McDonald's 2013–

[Thanks for the Crepes]

10 hours ago, rotuts said:

Tough week for MDC  [ N.B.: 'tough' ]

 

MDC reported 1.25 USD / share on 6.26 Billion.  WallSteet [  ] projected 1.28 / S on 6.27

 

[ed.: looks like Lab Error to me ]  BTW  who on WS makes this drivel up ?

 

Stock fell 3.7 % to 122.97 the next day and today its 117.81

 

you may ask why the second drop ?   Ill tell you :

 

MDC sent me some coupons.  2 for 1.   Got them yesterday : one coupon was for the Artisan Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich :

 

https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/premium-buttermilk-crispy-chicken-sandwich.html

 

so I thought Id take a few hits for the Team.  

 

 

 

 

 

the bun was an Artisan Roll.  I can't imagine this roll spelling or ever hearing of a Brioche.  Over baked and dry as a bone.

 

Very little mayo.  the Crispy Chicken was firmer than rubber, extra chewy but not greasy.

 

I had to add extra mayo even before I took a bite.  MDC had to work very had to create something so inedible.

 

$ 5.35  full price my area with Tax.   at 50 % off, with the coupon, analyzing Totalvalue  :  D-

 

full Price  ?   F--, but they will give you a free coupon from MCD to Get Your Head Examined.

 

I can't image any of the Board Members , CEO , other BigBelliedWigs ever tasting this and putting it on the menu.

 

if they did then its an excellent basis for a stock holder class-action suit.

 

as I said: the coupons came yesterday.   they explain this :

 

 

note the drop on the 27th the day after the QuarterlyReport. reports are " after hours "   note yesterday's market  ;  very few people must have tried out those

 

coupns.  Note todays :  "" Coupon Effect "" Ill call this.

 

check your health insurance , co-pay  etc before you even want to think about trying this.

 

unless you want that "Get Your Head Examined " coupon.

 

 

Sad, rotuts.

 

I am starting to think your local McDonald's may just be a bad location. I think you've said in the past they do not carry many common items including even their signature Big Mac, which I personally don't like and haven't had in decades. I am certain it has not improved with their pre-cook and heat cabinet holding policies in place now.

 

As to the Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich (if this is what you're referring to), I had this once when it first came out and found it quite acceptable compared to their stale beef burgers. I paid full price, and I may have gotten very lucky, as mine had fresh, hot, crispy chicken that was perfectly cooked. I am sure that it would have suffered much languishing in the heat cabinet. I wouldn't call the roll artisan either, but it wasn't bad, and mine had been toasted on the cut sides. I actually think I ordered the Spicy version that does not seem on offer anymore, and may have been made to order, because of less demand, and that may have led to them dropping it from the menu.

 

I still love their fries when you can get them hot out of the fryer. I love it when they tell me I have to wait for them to fry them up fresh! Some say to get fresh, hot fries ask for unsalted ones. I am scared of someone spitting in my food or worse, when asked to do their job, so I never do. I still remember a lady from years ago, working in Burger King who tossed a bunch of stale fries under the heat lamp to cook up ours fresh without being asked. She's got a karma bump from me. I thanked her profusely and enjoyed burning my mouth on the fries in the parking lot! Fresh food, what a lovely concept! 

 

If only McD's would go back to what made them wildly successful in the first place and drop those cursed heat cabinets into the dumpster where they belong. *Sigh* I went in one morning right before 5:00 AM with no other customers. They pulled my breakfast biscuit from the heat cabinet. There were probably close to a hundred breakfast sandwiches in the cabinet they opened. Made who knows when? Mine was lukewarm and stale. I understand they need to keep ahead of demand, but a smart manager would time it for later, when the rush actually happened. I soon had to order another, because the size had been almost halved, although the price had doubled. The three employees lounged around the whole time I was there. They could have instead have been cooking my breakfast up fresh. They seemed so lazy and surly I was too scared to ask for the biscuits to be nuked to heat them up and melt the cheese. Almost always the food served from the warming cabinet does not feel hot enough to me to comply with our health code here, which says hot foods must be held at 140 F/60 C. I believe it were truly 140 degrees, the cheese would at least be melted on the stale burgers and breakfast sandwiches. If McD would quit trying to serve stale leftovers, I think they'd do much better. That might be why they are not doing well here?

[rotuts]

my McD  based on local reviews  (  there is such a thing ----  important items like how many fries they give you  etc ) very good rating

 

based on those who count the fries.

 

they had big mac's

 

I was very disappointed on the CkButtermilk as it has a lot more potential than a steamed piece of meat.

 

its very possible it was sitting around.   as you can't ask for fresh, there they were.

