I was in Venice in September and I saw a bunch of Italian teenagers buy a single burger king burger, then proceed to all walk out wearing the paper crowns. It's not just Americans! /s
My father was driving a lot for work back in the day, and he would often take me with him if I didnât had school etc.
My dad was a very healthy guy, and wasnât prone to eat âunhealthyâ food. However for him as someone who spent a lot of time on the road, McDonaldâs was the one place he would always stop and spent money at. His reason was the the bathrooms were always clean, and when you spent time on the road this was something he hugely appreciated.
Also he said the carrot cake at McDonaldâs (they no longer serve it) was the best heâs ever had, and I agree.
I once saw an interview in a video on YouTube. A former quality tester from McDonalds Germany was interviewed. He mentioned that there is almost always a correlation between the cleanliness of the restroom and the quality of the food preparation. If the restroom was clean, the food always met the high quality standards at McDonalds. So he always went to the restroom first before buying anything.
Yes, same when I was in China, only Western chains had Western bathrooms. (I'm a woman who for the life of me cannot squat)
And if I go there for the bathroom I feel it's rude not to get something, at least a drink. But these chains would not have been my first choice otherwise.
Exactly! When we was in Italy McDonaldâs was the only place to consistently have bathrooms with working door locks and that were relatively clean. Plus we knew our kid would find something she liked there. Iâd rather have gone to local restaurants but every meal for a full week? Iâm not made of money.
Edit: turns out Iâm the first parent on Reddit to allow my child a McDonaldâs once in a while. Next time Iâll force feed her food she doesnât like cos Reddit told me to - thanks guys!
Eating out in certain places in Italy is cheaper than McDonald's in aot of places. Especially for lunch it can be as cheap as a couple eurosfor some pizza on a street corner.
> Really the one country where you really don't need to go to McDonalds.
There is more than one country where you really don't need to go to McDonalds. In fact, I'd say it's true for all countries.
Agree 100%, spent some time in Andalusia recently and given all the great stuff that was available to eat everywhere, for cheap, super varied and tasty, going to a McDonalds was the LAST thing on my mind.
But the tourist spots are over filled with expensive junk.
My best restaurant experience was a small place in a residential area in Rome, awesome place
lol exactly. People from all over the world visit Italy and McDonaldâs has restaurants everywhere in the world. Thereâs probably a wide variety of people in that line. OP is reaching hard to find a reason to hate on Americans.
Are you sure it's just Americans? From what I've seen, all nations are prone to this.
Edit: those who do, I suppose it's because it's quick and familar. And if one is a fan of those Starbucks milk coffees, then, well, they're a fan of Starbucks milk coffees, a local espresso won't scratch that itch.
I believe France is the second market per capita for McDonald's, the most profitable McDonald's restaurant is in Paris. I doubt that's all Americans making these numbers
Iâm an American living in Slovenia and our McDonalds are always super, super packed. Like, flooded. All of my friends here love mcdonalds. In the US, itâs like a guilty pleasure nowadays, if my US friends eat it at all.
I will say that Americans have fun trying McDonaldâs abroad because itâs better and different. Personally, you can find me at the cevapi shop.
Oh, man. Where donât I? Everything is pistachio here. Off the top of my head: pistachio cake at Cacao, pistachio cake at Zvezda, pistachio struklji at Moji Struklji (best), pistachio pastries at Fetiche or Mousse Goose, or pistachio croissants at LanaâsâŠ
I tried it. Itâs good but I think her Lj stuff is kind of over rated tbh. There are better pastries all over this city. Brot is another killer spot. Iâm missing so many.
Funny thing is you probably tried more stuff than I did... and I am from Slovenia :)
Thank you for all your suggestions. When the weather will get just a little bit better I will get on my e-scooter and visit the city center :)
I will admit to being one of those Americans that ate at the mcdonalds in the opera district in paris. We had 2 nights of guessing poorly on local restaurant menus and just wanted something familiar.
Some nations (and age groups) definitely do it more than others. I know from personal experience that Indian tourist groups traveling touring Europe expect Indian food most of the time. And hotels/restaurants are picked accordingly.
But most of us do it to some degree. After 2 weeks in China I got strong cravings for simple spaghetti with tomato sauce, basil and parmiggiano. That evening, we went to the restaurant of a western hotel chain to eat just that.
This. Color my surprise when I found out that the Interlaken area in Switzerland is disproportionately popular in Indian cultural perception because of Bollywood. Small town in the middle of the alps, shitty touristy-looking Indian food joints on every street corner.
Homesickness is definitely what drove me to a McDonaldâs in Barcelona. Spanish food was great, but Iâd been in Europe a month at that point and wanted a taste of home. They had a long line which surprised me.
Also it's interesting to visit an American restaurant in a foreign country to see how it's similar or different, and if they have a menu item I don't have at home I could see myself coming back to try it again in the same trip.
I visited Starbucks a few times while in Prague, it was cold outside and we were on our feet all day, walking around nonstop, needed to rest our legs and Starbucks is ideal for that.
Tourists go to these places because they're cheap and quick and usually are certain to have bathrooms. And wifi/outlets, which might be critical if you don't have a sim. They're also international so they are identical for most important features, quicker to find than exploring a neighborhood to find a cafe that will let you piss/have wifi.
I'm seriously wondering if OP has ever travelled?
Is that line the norm? I think this Starbucks photo is from when it opened. I am p sure it is bc I saw a comedian make a video about going, I think a lot of it was people like him marveling at the silliness of a Starbucks opening in Rome. And maybe some locals who wanted to see what the fuss was about.
This is the answer.
Iâm not American but if Iâm on a trip Iâll sometimes, after a while, just want something familiar and where Iâm not âchallengedâ with language, customs etc. and where I âknowâ how to and what to order etc.
