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The Year of McDonald's

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Re: The Year of McDonald's

#31

Post by rdtsc »

anonu wrote: post #21
rdtsc wrote: post #10

> At the end of October, there was the viral, and controversial, Trump campaign stop, where he “worked” for 30 minutes at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Then, this week, there was the news that Luigi Mangione, the alleged assassin of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was caught in a McDonald’s—also, coincidentally, in Pennsylvania—because he was spotted by a group of morning regulars and employees Didn't Kamala Har…

Trump was an actual campaign stop photo op... Harris didn't do a McD photo op. So not clear on your point. Also Trump rode in a garbage truck around the same time. Was he one upping Harris? Or just trying to appeal to the working class? Probably the latter...

> So not clear on your point.

I just meant that an article, claiming to go for a deep dive on how McDonald's is part of the new American zeitgeist, mentions one presidential candidate, and the CEO murderer, but doesn't mention the other presidential candidate.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/01/kamala-harris-on-working-at-... is just from a few months ago.

> “It was not a small job,” Harris told Ruhle. “There are people who work at McDonald’s in our country who are trying to...raise families and pay rent.”

Just seemed like an odd omission, that's all.

Re: The Year of McDonald's

#32

Post by kube-system »

ethbr1 wrote: post #28
kube-system wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

McDonalds is financially quite healthy. They've never been the cheapest nor the best quality. McDonalds excels in having food at the right place at the right time and a minimal effort to transact. If you are traveling at any random place in the US, and you are in a hurry and want something you are familiar with, McDonalds is the most likely thing you will come across first. There is a huge cognitive anchoring this ha…

Taco Bell: Te parezco un chiste?

Taco bell has significantly fewer locations, it's less likely that your next exit has one.

Re: The Year of McDonald's

#33

Post by yodsanklai »

kube-system wrote: post #15
munk-a wrote: post #5

What a bizarre statement about a place of business that's tried to irrelevance themselves into non-existence this year. Fast food pricing is now equal or beyond the prices of quality food with non-chain fast food (i.e. doner/local pizza joints) becoming the new affordable option.

McDonalds is financially quite healthy. They've never been the cheapest nor the best quality. McDonalds excels in having food at the right place at the right time and a minimal effort to transact. If you are traveling at any random place in the US, and you are in a hurry and want something you are familiar with, McDonalds is the most likely thing you will come across first. There is a huge cognitive anchoring this ha…

> If you are traveling at any random place in the US

And not only in the US. McDonald's is big in some European countries like France. In small towns, McDonald's may be the only option available past a certain hour.

My relationship with the company has evolved though. When we were teenagers, we loved McDonald's. It was also not available everywhere and quite novel, so we would sometimes drive a long way with my mom just to go there. Nowadays, I'm much more concern about my health so it's really one of the last option I'd consider. It feels they have become dirtier than what they used to be though, but maybe that's subjective.

Re: The Year of McDonald's

#34

Post by muhamedgg »

tetris11 wrote: post #2

One of my favourite places in the world is this one particular McDonalds in Camberwell that's open 24 hrs. On a Friday night at 2am, its full of people from all walks of life - from delivery workers taking a 5 minute break, to wedding party socialites looking for a quick food fix since everything else is closed - and they're all there for the exact same reason and are sitting next to each other without any tension or…

[dead]

Re: The Year of McDonald's

#35

Post by mcculley »

munk-a wrote: post #5

What a bizarre statement about a place of business that's tried to irrelevance themselves into non-existence this year. Fast food pricing is now equal or beyond the prices of quality food with non-chain fast food (i.e. doner/local pizza joints) becoming the new affordable option.

I have been wondering if this should be seen as a success of laws raising minimum wage. In some states, the rapid rise of minimum wage means that it is no longer viable to have someone else make a sandwich for you. Isn't that a victory for those who want equality?

Re: The Year of McDonald's

#36

Post by ghaff »

kube-system wrote: post #15
munk-a wrote: post #5

What a bizarre statement about a place of business that's tried to irrelevance themselves into non-existence this year. Fast food pricing is now equal or beyond the prices of quality food with non-chain fast food (i.e. doner/local pizza joints) becoming the new affordable option.

McDonalds is financially quite healthy. They've never been the cheapest nor the best quality. McDonalds excels in having food at the right place at the right time and a minimal effort to transact. If you are traveling at any random place in the US, and you are in a hurry and want something you are familiar with, McDonalds is the most likely thing you will come across first. There is a huge cognitive anchoring this ha…

I basically never eat at McDonald's personally but I expect a lot of people just default to it as the predictable option that isn't too bad for their tastes and doesn't cost too much.

Re: The Year of McDonald's

#38

Post by giraffe_lady »

chasd00 wrote: post #27
tetris11 wrote: post #2

One of my favourite places in the world is this one particular McDonalds in Camberwell that's open 24 hrs. On a Friday night at 2am, its full of people from all walks of life - from delivery workers taking a 5 minute break, to wedding party socialites looking for a quick food fix since everything else is closed - and they're all there for the exact same reason and are sitting next to each other without any tension or…

Sounds like a Waffle House an hour after last call except replace "without any tension or fanfare" with "overwhelming aggressive unpredictability" hah.

In my home town the joke was waffle house is for when you want denny's but don't know how to fight.

Re: The Year of McDonald's

#39

Post by kube-system »

observationist wrote: post #25
kube-system wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

McDonalds is financially quite healthy. They've never been the cheapest nor the best quality. McDonalds excels in having food at the right place at the right time and a minimal effort to transact. If you are traveling at any random place in the US, and you are in a hurry and want something you are familiar with, McDonalds is the most likely thing you will come across first. There is a huge cognitive anchoring this ha…

Don't forget consistency - you can get chicken nuggets and barbecue sauce and french fries that taste recognizably the same at any of their 42,000 restaurants. The food preparation and storage, shipping logistics, and other underpinnings of their consistency trick are admirable, even if the other issues with fast food detract from the overall picture.

That's what I was hinting at "something you are familiar with" and "effort to transact". People hopping off the highway for a quick stop with their family don't want to mull over SlopBowl's menu for 10 minutes, even if it's better quality... they know if they roll into a McD, they can grab a happy meal and the kid won't complain.

Re: The Year of McDonald's

#40

Post by amelius »

munk-a wrote: post #5

What a bizarre statement about a place of business that's tried to irrelevance themselves into non-existence this year. Fast food pricing is now equal or beyond the prices of quality food with non-chain fast food (i.e. doner/local pizza joints) becoming the new affordable option.

Reminds me how one-type-fits-all smartphones are sold as premium devices.
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