10 things McDonald's must do to get its house in order

USA Today ^ | 12-12-2002 | Bruce Horovitz

[MotleyGirl70]

If you were in high school, was I even born yet? :)

I was a hostess at an IHOP in high school. Maybe that's why I'm not a big fan of breakfast food.

[notdownwidems]

Here in Colorado we have a lovely burger-joint establishment called Good Times Burgers and Frozen Custard; I just ate lunch there today, matter of fact. The food is real good, served quickly and by friendly employees, the place is clean, and they don't pander to the under 10 crowd. If you are ever in my neck of the woods, I recommend it. I wouldn't go anywhere else, not even Wendy's, which I now consider a distant second to Good Times. Any other freepers fans?

[Xenalyte]

Hey, isn't Post 17 your ride?

[DWSUWF]

"...Someone needs to remind these marketing exec types that people LIE when you ask them questions in surveys..."

Let's repeat that last part for the ones in the back of the class...

people LIE when you ask them questions in surveys

I resent people imposing on me, whether by phone, at the door or on the street, with 'surveys'.

Normally I tell them to "F*ck Off" (without using the asterisk, of course) but -if I'm feeling puckish- I'll lie to them, just to see if they'll swallow it.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Good tasting, greasy food sells.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Poor ol' Jeff...whatever became of him?

I used to love the trimmings bar Burger Chef had, with all the topping and condiments you wanted...was that just a local VA thing, or was that nationwide?

[Atlas Sneezed]

"I miss Burger Chef!"

My first "real" paycheck/witholding(eek!) job.

We put all the good fixins (tomatoes, lettuce, onions) out on the make-it-yourself bar, and all the limp crappy stuff went into the burgers we made and wrapped.

I learned how to resuscitate a stale burger that has a hard bun from sitting on the warming tray for a few hours: toss it in the microwave!

[cksharks]

I make a trip to Krystals every week. Almost the same as White Castles.

[HairOfTheDog]

McDonalds has the best fries by far! And I think they are almost always hot!

I have to admit to liking the Big Mac because it never changes... it is the one constant in life we can always depends on no matter where we are!

[cksharks]

I watched the true story of the start of McDonalds on Bio a couple of weeks ago. Very entresting.

[MotleyGirl70]

Actually I think the bits of chicken are pieces off the floor. My brother worked at Arby's and Red Lobster, I won't even go there...

[cyphergirl]

Funny this topic should come up .... I ripped McDonalds a nasty email today after getting yet another nasty looking burger.


I used to work at McDonalds... in 1993 - 1994. A GREAT McDonalds. If you were working the grill, and you were making messy burgers, you didn't get to work the grill anymore. The sandwiches had to be NEAT. APPEALING. And above all, they got microwaved for about 10 seconds to melt the cheese before the customer got them. Not making neat burgers with melted cheese would get you FIRED.

Now look at the mess..... I'm sick of ordering a burger, getting back to my office, and having to put the damned thing together. Is it really that much trouble to make sure that the meat is ON the bun... and that the cheese is ON the meat... and that there isn't ketchup smeared all over the top of the bun and squirting out every time you pick up the thing????!!!


Back when I worked at McD's, I learned that if you asked for a burger with extra cheese, they would make you a new one... because since the cheese on burgers was melted, they couldn't just take the bun off and slap a cold slice on. I got in the habit of asking for extra cheese. Last week I ordered a quarter-pounder with extra cheese.. as usual. When I unwrapped the burger, they had put a stack of ** 6 slices ** of cold cheese on top of the cold burger. I just couldn't eat it after seeing that..... it went into the "round file" and I spent the afternoon munching on a salad from my company's cafeteria.

WTF is wrong with these mouth-breathers that they are hiring today!!??

[TXBubba]

Okay, I'll admit it. I EAT AT MCDONALD'S. There that's said. Like mg39 I have noticed a big slip in restaurant cleanliness. McDonald's used to be the one rest stop you could count on during road trips to have a clean restroom. No more! I will take the state run roadside parks if I can't find a Cracker Barrel to go to.

Can't say I noticed a change in the food since I was a kid. I do think Wendy's beats them all over the place on chicken nuggets. But McDonald's beats the others on their Happy Meal toys. I'm breaking my son of the "toy" idea with the exception being Hot Wheels when McDonald's puts them in. Oh, did I say, my son? I mean my husband.

[Station 51]

Flight attendant Phil Perry doesn't like to admit it, but he eats at McDonald's 20 to 25 times a month.

Phil Perry is Phat!

[TightSqueeze]

McDonald's will always sustain declining growth because consumer's tastes has changed over a generation.

That, coupled with the knowledge that you are consuming an entire days worth of calories in a single meal will really hurt their future growth, to say the least.

[kaktuskid]

Bring back the beef-fat shortening they used to cook their fries in....intercourse the health nazis!

[cksharks]

Are you sure your not related to my wife!!!!!!!!!!LOL

[Cagey]

When I worked at Buger Chef we had some kind of tumbler contraption we would put potatoes in and this machine would remove the skin from the potatoes. We'd then place the skinned potatoes in a slicing machine and on to the fryer. I'm sure all these places use frozen potatoes now.

[A. Patriot]

I ate supper at a McDonalds for the first time in about 20 years not too long ago with my 3 year old nephew. Except for the fries which were excellent, the rest of the food was gross!!! The meat didn't taste like meat, the buns didn't taste good, the milkshake was some kind of plastic foam, not real icecream. The Apple pies weren't very good either.

I worked one summer when I was in high school at a Mcdonalds. (circa 1973). Back then, the food was really pretty good.

Today, only a kid would eat that garbage because they don't know any better.

Only the breakfasts are edible to pretty good.

[MotleyGirl70]

"Kenny, Kenny, Kenny…."

[Hemingway's Ghost]

That rant was F***ING FUNNY.