If that is true, then it have to be the oil and possibly a smaller size in cross section. What they have today is crap.
From 2002: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mcdonalds-settles-beef-over-fries/
It's been a while, but this is why they taste like crap these days. Plus, either the worker puts too much salt on them (hard to do, but it's possible), or not enough.