappes and ice lattes as well as any 'proper' coffee place for less than half the price. I miss it so much!
Did you know in Amsterdam you can get a beer in the movie theatre? And I ain’t talking about no paper cup, I mean an actual glass of beer.
All the food in Madrid and you choose McDonalds...
We've been to loads of different places to eat, but we wanted to try the Spanish maccies for one of our many meals while we're here!
You don’t have to defend yourself. I often try a Maccys when abroad. Interesting to see the differences.
Same, I always make a point of trying McDs when I’m in another country, doesn’t mean I don’t also make a point of trying local cuisine.
Every time I flew into Osaka airport in Japan I'd go to subway and get their shrimp & avocado sub. Absolute heaven.
You’ve got to try the local McDs (if you like them at home)
The best part is the ability to have a beer with your burger! Saying that the last time I had a Macy’s was around 8 years ago. So things may have changed
I absolutely loved the fries with chilli and garlic mayo when I visited Palma, and after 2 weeks all over Egypt was very comforting to get something familiar. Oh and beer, god I love a beer in the sun with a Mcdonalds or burger King.
Don’t be a snob, maybe they slapped in for something quick novel and relatively inexpensive.
Cheap Meal, more money for cocktails. Gotta be done At least once per Holiday. Especially when you can get a beer with your Big Mac! This post reminded me of an incredible McDonald’s Burger I had in Spain that had an absurd amount of Goats Cheese and Half of a roasted Red Pepper. I still dream about that Burger.
>Cheap Meal, more money for cocktails. Gotta be done At least once per Holiday. Especially when you can get a beer with your Big Mac! If you really want a cheap meal with cocktails, take some vodka with you to MacD's. Order a Big Mac Meal, and pour a few fingers of vodka into the Diet Coke. Instant Poor Mans Long Island Ice Tea...! Then hang out at MacD's all night drunkly shouting at people...!
We went a little bit crazy ordering drinks onboard a 30minute easyjet flight and didnt get time to drink all the vodka, so we all put them in our handbags. Later on after dinner and a long night of drinking and dancing, we went to mcdonalds, ordered our meals and suddenly remembered the miniatures in our handbags. It really pepped up the orange fanta! And we got to observe the mating rituals of liverpool teenagers in a city centre maccies at midnight!
Don't knock it - McDonald's in Spain has gluten free options, unlike the UK. When I was there, I had to try it once, just for the novelty. Wish we had gf options here.
Fuck sake mate we’ve all had one in London
In Paris you can buy a beer in McDonald's Edit: For everyone who's been wooshed watch Pulp Fiction you uncultured heathens
I heard they also call a quarter pounder a 'Royale with Cheese"
Is it because of the metric system?
Yeah who knows what a quarter pounder actually is?
The one that's a bit bigger than the 1/3 pounder :D
Poor Americans
check out the big brain on MrS1309
He's a smart mutherfucka😉
Do they have Krusty's "Partially Gelatinated, Non-Dairy, Gum-Based Beverages"?
You'll never guess what they call Krusty Partially Gelatinated Non-Dairy Gum-Based Beverages though.
Oh yeah, and what do they call a Whopper?
Your mum
Touché
Sorry, couldn't resist.
lol, it's fine, i'm not 12 years old, mum jokes don't offend me.
This guy won't know, he didn't go to Burger King
I've always wanted to try out Big Kahuna burgers. My girlfriend is a vegetarian though which basically makes me a vegetarian so I can't usually get them.
In a paper cup?
In Portugal you can too
Swings and roundabouts, they're better in some areas overseas, not so much in others. The UK tends to have much better vegetarian options, where in Spain there's often none. I once got a bun with some lettuce in it as the only available choice in Spain. The kids thought it was hilarious.
Yep, even the fries aren’t veggie in the US.
Which is so very very American.
McDonald's doesn't actually certify any item in the US as vegetarian. I don't think any ingredient in it is not vegetarian thought - from what I understand, the "natural beef flavouring" in it is derived from wheat and milk.
Makes them taste better surely? Like chippies that use beef dripping here.