 

Ive been there at 530 or a little later and at least in my area   they had nothing stored.

 

as Ive said, just melt the cheese.    the sausage egg McM with melted cheese and piping hot is fine when you're hungry

 

with cold cheese on it, yuk ! 

[Toliver]

rotus...my experience with the CkButtermilk sandwich (when they had them here) was similar. Under-condimented, hence dry. Not very good. Quickly faded from local McD menus.

[HungryChris]

We decided to have a McDonald's lobster roll before they are gone for the season. This one was in Webster, Ma.

 

It wasn't terrible, but clearly was not prepared with prideful presentation in mind. It also had the consistency of frozen product.

 

Here is one of the ones we had in Pawcatuck, CT last year:

This one from last year in CT was, by far, a superior product, and was clearly fresh. Now I am tempted

to go back and try it at the same place this year, just out of curiosity.

HC

 

[kayb]

It's about time for my annual fish sandwich. 

 

With extra napkins to wipe off most of the quart of tartar sauce with which they douse it. Limp lettuce and insipid, pale, mealy tomato slice go directly into the trash. Fish, the remaining tartar sauce, American cheese and a bun.

 

And that'll be it until (a) next year, or (b) the next time I'm traveling and swing through the drive-through for their "senior" coffee (which is free!), a hash brown, and an apple pie.

 

[blue_dolphin]

15 minutes ago, kayb said:

Limp lettuce and insipid, pale, mealy tomato slice go directly into the trash.

Interesting.  I have never been served lettuce or tomato on a McDonald's fish sandwich.    The quart of tartar sauce, yes indeed - and usually all applied to one half of the sandwich !

[rotuts]

wow

 

I don't think the McD's i go to , with coupons only, uses a quart of tartar or any sauce in a week.

Edited August 7, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I was beginning to doubt my memory, but I'm pretty sure the Filet-O-Fish used to come with shredded iceberg lettuce here years ago, but it has never had a tomato slice on it. Now it is just fish patty (smaller, than years ago), lots of tartar, depending on who makes it, and a partial slice of yellow American that gets smaller and smaller over time. I still like it every once in a while too. You can get them to add an extra fish patty for an upcharge, and that fills the bun a lot better than the current patty alone.

 

A few years ago, I tried the fish sandwich at Dairy Queen, Burger King, Wendy's, a local mom and pop called Circus, and McDonald's. It wasn't side by side, but all about a week apart. The McDonald's was both my and my husband's favorite by a lot.

[blue_dolphin]

Back in the day, when I worked at McD's - this was quite a while back as we had to use actual arithmetic to add up all the prices, look up the tax on a table (usually memorized) add that in and then count out the change to each customer, figuring in the exchange rate if the customer was paying in Canadian dollars - phew, that was long segue!  Anyway, at that time there was no lettuce or tomato on the fish sandwiches.  Clearly, that was long, long ago  and very far away from where I live now but I've never been served any since at any of the airport locations I've visited.  Of course individual franchisees always had a certain amount of flexibility to modify.  

Back in those dark ages, we always used 1/2 a slice of cheese on each fish sandwich but because of the way the cheese slices broke, it was usually more like 1/3 on some and 2/3 on others.

The tartar sauce was dispensed in the same sort of "caulking gun" (remember we're talking way back) as the Big Mac sauce but it was chunkier so the amounts dispensed tended to be more random. The randomness of tartar sauce delivery seems to continue to this day.

 

Edited to add that I restrict my McD's to airports and even then only with significant delays but this is making me want one of their fish sandwiches.  And it's not even Lent!

Edited August 7, 2016 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Toliver]

McD's has resurrected the "2 McPicks for $5" here in my area. They've added back in a fourth item.

Now the choices are:

10 Piece Chicken McNuggets, a Quarter-Pounder with Cheese, a triple cheeseburger (), and the Filet o' Fish sandwich.

As before, you can mix and match or just order two of the same item.

Game on! 

[NWKate]

Hmmm- I'll have to check on the availability of the 2 mcpicks in my area.  When I go, my 3 go to items are a Big Mac, qp w/ cheese or the fish fillet.  I also prefer their fries over the other fast food joints here.  Again, as with other fast food vendors, the quality can really vary from shop to shop ( also dependent on the relative IQ of the staff behind the counter that shift).

 

I will no longer go to the one nearest my home because of this.  Btw, MCD closed at 115.83 today! 