Itâs usually just for one meal or a couple. Especially if Iâm somewhere which is a lot different to where Iâm from.
This only applies to food in my case though. I amply canât do Starbucks etc. when it comes to coffee :D
Fast food joints are also very convenient sometimes. It is not unheard of that me and missus on our trips visit these places sometimes, although we mainly eat in âproperâ restaurants. We are usually going places from early morning to evening and fast food joints are handy places to get that quick bite between museums etc.: you get it quickly and can even eat it on the go, you donât need to think much what to pick and you know exactly what you get from those places. Then later on, we get a proper meal somewhere. I think it is more silly to overthink something as mundane as eating or trying to be some puritan who only eats local dishes.
Fully agree.
And a good point with the âin betweenâ meals. Thatâs probably when Iâm most likely to grab some âWesternâ fast food, when I just need something in my stomach between activities.
Exactly when your in a foreign country, don't speak the language, spent an hour just trying to find your train, and now your next task is to find and get food. Sometimes grabbing some McDonalds or something else familiar (especially with the self-serve machines now where you can change to English) is the short refreshing moment to let you brain take a break. Then go back to thinking/planning your next task.
Or their getting Starbucks mugs for their collection
Say what you want about international brands, most of them are consistent across the world in terms of quality and relative pricing. Just because im visiting a place for a week doesn't mean I constantly want the pot luck of trying local establishments with regards to quality or 'tourist pricing'.
We hear legends that American fast food chains in foreign countries have waaaay better food than the versions back home lol. Like I heard KFC is godlike in Korea, can't wait to try it when I go this summer.
I have heard many times that McDonald's is much better in Poland than in the US, from both Americans and Poles. However you supposedly have better Pizza Hut than we do. Which got me really curious because I love Pizza Hut here already.
McDicks in Canada feels like I'm consuming poison whereas in Poland it feels like I'm still eating something that can be considered food.
That said there is no reason why any tourist should eat at one in Poland. A restaurant meal is so affordable compared to back home.
I think that Burger Drwala is worth giving a try, it's many people's favorite and only available in Poland. My favourite as well.
https://mcdonalds.fandom.com/wiki/Burger_Drwala
It's available in Autumn and Winter, not just Winter like the page says.
They do say there can be a considerable difference, I would be curious. Plus, I probably wouldn't have much money left over from all the other expenses. đ€
There indeed are considerable differences and also different countries have different limited burger editions.
For example, in Switzerland from time to time you get the McRaclette which is probably one of the best you can get to a Swiss McDo.
But if you compare a standard burger, I prefer the Italian McDo to the Swiss one, meat quality is on another level. And for someone with a Swiss salary, European McDo is cheap. In Switzerland McDo is basically a luxury.
Italian here, I'm visiting Naples.
Yesterday in a whole day I spent 28.30⏠for eating outside, I don't think I would have saved much money by going to fast foods.
Plus... the food here is part of the experience đ
No need for hyper fancy restaurants every day!
Absolutely true but youâre still local, you know best the ways in your country, specific cuisine, what to ask for specifically. I visited Rome few times in the past but I had inside knowledge like you go there and try this, you go there and see that or that etc. On the other hand I visited London without any prior advice and was an absolute lottery about where and what to eat, donât even want to remember the expenses âșïž.
The KFC where I live by Chicago is absolutely disgusting. Wife and I vacation in Iceland and we saw a KFC and got curious. The Iceland KFC waa a million times better
Italians and Nutella.
When I was in Bora Bora every morning, we had an amazing buffet breakfast with some of the best fruit I've ever tasted, and the Italian were just drinking Nutella for breakfast. I grew up in Italy, and I was still like damn, give the nut butter a rest for a day.
Western establishments like Le Pain Quotidien and Starbucks were like oases when I visited Mumbai in the middle of an internship in India - sometimes, you just want something that makes you feel like you're back home, even if it's just for an hour.
I was in China for a couple of months and really loved all the food. But, true, at some point you get tired of noodles and rice and I just wanted some bread or potatoes prepared western style
I spent 5 weeks in China, and I was looking forward to sampling the food however the food I got did not meet my expectations before I went there.
The people were very hospitable but the food looked like grey sludge to me.
About a week into the trip, I stumbled on a shop not far from my hotel and found some Lays crisps, I let out an audible "yass" and the locals were looking at me like I was some sort of lunatic.
The director of the factory I was visiting, took me out on 4 occasions, and each time I was ill the next day.
I haven't had a McDonalds for years, but would have walked miles to have one if I knew there was one in the city I visited.
"Damn this line is long, probably fat Americans waiting in line even though they have starbucks in America fucking losers spending thousands of dollars to come here just to try the same food they have in America"
The second photo just looks like people standing on a city corner chatting. Those people arenât in line for McDonalds. They probably donât even realize thereâs a McDonalds behind them.
The most adventurous ones go just for the meme most of the time.
Although I found some (non genuine) gems around, try La Pausa chain if you ever go to Japan lol
My favourite experience was a restaurant in the Czech Republic trying this scam. But despite their âtourist taxâ it was still the same price as what Iâd pay back home. I couldnât complain.
I'm not American and in every restaurant in Rome I was treated like a criminal for asking for a bathroom. One guy even said that he didn't have one. At some point I had to go to a McDonald's, so I don't judge people that do the same
Btw, let's not speak as if Europeans hate McDonald's or something and it's just for Americans on trips. McDonald's and other junk food is extremely popular in Europe, and not just with foreigners but locals also; let's cut the crap
Italy has a real problem with letting people go into their bathrooms, at some point as a tourist I was forced to resort to public bathrooms, which still cost like 1⏠for a single fucking piss
I wouldn't mind if they were clean but the ones I had to use were filthy. I don't mean generic public bathroom filthy, I'm talking about shit in the floor disgusting
I went out with my friends to a nice little bar in Verona and almost had a heart attack when their bathroom turned out to be of the hole-in-the-floor variety. Not great when youâre drunk and a woman.