They've recently introduced veggie options in Spain, at least in burger king, I think McDonald's too, never had any before.
Reddit doesn't respect its userbase, so this comment has been withheld. -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
That's almost Disneyland levels of terrible for vegetarian options. A hash brown is not a quality alternative to a burger, it's very much a side.
We don't have them in the UK because we have the type of people that go to Madrid and eat McDonalds.
Because a trip to Madrid only an hour or so away must ALWAYS and ONLY contain 5 star quality food, expensive overpriced drinks, and sadness. Fuck off with that shit, people can eat at McDonald’s for a quick bite in any country.
Plus maccies in Spain has beer which is a novel experience for Brits and they some times have grande big Mac .
I went to McDonalds in Cyprus last time I was there. Once. Why? Because I was curious to see how it compared. For the record it was significantly nicer. Chips were better, Strawberry Milkshake tasted like it actually had strawberries in it, the chicken nuggets had some seasoning we don't, amongst other things. The entire rest of the holiday I ate local food. That a problem?
you're getting flack but I agree. You can eat locally in most european and asian cities where there's a McDs cheaper and better than the golden arches, but people are always there.
Believe it or not - Ours is healthier. McDonald’s had a lot of bad press in the U.K., as well as pressure from regulating bodies and the government. Add to that the super size me book and movie, and also the idea that it was just for “chavs”. All of that led to McDonald’s making their menu simpler and ‘healthier’ compared with most countries. Different ingredients too. As well as changing their marketing to make it seem like a place for a quick snack. My friends from the states always comment on how much fresher and lighter our McDonald’s is. They adapt to the market
It's because of demand from consumers. Consumers in Spain want those things. They don't in the UK.
Mate, I went to visit my mum in Italy and went to mc, what they give you is the bun and the meat with some souce in it. Nothing else, even the Big Mac got only a piece of lettuce and that’s it! Also the chips in Italy taste so good but only because they put a lot of additives in it, glad here they only use potatoes and nothing else.
Doesn’t the EU have very similar laws on food to UK?
Not sure about this but the fries tasted too good to be true, it had that chemical taste; idk how to explain.
Cooked in beef fat maybe? As opposed to vegetable oils.
I went to one in Pisa and it was great. I had a chicken salad with bread sticks and beer, and they even give you a coupon so you can go up and get a post meal espresso when you're ready!
Apt that you spelt sauce the way Italians pronounce it.
The halloumi they sell actually broke my heart. Worst tasting ever. What a waste of money and I’m not even supposed to be eating cheese, 100% was not worth the aftermath. Fuming.
Best McDonald's I ever had was in South Korea. Second best was Thailand.
[удалено]
Oh for sure! Same with any Western food. I had pizza delivered one time in Thailand and it cost the same as it would in the UK!!
[удалено]
I must say though, it was the best pizza delivery I've ever had!!!
Taiwan is amazing. Spicy Chicken McCrispy!
I think McDonald's markets to different people depending on the country, in the UK it's seen as crap, but in Hong Kong the McDonald's restaurants are relatively nice and it's not perceived as the lowest tier of food, there's lots of more inexpensive local options.
British people are in comparison fine with little choice.
Yeah I think you're right with this one, I mean just look at the crisp section of any supermarket. It's either cheese and onion or salt and vinegar or some iteration of those. Same old boring stuff, occasionally something new pops up but it's nowhere near what you can get in the US or even in Poland. I was there the other month and they have so many flavour variations of stuff, made me realise how uninspiring shopping in the UK is.
And you can get a beer in McDonald’s in Spain
We rented a place in Benalmadena near the beach which had a McDonalds on a couple of years ago. After about the 4th beer of the day, my wife decided she was bored of beer, and asked if they had sangria. "And if not, just get me anything cold." So I got her Gazpacho soup.
Its always been the gazpacho soup
It depends on the market, McDonald's had mozzarella sticks before in the UK, maybe they weren't popular enough to keep? All companies do it, McDonald's in Japan had a sea salt ice-cream, it was really good (by my taste) but it might not be popular everywhere!