 

Edited September 3, 2016 by NWKate
Update- 2 mcpicks is available here so I'll take one for the team and report back! (log)

[lisaSon]

On 28/1/2016 at 4:28 AM, liuzhou said:

McDonald's introduces chocolate-covered French fries to Japan

I don't know what to think of this. I'd love to try it out, but it sounds a little disgusting  Let's see if it comes to the US

[huiray]

I don't remember having lettuce or tomato slices with a Filet-O-Fish in the USA nor even back in the 70's in the UK. But my memory may be playing tricks on me. Still, I don't think I *want* lettuce and tomato with it. I think it is complete the way I've had it served, with a slice of American cheese  and lots of tartar sauce. No fancy cheeses please, no special chopped-pickles-tartar sauce on it.

 

For myself, the F-O-F is fine for what it is. It isn't gourmet food. Sure, it was better years ago - but time marches on and nostalgic reminiscences are subject to the Law of Diminishing Returns. It is not eGullet-oh-so-special food. Just eat it. Well, I do - and like it - and would always willingly eat one and seek it out when I am in the mood.

Edited September 5, 2016 by huiray (log)

[Shel_B]

Gilroy Garlic Fries: OMG!  What crap!

 

Last week I was up north a ways in the town of Vallejo, and found myself lost in a fast food jungle.  There was only fast food joints where I was, and not knowing the area well enough to find a decent place to grab something to eat, I hit the Mickey D's drive thru.  I've always kinda liked McD's fries, and I do like garlic, so I thought I'd give the well publicized garlic fries a try.  What a mistake.  The fries were soft and limp, they were greasy (so much so that the napkins included in the bag were insufficient to wipe my fingers), and, to add insult to injury, they were not hot - lukewarm at best.  The taste and smell of garlic was very subdued, dare I say almost nonexistent, and the parsley scattered over the potatoes  was also devoid of taste.  In addition to these problems, they potatoes were very unappetizing to look at.  The greasy greenish color of the fries was better suited to a Halloween costume than food meant to be eaten and enjoyed. After but a few tastes, from different areas of the tray in which they were served, I just wrapped 'em up and tossed the whole mess into the trash bin.

 

If this is indicative of McD's quality, and quality control, McD's has a way to go to reach what may have been their zenith some years ago, when I frequented their restaurants more often.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Shel_B (log)

[Smithy]

Let's hope Gilroy's reputation doesn't suffer from those fries.  I wonder whether McD's thought that attaching the Garlic Capital's name would somehow make the fries better?

[rotuts]

maybe they are better at the better McD's ?

 

and indeed there are better McD's  , given the innate limitations of their 'Food' model.

 

Im also wondering , if the garlic flavor . is on the fries before they are fried makes a difference.

 

I can't see fried garlic as a Staple.  it does burn easily.

 

of course  , McD probably doenst use garlic from Girroy, a town our family used travel through in the ' 50's

 

and indeed you could tell you were close !

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

I can't see fried garlic as a Staple.  it does burn easily.

 

of course  , McD probably doenst use garlic from Girroy, a town our family used travel through in the ' 50's

 

and indeed you could tell you were close !

 

I'm with you on the fried garlic (if that's how they did it) as well as the likely non-provenance of the garlic.  

[Shel_B]

36 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

I'm with you on the fried garlic (if that's how they did it) as well as the likely non-provenance of the garlic.  

 

According to this article,

 

The garlic in McDonald’s new Gilroy Garlic Fries is grown in the San Joaquin Valley in Gilroy, California, approximately 80 miles south of San Francisco and nicknamed “The Garlic Capital of the World.”  The fourth-generation, family-owned Christopher Ranch in Gilroy is the largest garlic production operation in the United States and grows the garlic used in the Gilroy Garlic Fries.  
 

[blue_dolphin]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

of course  , McD probably doenst use garlic from Girroy, a town our family used travel through in the ' 50's

 

According to this local Gilroy news article, McDonald's is sourcing the garlic from Christopher Ranch, so it is local to the area.  It says the recipe was offered as a Garlic Festival special at one McD's location in Gilroy, sold out and was eventually expanded to most of the Bay Area McD's.  It also says the fries are made to order by tossing the cooked fries with a purée of garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, parsley and salt.

 

I would expect them to get soggy quickly.  A video of someone tasting them showed them being served with a fork. 

 

ETA:  As @Shel_B said above

Edited September 5, 2016 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Smithy]

46 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

 

According to this article,

 

The garlic in McDonald’s new Gilroy Garlic Fries is grown in the San Joaquin Valley in Gilroy, California, approximately 80 miles south of San Francisco and nicknamed “The Garlic Capital of the World.”  The fourth-generation, family-owned Christopher Ranch in Gilroy is the largest garlic production operation in the United States and grows the garlic used in the Gilroy Garlic Fries.  
 