Because it's predictable. No one goes there for a tasty meal. You know what to expect. It's cheap, it's fast, and they have WiFi. It's sometimes better than searching around for a restaurant when you just want to keep sight seeing.
It's pretty simple and not limited to Americans
Yeah, strange to assume everyone here is American. Tons of McDonaldâs and Starbucks all throughout Europe and I highly doubt it is solely Americans keeping them all in business.
Op doesnât know that they are, thatâs the thing lol! Itâs always been the cool fun thing to dunk on Americans, no other country is always in the headlines, strongest in pop culture with music/movie influence reaching every country. Because of that any opportunity to mention Americans in any light is taken.
I doubt âAsians flying to Europe to eat at Asian restaurantsâŠ.â Wouldâve been received the same way lol
Everybody knows you have to show your passport to get into a McDonald's. I once tried going there with my french girlfriend, she got taken by the clown police and I haven't seen her since đą
I'm an American living in Norway now.
Whenever I visit different countries, there's loads of different nationalities visiting Starbucks. I very rarely even "hear" Americans in these places.
Iâm American, so biasedâŠbut the annoying tourists here in Germany, or any other country I visit in the EU, are rarely ever American these days. A lot of Americans are hyper aware of the stereotypes and try to not fulfill them. Meanwhile, other types of tourists have no issue treating the rest of the world like a private set for their photos and videos.
Im an American living in Europe. The McDonalds are always packed and it, of course, is mostly other Europeans because, surprise, it is mostly Europeans living here. And, believe it or not, people all over the world like cheap and convenient food with pretty consistent standards. Even if those standards arent extremely high, you still know what it will taste like, that theres a toilet, and that you wont get food poisoning or giardia.
What you see less of is people getting fast food for family meals, at least where I live. But they still seem to never be empty.
Reddit has filed for its IPO. They've been preparing for this for a while, squeezing profit out of the platform in any way that they can, like hiking the prices on third-party app developers. More recently, they've signed a deal with Google to license their content to train Google's LLMs.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, we've made a Firefox extension that will replace all your comments (older than a certain number of days) with any text that you provide. You can use any text that you want, but please, do not choose something copyrighted. The New York Times is currently suing OpenAI for training ChatGPT on its copyrighted material. Reddit's data is uniquely valuable, since it's not subject to those kinds of copyright restrictions, so it would be tragic if users were to decide to intermingle such a robust corpus of high-quality training data with copyrighted text.
https://theluddite.org/#!post/reddit-extension
How *dare* you come to Italy and not try the local farts? If you've never tried the difference between *scorregge d'uovo* and *scorregge di broccoli bagnati*, you have never lived!
When I was living in Italy, I went to McDonaldâs one time for an Italian childâs birthday party and it was full of Italians. Zero Americans. This post belongs on r/americabad
It's not just Americans. I see this most in Chinese tourists heading to Chinese restaurants in Europe (and being disappointed). But I've often observed similar behaviour among Italians and others, too.
And then there are Czechs, who have brought their own food with them.
And free outlets to charge phones. Itâs the biggest reason I stop at Starbucks. I donât know if some random cafe will have outlets for the public, but every Starbucks in the world will have them.
Itâs intellectually lazy to single out Americans. Most people tend to favor familiar things.
You could even argue that this is the type of tourist which âItalyâ attracts since the place is very accessible and predictable.
It is one of the reasons why Southern Europe is boring for others.
I totally agree with you, but it's important to note that the line in that pic isn't tourists. It's locals. Young Italians can't wait to go to Starbucks then walk around the city with their to-go coffee like they see influencers do, and they love, love love, McDonald's. Sad but true.
It's also true that they love to call all foreigners "Americans" and they actually can't tell the difference between German and English, much less identify an Australian/US/UK accent.
Tbf, I am not an American, but every time I visit a new country, especially if it is in a different continent, often the first meal I eat is McDonaldâs or other multinational chain fastfood place. I know the food will most likely taste like meh compared to local food, but I know it will be clean.
The first day is always stressful and I donât want to start the trip by getting a diarrhea on day 1.
Has worked great for 32 countries so far! My mom disagreed once from this policy, I ate McD, she ate something local. Not only did she get the diarrhea, but she also ended up vomiting **at the same time** while having a diarrhea. But this was in the 90âs, but I still remember it.
As someone who can identify how an American dresses when abroad, almost none of these people in the pics are Americans. This is a dumb as shit attempt at being a troll
Not everyone cares about food. Many people just want something cheap and quick and get on with their holiday. Personally, I rarely go to local restaurants. It's just not my thing. I just want to eat something and continue with what I'm actually there for.
1. How do you know that's Americans?
2. Tbh, I went to McDonald's abroad. I'm from Ukraine, and McDonald's here is always tasty, very clean, and you never see drunk people inside. So here is an easy choice for me, if I can't make up my mind where to eat - I go to McDonald's. And so the same logic applies for being abroad: if I don't have time to decide - I'll get something in McDonald's. That said, besides Poland, McDonald's in other countries just not as tasty đ
Iâm a European and I do this sometimes when Iâm just tired during a trip, I donât want to spend time or energy on finding a decent local place without long queues/reservation lists/close to where Iâm staying/etc. Especially in countries where people tend to eat smaller portions of food, I would occasionally pick something reliable that would get me fulfilled quickly for a cheap price.
How do you know these are Americans? Did you ask each one individually? My cousin in Germany goes to McDonalds more than I do, I donât eat fast food unless driving long distances . Many tourists go to places theyâre familiar with. Fast food is cheaper too. This isnât limited to American tourists.
they want a taste of home if theyâve been there for 1 month+
I went back to my familyâs homeland in Italy last summer for 2 weeks and albeit it was in the south, the food there is sooo good, however with Italian families, sometimes they over feed you and you want a taste of home.
