What has happened to McDonalds food?
I'll be the first to admit that I am no expert on fastfood . I rarely eat it, and usually only when I'm out and about at events or on the road and it's all that can be found.
So yesterday Mr Chazer and I betook ourselves to Milton Keynes MK Dons stadium for Collectormania comic-con event. We spent a few hours there and also some time wandering round Marks & Spencers and Ikea.
Last time we were there there were no hot food options available apart from either McDonalds or KFC. My husband refuses to set foot in KFC and I'm not much better with McDonalds. But Mackiedoos it was. I had a Chicken McLegend and fries with a Sprite. The coating on the chicken was lovely and spicy. The chicken inside was bland and uninteresting. The fries tasted of salt and cardboard and the Sprite was 90% water, I swear.
So what on earth has happened? The last time I had a McD it wasn't that bad. True, not up to the standard that the local Burger King delivers (hot food cooked specially for you, yes, you have to wait but the quality is superior). And certainly not up to the standard of the local fish shop which does chips and battered sausage worth the waiting time to cook and serve and the price tag attached to that level of service.
I quite cheerfully told my husband that I preferred Nando's chicken and chips if it came down to it. The prices are comparable to McDs and bottomless soda is a good innovation that we don't see much here in the UK. We walked around the corner of the stadium on the way to Marks & Spencer. And there was a whole row of proper restaurants, which had not been built when we were there before. Either side of the multiplex IMAX cinema were a range of restaurants covering every taste. A Chinese restaurant, a Frankie & Benny's, a tex-mex, a TGIs, and a Nando's.
I know where we'll be eating next time. McD's has seen the last of us in that location.
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Comments
Kasman wrote on June 14, 2015, 1:50 PM
Mickey D saw the last of my wife and I many years ago once our kids had outgrown them and we no longer had to go. If we are out for lunch in our local area we have a couple of favourite places we go - both independent restaurants. If we are away from home then we try to choose either a Chinese or an Indian restaurant - they both serve interesting and (usually) good quality foods.
morilla wrote on June 14, 2015, 2:11 PM
I rarely eat at McDonald's anymore; even for what was the $1 menu. McDonald's has never really been known for 'good' food, just consistent taste; i.e., the burger tastes pretty much the same whether you bought it in Moscow, ID or Moscow, Russia. They've been 'experimenting' with new 'meals,' but I get the sense that their eye has been, not so much on taste, as saving money. (They've virtually done away with the $1 menu in this area.) With that said, there are articles which claim the food served at U.K. McDonald's is healthier than in the U.S. - which means it might not have all those 'extras' in it which are supposed to add to the, ahem, taste.
WordChazer wrote on June 14, 2015, 2:23 PM
Now we know that there's a selection of other sit down restaurants nearby, we shall be sampling them instead. We're not huge fans of Frankie & Benny's but we like the occasional TGIs, and always look for a Chinese if we can (my husband, despite being a cat lover, ought to be reincarnated as a duck, the amount of it he eats!) I like the sound of the tex-mex too.
WordChazer wrote on June 14, 2015, 2:27 PM
I'm not surprised McD's is losing market share to other outlets (I hear Chipotle are doing quite well against them in the US) when the food is as bland as the offering I had yesterday. If the only way they get flavour into their meat is artificially, it's no wonder there's a diabetes issue among regular users. Imagine what all that stuff is doing to humans... OK, yes, I'm spoiled, in that I cook much of my own food from scratch here. But I like my restaurants to have food that matches my own for flavour at least.
DWDavisRSL wrote on June 14, 2015, 4:03 PM
McD's is usually a last resort for lunch or dinner but I do like their chicken biscuit or a sausage McGriddle for breakfast.
melody23 wrote on June 14, 2015, 5:00 PM
I dont eat fast food often but when I do its the only time I am glad that I am a fussy eater. Asking for food plain in a fast food place means they have to make you a fresh burger or whatever and its usually edible at least because its freshly made. I tell you what I do like out of McD's though: these frappachinos they are doing now, the mocha one is fab and my mum loves the mango smoothie type thing. We often pop in for one when we are at mums local shops since its the only thing there, we rarely eat there though
wolfgirl569 wrote on June 14, 2015, 5:10 PM
We have not eaten there since the kids were small and even then not very often. We usually go to Burger King
WordChazer wrote on June 14, 2015, 5:33 PM
Trust me, Mr D, the chicken 'McLegend' I had yesterday was anything but a legend. The chicken joint I just cooked for us for supper was more succulent and flavorsome and the piri piri herb and spice coating I applied to the roast potatoes was superior to the breadcrumb coating on the chicken fillet yesterday.
WordChazer wrote on June 14, 2015, 5:36 PM
I prefer the BK on campus. Once they realise I am staff, a freshly cooked meal will usually be forthcoming, steaming hot and smelling just as good as it tastes. Yesterday's adventure was a real eye opener. I'd heard many tales of poor quality/taste/service recently at McDs but not seen for myself. Now I know it to be truth.
WordChazer wrote on June 14, 2015, 5:59 PM
Never been a coffee fan - you want to treat me in A&E you give me a coffee - does strange things to my innards, that stuff. I like a mango lassi at times though, like a fruit shake so it does me for dessert when we've been out for a curry. That's a rare occurance these days as I had curry thrown over me a few years back by some drunken chav someone had invited to a birthday bash at a local restaurant. She looked at the (perfectly edible) veggie biryani and told the waiter it was cat food and he was (unspeakable racist term). Then when I called her on it, I ended up wearing her curry. Wasted food, and I was washing it out of my hair and clothes for some time afterwards. She walked out, and we had our meals for free on the house as a result of her idiocy.
DWDavisRSL wrote on June 14, 2015, 5:59 PM
Okay, now you're just making me hungry. Good thing my lovely wife is preparing her delicious stir fry at this moment. I agree that most McD's offerings are bland. We refer to it, and most fast food, as styrofood. It fills you up but doesn't satisfy.
WordChazer wrote on June 14, 2015, 6:09 PM
Ordinary plain chicken joint, available in many stores. Ordinary potaoes, peeled, rolled in oil and seasoning and roasted. Frozen courgette and frozen mixed veg. One standard portion of veggie gravy granules with added boiling water. Bingo. One meal. Only added extras the seasoning for the spuds and the gravy. One hour or so later, a roast worthy of note.
Stir fry is one of my favorites, so now you're giving me menu ideas for later in the week.
paigea wrote on June 14, 2015, 9:05 PM
I am not really a fan of any fast food. I mainly only go to fast food places when mystery shopping them. A&W seems pretty good here.
WordChazer wrote on June 15, 2015, 4:11 PM
Not familiar with A&W . Many American restaurants I have eaten in, but that one is new to me. Will keep an eye out next I'm over there.
LindaCPearson wrote on June 16, 2015, 6:04 PM
I havent eaten at McDonald's in years so I don't know how anything tastes anymore. I did like the fish filet and fries but not sure if it would taste the same today.
AliCanary wrote on June 27, 2015, 10:24 PM
McDonald's has just introduced a line of "steak burgers" here, and I tried one that had mushrooms, grilled onions and cheddar cheese. It was decent, but I don't really want to pay $5 for a burger at McDonald's. They used to have an "angus burger" line that was just as good and those were around $3.50. I agree with you on the chicken--it is very bland and kind of rubbery!