BloodMoon

You know, I could always understand how McDonalds could be popular back in England. Let's face it...we have a huge variety of "sit down" restaurants, pubs, bars etc to choose from. But if you want fast food (such as grabbing a quick lunch on the way to work) then your options were pretty limited to KFC, Burger King, Mcdonalds or the chip shop. So if you had a burger craving, or a desire for some greasy bacon cheese fries thing, you were down to two choices.

Hence why all of my local McD's were always jam-packed when all the pubs would kick out and everyone was starving.

Now you come here to the States - and they have many, many fast food places and MANY burger joints. Wendys, Jack in the Box, Burger King, Whattaburger, etc and they are ALL much better than McDonalds in terms of size, quality and price. The US also has a huge variety of restaurants that serve food extremely quickly and at a very cheap price.

So just why do parents take their kids to McDonalds for the cheap shitty decor? Why do people spend $6 on a Big Mac Combo, when you can get a take out steak dinner from a local restaurant for $9?! Filet-O-Fish or Sirloin Steak....hmmmm....

I just don't get it.

Celsius

You don't get it. That's OK. The US government forgives you. There's lots of people who'll eat fast food like lambs to the slaughter...

BloodMoon

Well let's not turn everything into an economic whirlwind of conspiratorial consequences..I was just asking about burgers, dude.

Jerseygirl

Dunno.......I don't eat mystery meat.

BloodMoon

You'd be surprised.

Hiro11

I think the main reason McDonalds is popular is because kids love it. Happy Meals are a stroke of marketing genius.

Rompers

Agreed. My kids don't really like the food (who does?) but are always begging to go to McDonalds. Why? Because they like the play area and they want the cheap sh1tty plastic toy.

peacelover

Yes it was the same with the boxes of cereal when I was a kid, even if we didn't really like the cereal we wanted it for the plastic cowboys and indians inside.

Jerseygirl

What are you talking about

britvic

Yes that's the only reason I go, when the weather's doing it's extreme thing, to hot or to cold, my Son go's there to play and we always leave with him eating a cold bugger, I'm always amazed at the Parents making there Kid's eat there food before there allowed to play, you would think it cost's them the price of a steak dinner And all I want is a cup of there fowl coffee.

lee_in_nj

I miss Wimpy's... those were some good burgers.. do Wimpy's still exist? I was trying to explain to a yank the other day that my local wimpy back in the day would charge 5p for a packet of ketchup.. they refused to believe me.

Jerseygirl

OMG they were taken over by BK centuries ago.

englishnurse

yeah i think national milk bars went the same way, does anyone remember them?

dinosaur

Reasons I can think of:

dinosaur

Yes - being charged for ketchup (as well as calling it tomato sauce) at a chip shop in the UK gobsmacked my wife...