McDonald's 2013–

[demiglace]

I tried the poutine too. It was sad to look at and sad to eat. Burger King's poutine is much better.

[gfweb]

Because I was in a wasteland with no diner or even a BK, I had a breakfast at McD's today. Sausage burrito. It shrunk since I was last there and sausage was crappy. Hot sauce didn't help it. Rivaled their burgers in crapitude.

[Meredith380]

Awe I love McFats. I'm particularly excited that mighty wings are back.mwhen I want to eat poorly those greasy wings are good!

[CaliPoutine]

I really like the egg white delight. Its only 250 calories and keeps me really full.

[rotuts]

interesting article in WSJ re McD's earnings:

of note: McD's wings: 'wings priced far above competitors offerings, leaving 10 million pounds unsold'

they did seems pricy to me a while back when I studies a sample

[Toliver]

interesting article in WSJ re McD's earnings:

of note: McD's wings: 'wings priced far above competitors offerings, leaving 10 million pounds unsold'

they did seems pricy to me a while back when I studies a sample

Yes, I concur. I thought they were outrageously expensive for what you got. A one time tasting was enough for me and my wallet.

[Meredith380]

interesting article in WSJ re McD's earnings:

of note: McD's wings: 'wings priced far above competitors offerings, leaving 10 million pounds unsold'

they did seems pricy to me a while back when I studies a sample

Yes, I concur. I thought they were outrageously expensive for what you got. A one time tasting was enough for me and my wallet.

I'll still buy them. They are cheaper than going to a pub, ordering a platter, beers and tipping. They also taste pretty good the next day.

[Kerry Beal]

interesting article in WSJ re McD's earnings:

of note: McD's wings: 'wings priced far above competitors offerings, leaving 10 million pounds unsold'

they did seems pricy to me a while back when I studies a sample

Yes, I concur. I thought they were outrageously expensive for what you got. A one time tasting was enough for me and my wallet.

I'll still buy them. They are cheaper than going to a pub, ordering a platter, beers and tipping. They also taste pretty good the next day.

But then you don't get the beer!

[rotuts]

you want to take a free trip ?

McD India :

North India:

http://www.mcdonaldsindia.net/burgers-and-wraps.aspx

South India:

http://www.mcdonaldsindia.com/menu.html

Id like to try a few of these.

I do confess.

[la.april]

Here is McD China's latest offering.

Black and white contrasting burgers The one in the black bun with white seeds is pork; the other is chicken. I'm told they come as a pair with fries and a Coke.

mcd.jpg

hahah oh my god, that looks awesome!! they put in a whole lot more effort in looks i guess

[Toliver]

McDonald's learned a very expensive lesson and is now eating crow wings:

"McDonald’s Tries Cheaper Mighty Wings"

 

When Mighty Wings originally launched they cost around $1 a wing -- a tough price to sell at a chain that will sell you an entire hamburger for a dollar. Officially McDonald's had the launch prices as three pieces for $2.99, five pieces for $4.79, and 10 pieces for $8.99.

Those prices proved too high for the chain's customers.

They're now priced 5 for $2.99. 

They will be sold at that price until the 10 million pounds of leftover inventory is gone.

 

The price drop will certainly put the wings on my radar when I go back to McD's.

Will it make a difference for you?

[rotuts]

nope.  nothing mighty about them.  medium to medium small they were.

 

my local supermarket chain has 6 types of wings on there all day 'wing bar' and are bigger, meaty-er and cheaper.

 

and by the lbs.

[ChrisTaylor]

Story is a couple weeks old so I guess fast food watchers have already seen it but, still:

 

http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/food-news/would-you-like-chipotle-mayo-with-that-mcdonalds-burgers-go-gourmet-20141007-10rd14.html

 

tl:dr version:

• One Sydney McDonald's store offers custom burgers. Angus patty + choice of condiments, fillings, bun and so on. Fillings go beyond usual McD's offerings. Eventually this will be rolled out to all stores across Australia and, like the cafe thing, presumably overseas too.
• The touchscreen spits out a ticket. You take said ticket, sit down and ... someone brings you the burger on a wooden board. So, yeah, table service. Now, I don't know about the US, but in Australia damn near everyone serves stuff on wooden boards. Meaning I guess you guys did that back in the nineties. I think the fries are classic McDonald's fries, though. No sexed up fries to go with the sexed up burger. For context table service in Australian fast food isn't particularly common: you get it at Nando's and Grill'd (a burger franchise that McDonald's seems to be trying to muscle in on with this move) and, er, that's about it.
• Base price for a burger is ~$8.95AUD. Additional toppings are charged per item. For context the burger itself is roughly the same price (off the top of my head) as a Big Mac meal. 

[patrickamory]

The only problem is… classic McDonald's fries haven't been classic McDonald's fries in a while.

[ChrisTaylor]

Exactly. Paying +$X for an extra burger is all well and good but it'd be nice if you could also pay for beef tallow fries to go with it. 

