When we lived in North Carolina/Huntersville, there was a Hardy's there, that on Saturday mornings, there were some 20 or sometimes more Seniors eating in there. They were quite interesting to talk to. That was back in 2008, before we actually turned the Senior age.
Used to like their breakfast biscuits and coffee. But, now that I have no car I can't reach the fast food joints. Most are on the north edge of town, or the south fringe. If someone would put one in the downtown area, they'd make a killing.
Yeah .. this is an old thread but I found it LOL I like the Filet o Fish at Mickey Dee and I also like the mocha frappaccino they have these days. I order a big mac about once a year just to see if it tastes the same and it does.
I used to get their fish filet sandwich every now and then and it was okay, except that they put way too much tartar sauce, or whatever it is that they slop onto it, so I haven't ordered it in quite a while.
@Ken Anderson Years back, they actually deep-fried the sandwich, taking at least 15 minutes; you had to wait. Today, pre-cooked, quick-thawed already fried, taste inferior. I always ordered them w/o the tartar sauce.
The one main thing I used to heavily preach when I was an F & B consultant was that no matter what a person may think about McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Hardee’s or Burger King, they have one attribute that very few restaurants anywhere in the world has: They are consistent. Whether the product is good, bad or indifferent, a person can go into a McDonalds from Maine to San Jose and get the same product time after time. You know what to expect and what you expect you will get. Very few free standing restaurants which have only one location can say the same thing. I have nearly pounded the concept of consistancy into the heads of Chefs, cooks, managers and owners but it just doesn’t seem to click most of the time.
Bobby that is so true ! We know when we are on the road and we see a McD's or Burger King that it will taste as expected .. no surprises.
Where is the ADVENTURE in that, though ? Give me some unknown little roadside cafe or hamburger stand over a McDonalds any day. Sure, some of them are not so good, but usually if a mom & pop place doesn’t serve good food, they don’t stay in business long because they do not have a giant corporation backing them up. Most of the little places have some sort of specialty, or just do a great job of making their hamburgers, and it is worth the chance to try them out and see.
On the very rare occasion I go into Maccy dees... I almost always get a fillet o' fish sandwich and I always ask for it without tartar sauce.. I get it freshly made then, because it's not been sitting ready made for a while...same with a cheeseburger, always ask for it without dill pickle, and although I have to wait a few minutes longer for it, it's always freshly made..
I agree with @Bobby Cole it's reassuring to know what to expect in terms of quality, speed, cleanliness, and price. I have not eaten at a McDonald's in a few years. A couple of months ago I wasn't feeling well and needed to go out and pick up a prescription so I decided to hit the McDonald's drive-thru for a burger to eat when I got home. I ended up driving around the building in the now double lane drive-thru without finding the kiosk to place my order so I gave up and went home! I guess I'm just too old and slow for fast food!
It doesn't always have to be "either, or".....why not both? That way you get the "best" of both worlds.
I like McD's. It is open 24/7 here. My go to items would be a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and plain old Sausage Biscuit. Certainly haven't tried everything on the McD's menu but other than those two, these are the best and the worst. Really good. Could be regional. Not that new. Been around for at least 5 years. The worst! . Not lovin' it.
We do like to try new places but we plan for that. My reference is for those times when we don't need a new adventure or are in a strange place and don't know the makeup of the neighborhoods. We spend a great deal of time traveling back and forth to VA facilities for medical reasons and some of those days require a quick stop and something that we are familiar with. It's not always good for us to try something new that may or may not be good for us. On that same note .. we stopped in at a little hole in the wall place we had seen recently. From the outside you would think there wasn't a good thing about it .. but the parking lot was always full so we thought what the heck .. let's do it. So we planned to go there last Saturday for lunch .. it was great. It's a little Mexican place and it's in a tiny little building about the size of the old Fotomats .. seriously we don't know how they do it! It has 6 tables and the best food! We had another one just out of town that is always crowded ... similar in size but states clearly they are only open for breakfast. That will be next on our list of "gotta try this place".
What?? A McDonald's thread with no discussion of the McRib?? Yes, to my complete humiliation I actually like pressed and formed mystery meat slathered in BBQ sauce. Thankfully they are a limited-time only item but I get one every year.
I have never tried the McDonald's version of ribs, probably since we cook them for ourselves often enough.