Mmmmm - Gold Coast Dogs! I agree, their hot dogs are not the greatest, but the barbeque beef is very good. My last downtown office was at Dearborn and Madison and every other week or so I'd walk down to Gold Coast Dogs. It helps that I walk a twelve minute mile.
I grew up in Chicago and we had very little money. Therefore, any form of eating out was a treat. We went to McDonald's once a month to use our McDonald's calendar coupons when our folks couldn't stand our whining about wanting McDonald's. Interestingly, neither my brother nor I actually liked the food, but we liked the concept. And the french fries. During Lent, dad would take us to the McDonald's near our school on Friday for Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, a small fry, and diet 7-up. (For some reason, we observed eating fish on Friday but didn't observe attending church)
As an adult, I rarely eat at McDonald's. When I do it is for breakfast or to satisfy a craving for their french fries. I always order them salt free so they are fresh and add salt after receiving the order.