Yet another fine dining establishment is struggling

[pubic_assistance]

2 hours ago, samhexum said:

I read that they no longer give the extra scoop in the bag

I just had a Five Guys burger last week. (There's one a block away from me ).  They always load the bag up with fries. Order a "small" and you get more than you can eat.

I completely disagree with these people who think MickyD is somehow "good". Five Guys is the superior choice amongst all Fast Food destinations...and the only one I actually would say is "good". (Wendy's I would say is tolerable if you can't find anything else ) McDonald's is revolting and people who grew up poor with no access to real food are typically the ones who would actually think it's "good". I have heard foreign friends tell me that McDonalds tastes completely different in their country because their home nation would never allow the company to serve the garbage-quality-full-of-chemicals nonsense that they get away with here in the US.  So...as far as McDonald's in Paris...I can't speak to the quality and taste. But they all tell me that they were surprised how "inedible" MickyD is in this country. So I have heard from many other foreign friends how disgusting it is here in the US.

Edited Tuesday at 07:21 PM by pubic_assistance
grammar

[samhexum]

1 hour ago, Gar1eth said:

What extra scoop?

How do I get that gig?

Their policy was always to give you a full cup of fries then add an extra scoop to the bag which yielded very large portions and very greasy bags.

 I did the shops for a company called MarketForce.  I don't know if they still have the account.

Not to make you TOO jealous, but I used to shop McDonald's for them, too.

[samhexum]

1 hour ago, pubic_assistance said:

foreign friends tell me that McDonalds tastes completely different in their country because their home nation would never allow the company to serve the garbage-quality-full-of-chemicals nonsense that they get away with here in the US.  So...as far as McDonald's in Paris...I can't speak to the quality and taste. But they all tell me that they were surprised how "inedible" MickyD is in this country. So I have heard from many other foreign friends how disgusting it is here in the US.

Granted, it's been 30+ years but I found the fast food I had all over the world tasted EXACTLY the same as in the USA.  Wendy was the only thing open during the siesta in Italy (there's no  's), the largest McDonald's in the world (at the time) in Moscow had ALL items taste the same (as did Pizza Hut... which was practically the only edible thing in the country at the time besides McDonald's), and I ate a fast food meal or two in London and Amsterdam, and went through a McDonald's drive thru in France, too.  

I spent about six weeks total in Europe over the course of three trips in three years so it was just convenience or a matter of survival (in Moscow) that led to the occasional fast food experience.  My favorite meal in Europe was the weinerschnitzel at the Cologne zoo.  It was so delicious and incredibly fresh tasting.

 

[BSR]

3 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

I have heard foreign friends tell me that McDonalds tastes completely different in their country because their home nation would never allow the company to serve the garbage-quality-full-of-chemicals nonsense that they get away with here in the US.  So...as far as McDonald's in Paris...I can't speak to the quality and taste. But they all tell me that they were surprised how "inedible" MickyD is in this country. So I have heard from many other foreign friends how disgusting it is here in the US.

If just out of the fryer, I maintain McD’s fries are really good; but the burgers always tasted weird to me, so weird that if they gave them away, I still wouldn’t eat them.

My first time in a McDonalds in Paris was memorable.  We went in just to use the bathroom but decided to stay when we saw the sundae flavors.  They had chocolate and caramel sauce like in the US, but instead of strawberry as a 3rd option, they had cassis.  We had to try it — wow, it was surprisingly good for a fast-food sundae topping.

[BSR]

1 hour ago, samhexum said:

Granted, it's been 30+ years but I found the fast food I had all over the world tasted EXACTLY the same as in the USA.  Wendy was the only thing open during the siesta in Italy (there's no  's), the largest McDonald's in the world (at the time) in Moscow had ALL items taste the same (as did Pizza Hut... which was practically the only edible thing in the country at the time besides McDonald's), and I ate a fast food meal or two in London and Amsterdam, and went through a McDonald's drive thru in France, too.  

I spent about six weeks total in Europe over the course of three trips in three years so it was just convenience or a matter of survival (in Moscow) that led to the occasional fast food experience.  My favorite meal in Europe was the weinerschnitzel at the Cologne zoo.  It was so delicious and incredibly fresh tasting.

 

Starbucks frappuccinos taste exactly the same no matter where you are.  They must have the formulas calibrated to the milligram & milliliter for every variety.  But the quality of the food is night & day American Starbucks vs. abroad.  The food in the US Starbucks is total shyte whereas their food abroad is surprisingly good.  This is probably heresy to say, but the best pizza I’ve ever had was at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan.

[MikeBiDude]

3 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

different in their country because their home nation would never allow the company to serve the garbage-quality-full-of-chemicals nonsense that they get away with here in the US

I’m curious what “garbage” and “full of chemicals” you feel are in McDonalds products?