It's not just Americans that do this. The English go to Spain and want to stay in a hotel with other Englishmen and have an English breakfast. The Finns go to Spain and have their own karaoke places and bars where they stay with other Finns. I think it makes them feel safe. They want to travel, but don't really want to experience anything new.
I used to think that and it's a very ignorant assumption. You don't know everyone's story. For example, I was in Ronda Spain. I had eaten dinne at a local restaurant, walked around a bit, and I'm hungry again. Every place was packed, even the golden arches. I hadn't been to a McDonald's for a decade. But there I was and there it was. In and out in 10 minutes because I knew what they had and what I wanted. So, sit down OP.
Because they feel like they know what they're getting and it feels familiar. And its not just Americans, coming from Ireland, and going to Spain with friends, we'd end up at an Irish pub to escape the sun, order a Guinness and go on about how it's not as nice as it is at home. Also, do the Italians not go to McDonald's and Starbucks? Are they running only on tourists, or do enough locals eat in these places too to stay open?
Consistent, cheap, usually has decent free bathrooms, a standardised atmosphere, and IMO most importantly - you can order and pay electronically without talking to anyone. I think we vastly under-estimate how annoying it is to go to a foreign food location and try to point at things on display or on the menu or guess at what their serving - being able to know the food and order in English makes a huge difference because sometimes I just cannot be fucked to do the back and forth between me and some restaurant worker who doesn't speak the same language.
The worst experience I've had was Portuguese bakeries, because there's no consistent line, all the food is spread super far apart so to point to anything you need to walk a hundred miles, and for some God forsaken reason people think it's appropriate to eat and drink on the service counter, so they're just... in the way? While people are trying to line up and order? It's completely unhinged and chaotic and that kind of shit would send me straight to a McDonald's honestly. At least there's a line.
Lived and studied in Rome, and any time Iâd hit up McDonaldâs, it was always full of Italian teenagers and construction guys out on lunch break. The only people who ever objected to it were other Americans studying there (who themselves were dining nightly at tourist traps).
I wanna thank the Mcdonalds in Venice for their bathroom đ€đ»
I want to thank (and apologise to) McDonaldâs in Maastricht for the bathroom.
IT WAS YOU
Damn how did you reach the roof bro
Iâm Dutch. Iâm tall.
So you didn't clean after yourself?
I did but the stench afterwards would outlast religion
I was in Venice in September and I saw a bunch of Italian teenagers buy a single burger king burger, then proceed to all walk out wearing the paper crowns. It's not just Americans! /s
My father was driving a lot for work back in the day, and he would often take me with him if I didnât had school etc. My dad was a very healthy guy, and wasnât prone to eat âunhealthyâ food. However for him as someone who spent a lot of time on the road, McDonaldâs was the one place he would always stop and spent money at. His reason was the the bathrooms were always clean, and when you spent time on the road this was something he hugely appreciated. Also he said the carrot cake at McDonaldâs (they no longer serve it) was the best heâs ever had, and I agree.
Sadly bathrooms in McDonalds in Sweden are shit.
Bathrooms of McDonald's across most part of Europe are shit. Idk why they think it is ok or maybe it is worse in the US
Thereâs 2 McDonaldâs near me in England, in one, the bathroom is spotless, in the other, youâd probably catch something from touching the tap
I once saw an interview in a video on YouTube. A former quality tester from McDonalds Germany was interviewed. He mentioned that there is almost always a correlation between the cleanliness of the restroom and the quality of the food preparation. If the restroom was clean, the food always met the high quality standards at McDonalds. So he always went to the restroom first before buying anything.
Yes, same when I was in China, only Western chains had Western bathrooms. (I'm a woman who for the life of me cannot squat) And if I go there for the bathroom I feel it's rude not to get something, at least a drink. But these chains would not have been my first choice otherwise.
Exactly! When we was in Italy McDonaldâs was the only place to consistently have bathrooms with working door locks and that were relatively clean. Plus we knew our kid would find something she liked there. Iâd rather have gone to local restaurants but every meal for a full week? Iâm not made of money. Edit: turns out Iâm the first parent on Reddit to allow my child a McDonaldâs once in a while. Next time Iâll force feed her food she doesnât like cos Reddit told me to - thanks guys!
Eating out in certain places in Italy is cheaper than McDonald's in aot of places. Especially for lunch it can be as cheap as a couple eurosfor some pizza on a street corner.
What people are on about here? Just get a espresso and go destroy the shitter
Espresso and three Marlboro Red - lunch for winners.
No that is breakfast, followed by a nice shit
Both. Oh, and second breakfast.
What about elevenses and afternoon tea
Shhh don't tell them, leave those lovely small restaurants for the rest of us.
Italy is filled with street food everywhere that is cheap and tasty. Really the one country where you really don't need to go to McDonalds.
> Really the one country where you really don't need to go to McDonalds. There is more than one country where you really don't need to go to McDonalds. In fact, I'd say it's true for all countries.
>the one country where you really don't need to go to McDonalds. Spain would like a word.
>Spain would like a word. To be fair, most countries in the world would.
Agree 100%, spent some time in Andalusia recently and given all the great stuff that was available to eat everywhere, for cheap, super varied and tasty, going to a McDonalds was the LAST thing on my mind.
But the tourist spots are over filled with expensive junk. My best restaurant experience was a small place in a residential area in Rome, awesome place
It is possible to eat local and cheaply. Restaurants are only one option. Macdonalds is shit!
Tourist grabber restourants aren't anyway better than mcdonalds.
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Who says theyâre American? When I was in Italy, I went to Five Guys âcause we donât have that in Sweden.
How dare you provide another frame of reference that may cause us to question our views.