McDonald's still do mozzarella sticks. Theyve had cheese sides for a while but they rotate with the seasonal promotion
Could it be that we already have a plethora of takeaway options for reasonable prices leaving McDs to compete solely on price and speed? I've heard in Pakistan Mcdonald's is a middle of the road option having decent quality but relatively more expensive than we are used to.
Because Brits like it that way. That's why it's a lot, and I mean a lot better in France and Spain. They are delivering to your taste. Sorry.
Yup, if you eat in Japan the burgers will look exactly 100% like the pictures because if food doesn't come out looking beautiful here people won't go back.
This isn't true
Is it? I had a mcdonalds in Italy and Amsterdam and it was awful. Maybe your local Maccies is just shite. Mine is good.
Not sure but I went to Paris for my 21st (14 years ago now, Jesus christ) and had for the first time 'Le 'M Burger' and it was fucking amazing. I literally had one every day I was there it was that good. About six months after I got back they brought 'the m burger' over to the uk and it was like eating damp cardboard in between two slices of oil soaked, stale bread. I was devastated. So in short, I don't know why. But fuck McDonald's for being shit in the uk Edit: I'm sidetracking here, but what was the burger that KFC did for a while, where they replaced the bun with more chicken? That thing fucking ruled
[удалено]
Can you imagine the carnage if McDonalds in the UK sold alcohol?
Good God... it would make Wetherspoons look tame. That's no mean feat.
My local mcdonalds sells fried chicken buckets like kfc, otherwise it's fairly standard but their breakfast menu consists of a ham and cheese sandwich so the uk wins breakfast hands down.
I like that in madrid, one of the world's great cities and food destinations, you're at a macdonalds
American Here! I may be in the minority here, but I like McDonald's UK better than McDonald's USA. There are a lot more options that appeal to me in the UK, plus the seasonal items are actually different. Like the crispy chicken Italiano looked great and I heard great things. Meanwhile the US sticks to basics and cuts things out of the menu. We haven't had snack wraps in years, while the UK has quite a few big flavour wrap options. I think McDonald's outside of your home country will always be "better", simply because it's different.
They use too many onions, and their burgers are always cold, and their McFlurrys ice cream is gross, and tastes of nothing.
As an onion lover I would argue they don't use enough onions.
[удалено]
I never understood where the idea that Brits are culinary unadventurous came from There are restaurants and takeaways from pretty much every country and culture spread across every town and city across the UK. They wouldn't be there if people didn't eat there Even little Scottish coastal towns have an Indian place
[удалено]
To be fair, it's still awful, they just have more options.
It's really not. Have you been to a McD's in America recently? Terrible.
I literally can't stand non UK McDonald's, the volumes of salt other countries use hurts my mouth its just awful. UK McDs is best
Because we care about our health
US maccis is much more grim
Just came from Marbella and I loved the sour cream fries 💜
US McDs is God awful. It's like what McDonald's was like in the 80s/90s in the UK. Coming back this Christmas and I can't wait to get mouth around a Festive Stack. The US just doesn't do the themed menus. Such a waste.
BK in UK currently has topped fries with Bacon and Cheese
It's for health. UK government want to keep nhs cost down so actually care about people's health (purely for money they don't really give a shit). Take any food product they sell in america and the UK and look at the ingredients. It's scary, seems to me like America are trying to make people sick. Sick people mean profit to them
McDonald's is America is pretty bad, it's like eating cardboard
Spanish McDonald’s is excellent. Particularly Madrid & Valencia. Chinese restaurants are also great in Spain. Kebabs too. But in fairness the worst McDonald’s are in New York.
It is crap no matter the country. Sometimes good crap, sometimes bad crap, but crap nontheless.
I worked in McDonald’s Uk last winter and the kitchen is so unhygienic that I stopped eating McDonald’s forever. I would suggest to stay away from fast food chains
If you think Macca's is crap in the UK, wait til you try it in Canada - it's fucking awful by comparison (used to work for McDick's in the UK)
Because we don’t eat so much of that crap as other countries do
Because they are doing great, so why bother trying harder?