Posted on 08/09/2013 6:23:53 PM PDT by grundle
The parking lot is packed, men in suits linger by the entrance, a group of painters waddle toward their truck with lazy smiles and swollen stomachs. Inside, a man holds an iPad in one hand, a beer in the other. A couple in big cushy chairs review architectural plans over a café au lait and a crème brûlée.
It’s not quite a bistro, but it’s close. This is McDonald’s as a decidedly more grown-up experience, where hard plastic is traded for leather banquettes, pull-out chairs for angular cushioned stools, and golden arches for burnt sienna and low-lit nooks where couples can steal a quiet moment. You can still find a Big Mac and a box of nuggets here, but they are overshadowed on the menu boards by the bigger stars of the French universe: the McDoo, a warm ham and cheese take on the croque-monsieur, leafy salads that bounce like a Kardashian’s backside, and a line of burgers featuring artisanal French cheeses like Comté and Camembert that McDonald’s rolled out earlier this year.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
Suddenly they discover the attractions of clean restrooms, prompt service and food served hot.
I know it is not true of all McDs but for the first ones in country it is.
Have witnessed it in several places.
“More and more, the key to McDonald’s future appears to be found in the DNA of the places it inhabits”
So, does that mean McD’s serves swill only in the U.S. now, and if so, what does that say about American cuisine DNA?
“McDoo?” No.
This guy has it wrong. In Paris it is “MacDo” or “McDo.” Pronounced “mack dough.”
Same in Quebec.
You can get beer and wine in Mickey Dee’s in Paris and I guess every place in Europe. Vienna for sure. I had wine in both. They also charge for the packets of ketchup and mustard etc.
When McD’s opened in Moscow people would line up all day. It took them a couple of years getting the supply chain up to snuff before opening because the Soviet food industry was a nightmare of horrible logistics and zero concern for product quality and safety.
Back in the late 90’s I was killing time on a Sunday in an open air flea market in a Southern Belgium city. Every other business was closed and I was starving and not wanting to find some place that took four hours to have a meal.
As I wandered from the flea market I spied a McDonald’s in the city and it was OPEN!! The place was packed with people. I guess the French types in southern Belgium didn’t mind McDonald’s, especially when it was one of the few establishments open during the day on Sundays.
McDonald’s has been tailoring their menus to local tastes for a long time now. In India all the burgers are made with mutton (nobody would buy a beef burger), and in Nova Scotia they’ve been serving McLobster for at least a decade.
I went to Paris and ate in a Mcdonald’s. It was packed! Surprised me that.
I’ve never had a problem with McDonald’s at all. And, damn, I sure miss me some McDLT.
This is absolutely horrid that a company would actually try to cater to the tastes of a customer. </sarcasm>
A few years ago, Paris, champs elyses. (Sp). Lunchtime. Mcd and a French burger place next door. No one in the French place. Mckey d packed
I was surprised at the number of people walking around eating. More than here.
Thank you for posting something that made Me smile. I remember eating at MickeyDee's in Nihon, with the golden arches an immediate attraction even from a distance. The fries were hot and delicious, although the burger tasted a bit odd since it had apparently been fried in fish oil.
The young Nihonjin girls at the counter were pretty hot too, as I recall, and I had to go back more than once for additional orders and selections. Really cute smiles and welcoming bows that made you just stop thinking sometimes...
1. The French government ill-advisedly imposes such high taxes on eating at conventional sit-down restaurants that many French find it way cheaper to eat at McDonald's.
2. The managers at McDonald's France went WAY out of their way to tailor the menu specifically to French palates, and have even done major marketing campaigns emphasizing that McDonald's in France is a major purchaser of locally grown vegetables and locally-raised cattle, chicken, etc.
By the time the French people realized what happened, it was too late....
McDonald fries, the cause I think.
You know why they call it a ‘Royale with Cheese’?
I have a confession. I’m on the road a lot. When I have a twinge of hunger and the urge for an Icy Cold Soft Drink, Micky D’s does the trick.
I really like those $1.29 Spicy McChicken Sandwiches. I get one of those and a Large Drink for a Buck and I’m a happy camper for less than $2.50 including Tax.
The only thing that bugs me, and I have been to a whole lot of Micky D’s, is that they don’t have Root Beer. They never have as far as I remember and I demand to know why!
Time to do a Google search since I’m thinking of it.
I forgot about the mad cow disease. Good thing I ate poultry and no beef in Europe
I recall that some years ago a famous French chef said that McDonald’s fries were among the best he’d ever tasted. And I agree - I think their fries are what they do best.
What's interesting is that many people outside France are realizing that French cuisine as served in France is just overrated and surprisingly not that great. It's getting to the point that French cuisine is better in quality in Belgium--and Japan (of all places!) has become a new hotbed for innovations in French cuisine.
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