 

I'm not a big McDonald's/fast food fan but I'll probably eventually get around to trying the 'gourmet' setup if/when it rolls out locally (I mean, it says it's coming to all stores, but there are a lot of McDonald's stores in Australia and continued roll out would obviously hinge upon its ongoing popularity). Think it's a ballsy move to throw down against the likes of Grill'd when, at the same price point, you're still offering a Macca's patty (it's not like the Angus patties are anything special) and the afore-mentioned classic--or perhaps a more fitting word is standard--fries.

 

EDIT

 

Incidentally, I'm curious if 'table service for gourmet burgers' will eventually translate to 'table service for everyone'. Is it a common thing in the States for fast food? It doesn't seem terribly unusual in, say, Southern Africa (in my admittedly very limited experience) with Nando's and Wimpy offering it. It beats loitering around near the counter or working your way through a crowd while toting a tray when there's a backlog or a big line.

[rotuts]

I can't imagine McD in the USA changing over to table service.  the margins are very thin and a major cost is employee's

 

indeed the movement is for less people and more efficient 'machines' in the 'cooking   space'

 

Fast Food is an interesting economic category, independent of its products.

 

McD opening a new chain to compete w 5 Guys etc is also economically a big stretch.  we will wait and see.

 

it is interesting that Down Under the economics are quite different, or the managers not so bright.

[ChrisTaylor]

We don't have as many chains. Certainly not in exact same part of the market as McDonald's, anyway.

[huiray]

Macca's delivery by Lamborghinis and Ferraris.

[rotuts]

December seems to be McD's coupon month.  padding the same store sales for the quarterly report no doubt

 

 

which has been falling as is their stock price .....

 

how ever, it being bitterly cold here as it seems to be in most eG Land, the two for one sausage egg cheese McMuff

 

does double duty and Hits the Spot Twice :  day one:  30 seconds in the micro  ( you have top bring them home ) melts the cheese

 

which seems to make a big big difference.

 

Day 2 : youve stored the second McMuff in the refrigerator and forgotten about it later in day 1.  Micro about 50 seconds, melt

 

that cheese.  ( When it comes out of the Refig, talk about a Brick !  must be that Sat.Fat. )  Delicious when the

 

temp is single digits and you dont have to go outside.

 

Pleased their coupon pack only seems to come in Dec.

 

and BTW : these McMuff's and the BigMac have real staying power  ( you also have to Micro the BigM to melt the cheese )

 

I wonder if its the ( amount ) of saturated fat in these that does this.

 

to contrast, something delicious is no staying power at all  : top of the line Sushi/Sashimi to give you an idea of what im talking 

 

about.

Edited January 11, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

So, one of the local McDonald's stores just installed the 'Create Your Taste' kiosks I posted about a while ago. I decided, seeing as I was driving past, to stop in and check it out. The kiosk was unsurprisingly popular--they'd been set up a couple of weeks ago and there had been a local advertising campaign--but, thankfully, there were a half dozen of them. There was a staff member standing by to assist with any confusion in the process. Presumably the software is being streamlined. It didn't take anywhere near as long to order as the article I'd read suggested. Probably not much longer than waiting in line and playing a normal order at a fast food establishment. There are some quirks in the software, though ... it works but the on-screen menu isn't as well designed as it could be -- i.e. when ordering fries, drinks and other items. The design wasn't overtly terrible, tho'. The only thing that was slightly confusing was a screen that popped up asking me to select my 'location number'. Now, McDonald's doesn't put numbers on tables ... and even if they did, well, you order before you sit, right? Turns out, there was a supply of locators (mine is half-visible the first photo) stuck to the side of the kiosk. This wasn't immediately obvious. You take locator, punch its the number into the kiosk and the staff then use the locator to find you. In addition to being able to order these burgers on a takeaway basis (although presumably not via the drive through window) was an option, there was an option to not bother with using a locator. I assume in that case you'd need to wait at the counter. \\

 

Anyway, before moving onto the burger itself, some tidbits about the kiosk (which may or may not apply if/when this product is introduced Stateside/elsewhere):

• You can, seemingly, order anything from the McDonald's menu via this kiosk. It's not just limited to the 'Create Your Taste' offerings.
• In addition to being able to create burger (choosing from three-or-so kinds of bun or opting out of buns altogether, choosing the meat, adding extras like bacon [crisp rashers or shortcut], selecting vegetable-based fillings, choosing condiments, etc) you can choose several pre-designed burgers (sexed up cheeseburgers and the like). With a whole lot of people waiting, I didn't want to take the time to find out if you could, say, tinker with classic offerings like the Big Mac or Quarter Pounder.
• You are not obligated to pay at the kiosk and/or are fearful of the day when the fast food experience is entirely automated, Jetson's/Skynet-style. If you really like waiting in queues you're free to pay at the register.

My order wasn't overly exciting ...