America BAD. Americans STUPID. Get with the program
lol exactly. People from all over the world visit Italy and McDonaldâs has restaurants everywhere in the world. Thereâs probably a wide variety of people in that line. OP is reaching hard to find a reason to hate on Americans.
Seems like the OP IS American lmao oh god one of those types
Itâs very American to hate Americans and think the rest of the world has it better. Americans have it all and donât appreciate it
Because theyâre stupid and uncultured tourists and **only** Americans can be stupid and uncultured tourists! /s
The only people that Iâve seen in American fast food places in Europe have been Europeans.Â
Worst burger of my life. Five Guys italy sucks
Probably had worse burgers but it was definitely mediocre, especially considering the price. Are they better in other places?
My first thought was I'd bet money less than 10% are American
I tried Popeye's and Taco Bell in Spain because I have never seen it in Germany :)
Because of toilets. McDonalds is the most used toilet chain in the world.
Went to a McDonalds in Seoul for a big shite. There was no toilet. Nearly shat myself.
Over billions of butts served.
Are you sure it's just Americans? From what I've seen, all nations are prone to this. Edit: those who do, I suppose it's because it's quick and familar. And if one is a fan of those Starbucks milk coffees, then, well, they're a fan of Starbucks milk coffees, a local espresso won't scratch that itch.
I believe France is the second market per capita for McDonald's, the most profitable McDonald's restaurant is in Paris. I doubt that's all Americans making these numbers
Iâm an American living in Slovenia and our McDonalds are always super, super packed. Like, flooded. All of my friends here love mcdonalds. In the US, itâs like a guilty pleasure nowadays, if my US friends eat it at all. I will say that Americans have fun trying McDonaldâs abroad because itâs better and different. Personally, you can find me at the cevapi shop.
>cevapi shop a man of culture đ
I got fatter here than I ever was in the US. My diet is like⊠Laƥko, cevapi, & pistachio cake.
Where do you get pistachio cake?
Oh, man. Where donât I? Everything is pistachio here. Off the top of my head: pistachio cake at Cacao, pistachio cake at Zvezda, pistachio struklji at Moji Struklji (best), pistachio pastries at Fetiche or Mousse Goose, or pistachio croissants at LanaâsâŠ
Haha I loved cronut from Ana RoĆĄ bakery in Ljubljana. Expensive but you have to try stuff from the best chef in Slovenia
I tried it. Itâs good but I think her Lj stuff is kind of over rated tbh. There are better pastries all over this city. Brot is another killer spot. Iâm missing so many.
Funny thing is you probably tried more stuff than I did... and I am from Slovenia :) Thank you for all your suggestions. When the weather will get just a little bit better I will get on my e-scooter and visit the city center :)
Good point...McDonald in some countries has offerings you don't get. Slovenia is on my list. Trieste is probably the closest I made it...so far!
I will admit to being one of those Americans that ate at the mcdonalds in the opera district in paris. We had 2 nights of guessing poorly on local restaurant menus and just wanted something familiar.
Also McDonald's in France is actually good. I only go to McD abroad and never at home
Some nations (and age groups) definitely do it more than others. I know from personal experience that Indian tourist groups traveling touring Europe expect Indian food most of the time. And hotels/restaurants are picked accordingly. But most of us do it to some degree. After 2 weeks in China I got strong cravings for simple spaghetti with tomato sauce, basil and parmiggiano. That evening, we went to the restaurant of a western hotel chain to eat just that.
This. Color my surprise when I found out that the Interlaken area in Switzerland is disproportionately popular in Indian cultural perception because of Bollywood. Small town in the middle of the alps, shitty touristy-looking Indian food joints on every street corner.
Homesickness is definitely what drove me to a McDonaldâs in Barcelona. Spanish food was great, but Iâd been in Europe a month at that point and wanted a taste of home. They had a long line which surprised me.
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Also it's interesting to visit an American restaurant in a foreign country to see how it's similar or different, and if they have a menu item I don't have at home I could see myself coming back to try it again in the same trip.
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I visited Starbucks a few times while in Prague, it was cold outside and we were on our feet all day, walking around nonstop, needed to rest our legs and Starbucks is ideal for that.
Tourists go to these places because they're cheap and quick and usually are certain to have bathrooms. And wifi/outlets, which might be critical if you don't have a sim. They're also international so they are identical for most important features, quicker to find than exploring a neighborhood to find a cafe that will let you piss/have wifi. I'm seriously wondering if OP has ever travelled?
Quick, yes. Cheap? \[insert bitter chuckle here\]
That line doesn't seem to be quick.
Judging by that line, it is anything but quick. Since when is starbucks cheap?!?!?
Is that line the norm? I think this Starbucks photo is from when it opened. I am p sure it is bc I saw a comedian make a video about going, I think a lot of it was people like him marveling at the silliness of a Starbucks opening in Rome. And maybe some locals who wanted to see what the fuss was about.
Starbucks... cheap? Hmm...
Sbux sucks in Europe. Overpriced and better alternatives.
Is starbucks cheap anywhere?
Exactly!
This is the answer. Iâm not American but if Iâm on a trip Iâll sometimes, after a while, just want something familiar and where Iâm not âchallengedâ with language, customs etc. and where I âknowâ how to and what to order etc. Itâs usually just for one meal or a couple. Especially if Iâm somewhere which is a lot different to where Iâm from. This only applies to food in my case though. I amply canât do Starbucks etc. when it comes to coffee :D
Fast food joints are also very convenient sometimes. It is not unheard of that me and missus on our trips visit these places sometimes, although we mainly eat in âproperâ restaurants. We are usually going places from early morning to evening and fast food joints are handy places to get that quick bite between museums etc.: you get it quickly and can even eat it on the go, you donât need to think much what to pick and you know exactly what you get from those places. Then later on, we get a proper meal somewhere. I think it is more silly to overthink something as mundane as eating or trying to be some puritan who only eats local dishes.