Quarter Pounder® with Cheese: Fresh Beef Burger | McDonald’s

WWW.MCDONALDS.COM

---

Our Quarter Pounder® with Cheese features 100% fresh beef, American cheese, onion and pickles. Try a fresh beef burger today at a McDonald's near you!

 

[marylander1940]

15 hours ago, BSR said:

Googled it.  Fried once at some central processing plant, frozen, packaged, and shipped out.  Then they’re fried again at the local spot.

So unnecessary 

Reminds me of:

 

[rvwnsd]

14 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

...Americans call Pommes Frites "French" fries because some Belgians speak French. Technically they should be called Belgian Fries...

That's not incorrect, but also not completely correct. 

Belgian historian of food, Pierre Leqluercq noted that the first recorded mention of French fries is in a Parisian book in 1775. He traced the history of French fries and found the first recipe of what is a modern-day French fry in a French cookbook from 1795, La cuisinière républicaine.

It was these Parisian fries that inspired Frederic Krieger, a musician from Bavaria who learned how to make these fries in Paris, to take the recipe to Belgium. Once there, he opened his own business and began to sell fries under the name ‘la pomme de terre frite à l’instar de Paris’ which translated to ‘Paris-style fried potatoes.’ 

source:  History Cooperative "The Origin of French Fries."

There's also a story in the July1899 edition of Good Housekeeping that refers to "French fries."

TLDR: Belgium acquired fried potatoes from France via a German.

Back to the topic of struggling chain restaurants, there are some chains who are flourishing because they deliver great service and great food. Some chains are struggling because they don't do that. Mc Donald's problem, in my view, is not with the ingredients but with franchisees who don't prepare the food properly and who sell product that should be tossed. McD's needs to go back to the days of the "blitz." That's where secret shoppers would swarm a restaurant and rate everything from food quality to bathroom cleanliness to whether the bag was folded and presented correctly through the drive-through window. At my store, they would hide out among the crowd in the bus shelter located opposite the drive through. No, I am not making this up. It was a real thing. FWIW, the bags I presented were always folded correctly.  

[+ Gar1eth]

1 hour ago, rvwnsd said:

That's not incorrect, but also not completely correct. 

Belgian historian of food, Pierre Leqluercq noted that the first recorded mention of French fries is in a Parisian book in 1775. He traced the history of French fries and found the first recipe of what is a modern-day French fry in a French cookbook from 1795, La cuisinière républicaine.

It was these Parisian fries that inspired Frederic Krieger, a musician from Bavaria who learned how to make these fries in Paris, to take the recipe to Belgium. Once there, he opened his own business and began to sell fries under the name ‘la pomme de terre frite à l’instar de Paris’ which translated to ‘Paris-style fried potatoes.’ 

source:  History Cooperative "The Origin of French Fries."

There's also a story in the July1899 edition of Good Housekeeping that refers to "French fries."

TLDR: Belgium acquired fried potatoes from France via a German.

Back to the topic of struggling chain restaurants, there are some chains who are flourishing because they deliver great service and great food. Some chains are struggling because they don't do that. Mc Donald's problem, in my view, is not with the ingredients but with franchisees who don't prepare the food properly and who sell product that should be tossed. McD's needs to go back to the days of the "blitz." That's where secret shoppers would swarm a restaurant and rate everything from food quality to bathroom cleanliness to whether the bag was folded and presented correctly through the drive-through window. At my store, they would hide out among the crowd in the bush shelter located opposite the drive through. No, I am not making this up. It was a real thing. FWIW, the bags I presented were always folded correctly.  

One of my older brother's first jobs as a teenager was at McDonalds. I can remember him saying he could just feel the grease on his face after a shift of frying the French fries. 

[pubic_assistance]

6 hours ago, MikeBiDude said:

I'm curious what “garbage” and “full of chemicals” you feel are in McDonalds products?

Top 6 Toxic ingredients used by Mcdonald’s | Flame Pizza https://share.google/Q4ScQByAc9m0Rbmwh

[rvwnsd]

3 hours ago, Gar1eth said:

One of my older brother's first jobs as a teenager was at McDonalds. I can remember him saying he could just feel the grease on his face after a shift of frying the French fries. 

I didn't even work the fry station (I worked the counter and the drive-thru) and could feel and smell the grease on myself. 

[+ Italiano]

21 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

I was referring to names of things. Like calling the Native Americans "Indians" because the sailors thought they had reached India.  Americans call Pommes Frites "French" fries because some Belgians speak French. Technically they should be called Belgian Fries.  

As far as Five Guys ...amongst the fast food purveyors Five Guys has the best fries.

Hysterical that fresh, higher quality food, that should be regarded as the standard is described as "too rich".  

I do realize that a lot of middle America people grew up poor and didn't have access to fresh food, so their memories are all about eating poverty food instead of fresh food.

I also did not grow up with money, but our location in the heartland of Pennsylvania Farm culture meant that we always ate fresh, high quality food. Not frozen, processed junk.

I had the impression they should be called "Freedom fries"...🤔