 

Thanks for that link.  I guess that explains the name!  Too bad their execution - at least, for those you tried - is as bad as their grasp of geography. (The San Joaquin Valley isn't over there. ) Still, I think I'd like to try something with the flavors described by @blue_dolphin from the Gilroy paper's article.

[Shel_B]

47 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

[...]  Too bad their execution - at least, for those you tried - is as bad as their grasp of geography. (The San Joaquin Valley isn't over there. )

 

Yes ... although I live in the Golden State, I did double check the reference ... <sigh>

[huiray]

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

According to this local Gilroy news article, McDonald's is sourcing the garlic from Christopher Ranch, so it is local to the area.  It says the recipe was offered as a Garlic Festival special at one McD's location in Gilroy, sold out and was eventually expanded to most of the Bay Area McD's.  It also says the fries are made to order by tossing the cooked fries with a purée of garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, parsley and salt.

 

I would expect them to get soggy quickly.  A video of someone tasting them showed them being served with a fork. 

 

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

 

Thanks for that link.  I guess that explains the name!  Too bad their execution - at least, for those you tried - is as bad as their grasp of geography. (The San Joaquin Valley isn't over there. ) Still, I think I'd like to try something with the flavors described by @blue_dolphin from the Gilroy paper's article.

 

It sounds like something not dissimilar from what a burger joint in my area serves - see here, scroll down to the fries. Yes, it gets soggy fast. You have to eat it while it's still hot, right after they toss the fries w/ the dressing. You need a fork after 5 minutes or so (at best) if you haven't scarfed it down yet. And if the fries were not cooked in hot-enough oil (i.e. they were slightly greasy to start with) they go downhill even faster. So, getting it from the drive-thru at a McD, with time delays between the fries being done , the holding of them, the dressing, etc - then driving away then eventually opening the wrapped-up fries (steaming away under the waxed paper or whatever) may not be the best idea anyway, if that is anything like what might have happened? (and the steamed hot parmesan just converts to oil...)

[Smithy]

42 minutes ago, huiray said:

 

 

It sounds like something not dissimilar from what a burger joint in my area serves - see here, scroll down to the fries. Yes, it gets soggy fast. You have to eat it while it's still hot, right after they toss the fries w/ the dressing. You need a fork after 5 minutes or so (at best) if you haven't scarfed it down yet. And if the fries were not cooked in hot-enough oil (i.e. they were slightly greasy to start with) they go downhill even faster. So, getting it from the drive-thru at a McD, with time delays between the fries being done , the holding of them, the dressing, etc - then driving away then eventually opening the wrapped-up fries (steaming away under the waxed paper or whatever) may not be the best idea anyway, if that is anything like what might have happened? (and the steamed hot parmesan just converts to oil...)

 

Hmm, in that case maybe a better option would be plain fries with a dipping sauce. Not what they're after, of course, but it sounds more manageable.

[huiray]

On 9/2/2016 at 7:47 PM, Toliver said:

McD's has resurrected the "2 McPicks for $5" here in my area. They've added back in a fourth item.

Now the choices are:

10 Piece Chicken McNuggets, a Quarter-Pounder with Cheese, a triple cheeseburger (), and the Filet o' Fish sandwich.

As before, you can mix and match or just order two of the same item.

Game on! 

 

I've been sampling the "2 McPicks for $5" at a few places in my area, devoting it to just the Filet-o-Fish. Not bad. But, as has been mentioned, the slice of American cheese has shrunk to approximately a quarter-slice. Regrettable. Still, in most places it is "melted in" insofar as *that* goes. :-) Some places give what *seems* like a little bit more cheese, but overall they aren't THAT substantially different from place to place - but some places do do it just slightly better than others. I have a couple places that I will be returning to for more. The pics below do not account for all theF-o-F's I've had. A couple places had me wishing for a 3rd F-o-F after I had eaten the second one. Nowhere served me a F-o-F with a quart of tartar sauce; in fact, I would have asked for more if I had been ordering one of these at some other time - and being charged for the "more" nowadays, of course, whereas in years past there was no extra charge.

 

A sampling of F-o-F sandwiches from three places:

#1

 

#2; and #3 with the bottom bun peeled back (& torn) to show the"melted-in cheese".

 

[Toliver]

The article:

"Only 1 in 5 millennials has ever tasted a Big Mac"

Quote

New, “better burger” chains are pulling in customers with gourmet, made-to-order burgers and quick, casual service. Serving that kind of product is at odds with McDonald’s strategy of six decades, in which speed and low cost are pillars of sales.

I found it hard to believe only 1 in 5 millennials have tasted a Big Mac...McD's is so pervasive, I would have thought it was something most kids grew up eating.

Perhaps they're "McNugget Millennials" instead.