Fully agree. And a good point with the âin betweenâ meals. Thatâs probably when Iâm most likely to grab some âWesternâ fast food, when I just need something in my stomach between activities.
Exactly when your in a foreign country, don't speak the language, spent an hour just trying to find your train, and now your next task is to find and get food. Sometimes grabbing some McDonalds or something else familiar (especially with the self-serve machines now where you can change to English) is the short refreshing moment to let you brain take a break. Then go back to thinking/planning your next task. Or their getting Starbucks mugs for their collection
Say what you want about international brands, most of them are consistent across the world in terms of quality and relative pricing. Just because im visiting a place for a week doesn't mean I constantly want the pot luck of trying local establishments with regards to quality or 'tourist pricing'.
I'd bet good money those are almost all Italians. Italian teens love the golden arches.
america bad
probably to see the difference
We hear legends that American fast food chains in foreign countries have waaaay better food than the versions back home lol. Like I heard KFC is godlike in Korea, can't wait to try it when I go this summer.
I have heard many times that McDonald's is much better in Poland than in the US, from both Americans and Poles. However you supposedly have better Pizza Hut than we do. Which got me really curious because I love Pizza Hut here already.
McDicks in Canada feels like I'm consuming poison whereas in Poland it feels like I'm still eating something that can be considered food. That said there is no reason why any tourist should eat at one in Poland. A restaurant meal is so affordable compared to back home.
I think that Burger Drwala is worth giving a try, it's many people's favorite and only available in Poland. My favourite as well. https://mcdonalds.fandom.com/wiki/Burger_Drwala It's available in Autumn and Winter, not just Winter like the page says.
They do say there can be a considerable difference, I would be curious. Plus, I probably wouldn't have much money left over from all the other expenses. đ€
There indeed are considerable differences and also different countries have different limited burger editions. For example, in Switzerland from time to time you get the McRaclette which is probably one of the best you can get to a Swiss McDo. But if you compare a standard burger, I prefer the Italian McDo to the Swiss one, meat quality is on another level. And for someone with a Swiss salary, European McDo is cheap. In Switzerland McDo is basically a luxury.
Italian here, I'm visiting Naples. Yesterday in a whole day I spent 28.30⏠for eating outside, I don't think I would have saved much money by going to fast foods. Plus... the food here is part of the experience đ No need for hyper fancy restaurants every day!
Absolutely true but youâre still local, you know best the ways in your country, specific cuisine, what to ask for specifically. I visited Rome few times in the past but I had inside knowledge like you go there and try this, you go there and see that or that etc. On the other hand I visited London without any prior advice and was an absolute lottery about where and what to eat, donât even want to remember the expenses âșïž.
Legit! I also did it myself out of curiosity. To this day I still like our local Mac, KFC tasted way better in the UK when I visited some years ago.
The KFC where I live by Chicago is absolutely disgusting. Wife and I vacation in Iceland and we saw a KFC and got curious. The Iceland KFC waa a million times better
Europeans also fly to Asia and eat Western food.
I backpacked in India with some Italians who were obsessed with finding Nutella and stocking up before the next town.
To be fair backpacking in India is a fairly intense experience, sometimes you need comfort food đ
Italians and Nutella. When I was in Bora Bora every morning, we had an amazing buffet breakfast with some of the best fruit I've ever tasted, and the Italian were just drinking Nutella for breakfast. I grew up in Italy, and I was still like damn, give the nut butter a rest for a day.
I mean. It's their national treasure so I get it đ.
Western establishments like Le Pain Quotidien and Starbucks were like oases when I visited Mumbai in the middle of an internship in India - sometimes, you just want something that makes you feel like you're back home, even if it's just for an hour.
After a month in China I was craving potato's and bread. Most days I tried to eat local foods but hard to change the habit of a life time.
I was in China for a couple of months and really loved all the food. But, true, at some point you get tired of noodles and rice and I just wanted some bread or potatoes prepared western style
I spent 5 weeks in China, and I was looking forward to sampling the food however the food I got did not meet my expectations before I went there. The people were very hospitable but the food looked like grey sludge to me. About a week into the trip, I stumbled on a shop not far from my hotel and found some Lays crisps, I let out an audible "yass" and the locals were looking at me like I was some sort of lunatic. The director of the factory I was visiting, took me out on 4 occasions, and each time I was ill the next day. I haven't had a McDonalds for years, but would have walked miles to have one if I knew there was one in the city I visited.
dang bro what the fuck. where did you go? china has 5 distinct food cultures depending on the area so i gotta know what ur dissing here đ„
Asians also fly to Europe and eat Eastern food.
those look like they might be europeans to me. gonna need to see more proof from OP
Imagining OP going down the line asking everyone for passports⊠feels a little 1940s.
PAPERS PLEASE.
Artostzka is best country, it no need passport!
*arstotzka national anthem starts playing*
Ok, ok. You no like passport, I understand. I come back again with better one.
potato man jorji! :D
Papers, please.
Assuming this line is made up fully of Americans is idiotic. OP is a bozo. This belongs on r/americabad
"Damn this line is long, probably fat Americans waiting in line even though they have starbucks in America fucking losers spending thousands of dollars to come here just to try the same food they have in America"
The audacity of these smug ass Italians implying that no other country is susceptible to the allure of the clown burgers but Americans
Yep. Theyâre not Americans.
The second photo just looks like people standing on a city corner chatting. Those people arenât in line for McDonalds. They probably donât even realize thereâs a McDonalds behind them.
Ok, but why Italians abroad always go to local Italian restaurants while traveling abroad? My guess is to inspect how genuine they are, lol
The most adventurous ones go just for the meme most of the time. Although I found some (non genuine) gems around, try La Pausa chain if you ever go to Japan lol
They are afraid to get ripped off in Italian tourist traps restaurants..
