Posted on 10/12/2013 2:07:12 PM PDT by SamAdams76
McDonald’s Corp. has started serving chicken wings, but some locals say the new item may not fly in Gainesville.
Coinciding with the beginning of football season, Mighty Wings have temporarily joined the menu until mid-November.
Hoss Rice, a manager at Gator’s Dockside, said he’s not concerned about the competition because atmosphere plays an important role in attracting customers. “The people that are going to go to McDonald’s for chicken wings are just driving on their way home and are like, ‘Man, I really want some wings, and I don’t have time to go somewhere good,’” he said. Alexis Thomas, a 21-year-old nursing sophomore at Santa Fe College, said she doesn’t think McDonald’s poses a significant threat to existing wing joints because, as of right now, the restaurant only offers one flavor.
“I think if they switch it up and add original or buffalo, it will make an effect,” she said.
However, Thomas said she thinks the atmosphere doesn’t have as much influence if the food is good.
“The way your food is made determines whether or not you want to eat there, ” she said. “Depending on how hungry you are, you are going to want to sit there and eat regardless. All you are worried about is getting that food in your mouth while it’s hot.”
David Alexander, a 22-year-old UF telecommunication junior, expressed a different sentiment about fast-food wings.
“I think what makes the best wings is the quality of the chicken and how well they’re seasoned,” he said.
Alexander said atmosphere does play a large role in the settings in which people traditionally enjoy wings.
“You eat wings while you’re watching a football game, and you can’t really do that at McDonald’s,” he said.
McDonald’s is just trying to find a way to capitalize on a popular food that everyone enjoys, he said.
“I don’t think they are truly mastering the craft of chicken wings,” Alexander said.
There was a local c-store that had a deep fryer and sold chicken, lol, probably better than McD’s... lol. More adventurous anyways
I make my own BBQ wings and they are goooood! My opinion of course since I eat all of them myself.
(she died in 2002)
Quarter pounder with cheese, filet o fish sandwiches, egg mcmuffins, and of course their world famous fries are what I like from them. Hmmm. I live only two blocks away from one. Think I’ll go help an American company by spending my money at one of their restaurants right now. Forget about the sushi I was craving right now, I want a quarter pounder, fries, and hot fudge sundae. Yum yum.
A friend of mine’s favorite part of chicken was the wing. Way before Buffalo wings became popular. I like the dark meat. Breasts are OK for a sandwich but any of the dark pieces are better.
The main criticism seems to be simple snobbery.
I stop at McDonald’s twice a year, on the way to Maine and back again. I like to order a Big Mac meal with fries
That’s funny because I eat the same meal twice a year when I go through Moab, UT on my way to southwestern Wyoming. LOL
They are my only McDonalds meals of the year.
I used to like the QP, but I just can’t eat it anymore without getting horrible indigestion. Ditto on the fries, they just don’t agree with me. Gee, it’s hard getting old! LOL. I will occasionally have a sausage & egg bagel for breakfast (no cheese and no “fake” butter sauce). They’re okay. Dunkin Donuts has better ones.
I stop at a McDonald’s in New Hampshire. And the dogs in the back seat love it, because there’s a little river that runs behind the parking lot, and they can get a drink and cool off, as well as do their duties.
“McDonald’s should stick with In N Out’s approach.
Burgers...Fries....Shakes.....That’s It!”
Indeed, thats the way the original McDonalds started. The McDonald brothers owned a drive in where they sold all sorts of food besides just burgers, fires and shakes. They even served seafood. But they noticed that the vast majority of their sales came from the burgers, fries and shakes. They took a risk in eliminating all other food from their menu and decided to sell burgers, fries, shakes, and sodas only. Their gamble paid off. It was a success.
Nice.
One problem I think McDonalds has is that it has too many menu items. Keep it simple like In and Out. There menu board has too many items on it. Yes, I know In and Out had a secret menu.
Another thing is their food isn’t that great for the price they charge.
Oh yeah. Been there numerous times. Chicken sandwiches there are the best and the one I go to has good milkshakes too.
Since Obama, McDonald's accepts EBT now, which might be the target crowd for this.
My son makes the BEST wings. He buys BIG ones at Sprouts, marainates them, grills them, makes dipping sauces. They are SO good! McDonalds can’t match this PERFECTION! he is 1600 miles away. I miss him and I miss his cooking!
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