 

 

Apologies for the shitty, iPhone 3-quality photo. The receipt is illegible:

• Brioche bun
• Angus patty (no option, so far as I could discern, to choose a 'normal' McDonald's patty or even a chicken patty--could be wrong on the latter, tho')
• Crisp bacon (the only addition I made that cost extra)
• 'Whole leaf' lettuce
• Lengthways-sliced pickles
• Colby Jack cheese
• Chipotle aioli and normal aioli (I didn't realise the latter was selected by default)
• Red onion
• Caramelised onion

For sides I stuck to the usual fare of Coke and fries.

 

The burger itself is reasonably well presented, not that the photo is as flattering as it could be

 

 

It sort of ticks the 'gourmet burger' boxes one-by-one: a wooden board, fries in a mini fryer basket, fake newspaper (newsprint-free, etc). This is reflected in the toppings and condiments you can add to the burgers.

 

Aside from shifting them from a red carton to the basket, the fries are the normal McDonald's kind of fry. The drink, not pictured, is served in the usual waxed cardboard cup. The burger itself was a mixed success for McD's, in my book. The bun and the 'gourmet' fillings were all very good. The bacon was crisp but not burnt. The lettuce was, well, a whole leaf of lettuce--as it said on the tin--as opposed to the mushy shredded stuff. The duelling/dual aiolis were as rich as anything you'd get in a normal 'gourmet' burger. The 'problem' was the patty. Now, I don't know if Angus patties are available in the US--I would imagine they are--but in the US McDonald's has two or three Angus burgers on their normal menu. They're not very good. They're thick and dry and a bit sad. Now, I'm not expecting some kid out the back to the hand-grinding/hand-forming small batches of fancy pants burger patties ... but considering the surprisingly high quality of the rest of the burger McDonald's need to step up their game on the meat front. Especially when you consider the price.

 

Ah. Yes. The price. That's a sticking point. See, in Melbourne, I can go to a food truck (yeah, it's a truck--but McDonald's is, well, McDonald's) called Mr Burger and get a very good cheeseburger for ~$10. A local establishment charges about the same for most of its burgers. That's about the going rate for most decent burgers in Melbourne. You'll get a few burgers well above that (particularly if you're eating in some lavish and/or trendy place in the city) and a few below, but yeah ... for context, a Big Mac bundled with small fries and a small drink weighs in at about $6. Now, I'm not expecting a $6 custom burger--I think $10 is reasonable--but my (medium-sized) meal worked out at some $16. That's slightly dearer than what I'd pay for a burger, fries and Coke--a like-for-like comparison--at the local place that actually has a decent beef patty. 

 

Unless I hear that McDonald's has started to offer better patties to go with these high end burgers, I doubt I'd bother again ... even tho' I liked the rest of the package. The patty's just too significant a component to drop the ball on.

[Toliver]

"McDonald's gives all-day breakfast a test try"

...McDonald's plans to test an all-day breakfast at some locations in the San Diego area starting next month.

and this:

The world's largest restaurant chain said the test will include a partial menu and feature some of McDonald's breakfast sandwiches and hash browns. The company didn't say which sandwiches would make the cut.

Uhm, MickeyD...why a partial menu?  Can't you do it all?

Besides, it's been done already. Jack-in-the-Box is the clear winner in this fast food competition. Instituted a few years back, at Jack-in-the-Box you can order anything on the menu at any time of the day. Dinner for breakfast? Breakfast for dinner? Jack-in-the-Box can do it. 

What is Jack-in-the-Box doing right that MickeyD's isn't?

 

edited for clarity

Edited March 31, 2015 by Toliver (log)

[rotuts]

the implications made in the WSJ and the NYTimes are that McD makes too many things, which slows delivery of the

 

'food'  .  People go to McD for 'Fast'.  Maybe the heard there fears changing its mind and waling out.

 

All they need is the EggMcMuffs and maybe the hash-browns 24/7

[FeChef]

Here was my attempt at a Mc D's Mighty wing.

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Rokay FeChef,

 

It looks a little slimy and over breaded, but please do tell about this foodstuff?

 

I hope it wasn't left to languish in one of their heat cabinets while the quality of the food goes to absolute Hell.

 

There's a mom and pop Chinese joint where I can get four large whole wings within very easy walking distance of a McD's. It costs less than 5 bucks.

 

These are marinated overnight in turmeric, salt, and I don't know what else?

 

These wings are served hot out their fryer to the point you have to let them cool off a bit, because they're not served with utensils. It takes a good twenty minutes or more to get these, but they are served screaming hot, and are so much more delicious (and cheaper) than anything McD's serves.

 

Can anyone PLEASE tell me why, places like my Chinese joint disappear everyday, and McD's thrives all over the world?

 

People are in that much of a hurry they want to eat out of steam cabinets?

[FeChef]

No they were not slimy. I took that pic right after they came out of the fryer. I suppose one could mistake the oil glisten for slimy. About the breading, I took the flour and seasonings (mainly pepper and salt) and pulsed it in the FP while drizzling some water in to create little dough beads. Then i take those beads and coat the wings with some milk/egg , then one single roll in the beads. The dough beads get super crunchy and it may look like alot of breading but its not. And those little super crunchy beads hold dipping sauces like nobodys biznezz. So good.