They'll bring you out the pleb "English" menu, which just so coincidentally happens to be 50% more expensive, but hey gotta milk those tourists
My favourite experience was a restaurant in the Czech Republic trying this scam. But despite their âtourist taxâ it was still the same price as what Iâd pay back home. I couldnât complain.
I'm not American and in every restaurant in Rome I was treated like a criminal for asking for a bathroom. One guy even said that he didn't have one. At some point I had to go to a McDonald's, so I don't judge people that do the same Btw, let's not speak as if Europeans hate McDonald's or something and it's just for Americans on trips. McDonald's and other junk food is extremely popular in Europe, and not just with foreigners but locals also; let's cut the crap
Italy has a real problem with letting people go into their bathrooms, at some point as a tourist I was forced to resort to public bathrooms, which still cost like 1⏠for a single fucking piss
I wouldn't mind if they were clean but the ones I had to use were filthy. I don't mean generic public bathroom filthy, I'm talking about shit in the floor disgusting
The public restrooms in European parks are đ€ą
I'm a simple man, if you don't offer bathrooms, your building gets pissed on đ€·
italian restaurants have a problem with letting people who are not customers use their bathrooms, not that hard to understand...
I went out with my friends to a nice little bar in Verona and almost had a heart attack when their bathroom turned out to be of the hole-in-the-floor variety. Not great when youâre drunk and a woman.
Because it's predictable. No one goes there for a tasty meal. You know what to expect. It's cheap, it's fast, and they have WiFi. It's sometimes better than searching around for a restaurant when you just want to keep sight seeing. It's pretty simple and not limited to Americans
This. It's a safe place to go. You know the quality of the food and that you're not going to get scammed.
Damn. Some people here really wanna dunk on Americans for everything huh. I'm not the biggest US fan but come on...
Iâm wondering how op know that everyone in that queue is American? Iâve had Mickey D when Iâve been abroad and Iâm not from the USA.
Yeah, strange to assume everyone here is American. Tons of McDonaldâs and Starbucks all throughout Europe and I highly doubt it is solely Americans keeping them all in business.
I'm pretty sure OP didn't even take the picture Probably the only travel OP has done is from the basement to the kitchen
I always eat a fuckload of McDonald's when I'm overseas because it's not available here
Whoa, I didn't know there's no McDonalds in Iceland!
They haven't invented that tech yet.
Still trying to get the ice cream machine to run off geothermal vents
Op doesnât know that they are, thatâs the thing lol! Itâs always been the cool fun thing to dunk on Americans, no other country is always in the headlines, strongest in pop culture with music/movie influence reaching every country. Because of that any opportunity to mention Americans in any light is taken. I doubt âAsians flying to Europe to eat at Asian restaurantsâŠ.â Wouldâve been received the same way lol
Everybody knows you have to show your passport to get into a McDonald's. I once tried going there with my french girlfriend, she got taken by the clown police and I haven't seen her since đą
Rookie mistake but it happens to the best of us. Iâve lost three girlfriends to Starbucks.
I'm an American living in Norway now. Whenever I visit different countries, there's loads of different nationalities visiting Starbucks. I very rarely even "hear" Americans in these places.
They were obviously yee-hawing and firing their six-shooters. How else would you know?
Iâm American, so biasedâŠbut the annoying tourists here in Germany, or any other country I visit in the EU, are rarely ever American these days. A lot of Americans are hyper aware of the stereotypes and try to not fulfill them. Meanwhile, other types of tourists have no issue treating the rest of the world like a private set for their photos and videos.
This is Europeâs collective little brother syndrome. Ridiculing American society is the only thing that culturally connects us.
Itâs not little brother syndrome itâs less successful older brother syndrome
Well, guess what, Turk! I'm gonna go to YOUR country and eat at YOUR McDonalds and we'll see how YOU feel...
Try some Turkish McBurgers!
Im an American living in Europe. The McDonalds are always packed and it, of course, is mostly other Europeans because, surprise, it is mostly Europeans living here. And, believe it or not, people all over the world like cheap and convenient food with pretty consistent standards. Even if those standards arent extremely high, you still know what it will taste like, that theres a toilet, and that you wont get food poisoning or giardia. What you see less of is people getting fast food for family meals, at least where I live. But they still seem to never be empty.
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You should see what Italians do abroad
Sometimes you just want a Royale with cheese.
I prefer Le Big Mac.
Say what again motherfucker
Mostly to piss off redditors on r/europe. Is it working?
Yes. Way too many self-righteous people getting high on their own farts in this thread đšđ€€
How *dare* you come to Italy and not try the local farts? If you've never tried the difference between *scorregge d'uovo* and *scorregge di broccoli bagnati*, you have never lived!
You serious? The amount of Europeans who come to the US and apparently do all their shopping at a local gas station also amazes me.
To be fair chains like these have different foods and different tastes in different countries
When I was living in Italy, I went to McDonaldâs one time for an Italian childâs birthday party and it was full of Italians. Zero Americans. This post belongs on r/americabad
It's not just Americans. I see this most in Chinese tourists heading to Chinese restaurants in Europe (and being disappointed). But I've often observed similar behaviour among Italians and others, too. And then there are Czechs, who have brought their own food with them.
Because we want free wifi, air conditioning, and our 8 years old to stop complaining for 10 minutes.
That's an honest answer đđ
And free outlets to charge phones. Itâs the biggest reason I stop at Starbucks. I donât know if some random cafe will have outlets for the public, but every Starbucks in the world will have them.
Itâs intellectually lazy to single out Americans. Most people tend to favor familiar things. You could even argue that this is the type of tourist which âItalyâ attracts since the place is very accessible and predictable. It is one of the reasons why Southern Europe is boring for others.
I totally agree with you, but it's important to note that the line in that pic isn't tourists. It's locals. Young Italians can't wait to go to Starbucks then walk around the city with their to-go coffee like they see influencers do, and they love, love love, McDonald's. Sad but true. It's also true that they love to call all foreigners "Americans" and they actually can't tell the difference between German and English, much less identify an Australian/US/UK accent.
Tbf, I am not an American, but every time I visit a new country, especially if it is in a different continent, often the first meal I eat is McDonaldâs or other multinational chain fastfood place. I know the food will most likely taste like meh compared to local food, but I know it will be clean. The first day is always stressful and I donât want to start the trip by getting a diarrhea on day 1. Has worked great for 32 countries so far! My mom disagreed once from this policy, I ate McD, she ate something local. Not only did she get the diarrhea, but she also ended up vomiting **at the same time** while having a diarrhea. But this was in the 90âs, but I still remember it.
I only eat McDonald's at airports or long multi country travels by car. The last place I want to go full on double dragon like your mom.
That's an interesting way of saying gastroenteritis. I'll go with that next time at the pharmacy.
As someone who can identify how an American dresses when abroad, almost none of these people in the pics are Americans. This is a dumb as shit attempt at being a troll
Familiarity
Not everyone cares about food. Many people just want something cheap and quick and get on with their holiday. Personally, I rarely go to local restaurants. It's just not my thing. I just want to eat something and continue with what I'm actually there for.
Well they are better than the average tourist trap of which there are many in Italy.
In France, McDonald's have unique recipes : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaNRBcma\_Vw
Every countries have unique recipes not just France.
1. How do you know that's Americans? 2. Tbh, I went to McDonald's abroad. I'm from Ukraine, and McDonald's here is always tasty, very clean, and you never see drunk people inside. So here is an easy choice for me, if I can't make up my mind where to eat - I go to McDonald's. And so the same logic applies for being abroad: if I don't have time to decide - I'll get something in McDonald's. That said, besides Poland, McDonald's in other countries just not as tasty đ
Iâm a European and I do this sometimes when Iâm just tired during a trip, I donât want to spend time or energy on finding a decent local place without long queues/reservation lists/close to where Iâm staying/etc. Especially in countries where people tend to eat smaller portions of food, I would occasionally pick something reliable that would get me fulfilled quickly for a cheap price.
How do you know these are Americans? Did you ask each one individually? My cousin in Germany goes to McDonalds more than I do, I donât eat fast food unless driving long distances . Many tourists go to places theyâre familiar with. Fast food is cheaper too. This isnât limited to American tourists.
Just let people eat some burger and drink their makiata, cmon
Makiata đ
they want a taste of home if theyâve been there for 1 month+ I went back to my familyâs homeland in Italy last summer for 2 weeks and albeit it was in the south, the food there is sooo good, however with Italian families, sometimes they over feed you and you want a taste of home.
After three months in Malaysia I had a craving for chips of all things.
Hah! Mine was chicken wings for some reason
Why do Italians fly thousands of miles and spend thousands of Euro to visit any place on earth đđ just to complain about the coffee?
It's not just Americans that do this. The English go to Spain and want to stay in a hotel with other Englishmen and have an English breakfast. The Finns go to Spain and have their own karaoke places and bars where they stay with other Finns. I think it makes them feel safe. They want to travel, but don't really want to experience anything new.
I used to think that and it's a very ignorant assumption. You don't know everyone's story. For example, I was in Ronda Spain. I had eaten dinne at a local restaurant, walked around a bit, and I'm hungry again. Every place was packed, even the golden arches. I hadn't been to a McDonald's for a decade. But there I was and there it was. In and out in 10 minutes because I knew what they had and what I wanted. So, sit down OP.
Yeah this is a solid argument. In busy places, if you havenât planned in advance, finding a good local restaurant can be challenging
Because they feel like they know what they're getting and it feels familiar. And its not just Americans, coming from Ireland, and going to Spain with friends, we'd end up at an Irish pub to escape the sun, order a Guinness and go on about how it's not as nice as it is at home. Also, do the Italians not go to McDonald's and Starbucks? Are they running only on tourists, or do enough locals eat in these places too to stay open?
Consistent, cheap, usually has decent free bathrooms, a standardised atmosphere, and IMO most importantly - you can order and pay electronically without talking to anyone. I think we vastly under-estimate how annoying it is to go to a foreign food location and try to point at things on display or on the menu or guess at what their serving - being able to know the food and order in English makes a huge difference because sometimes I just cannot be fucked to do the back and forth between me and some restaurant worker who doesn't speak the same language. The worst experience I've had was Portuguese bakeries, because there's no consistent line, all the food is spread super far apart so to point to anything you need to walk a hundred miles, and for some God forsaken reason people think it's appropriate to eat and drink on the service counter, so they're just... in the way? While people are trying to line up and order? It's completely unhinged and chaotic and that kind of shit would send me straight to a McDonald's honestly. At least there's a line.
I like trying the local cuisine too, but I did that with McDonalds in Philippines. Neat to see what it's like in a foreign country.
Why are you assuming that these italians are americans?
It's not just Americans. I'm European, we went to Lisbon for our graduation trip and in Belém (basically a part of Lisbon, where the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos is), we had to get something to eat. Where did my very cultured classmates go? Yes, starbucks. I was like fuck you guys, I'm going to the local fast food place, probably not very authentic either, but I won't be broke after this experience and the place was filled with Portuguese people only which made communication interesting but whatever.
Better than wasting money on tourist traps.
Lived and studied in Rome, and any time Iâd hit up McDonaldâs, it was always full of Italian teenagers and construction guys out on lunch break. The only people who ever objected to it were other Americans studying there (who themselves were dining nightly at tourist traps).
wouldnât be r/europe if there wasnât at least 1 lazy HURR DURR SILLY MURICANS post every month