MaccyDs - 40 years in Ireland

gramar

gramar wrote: »

Rarely is twice a month?
I have thought that was somewhere between sometimes and often enough.

It's rare in comparison to 3/4 times a week
Relativity old boy.

Sofiztikated

thelad95 wrote: »

The hypocrisy is amazing, they're happy to eat from a place which supposedly prepares nearly 200 different meals in a kitchen the size of a matchbox with a fly trapper hanging over the cooking area, yet McDonalds would regularly face safety inspections and have to adhere too franchise guidelines strictly. I know which I'd rather.

In saying that, I know a girl who worked in McDonald's in newbridge and burgers in McDonald's go from frozen to fully cooked in thirty seconds that's just not right. Also, nearly everything on the euro saver menu gets cooked ages in advance and left to sit in a kind of warm shelving unit which the cashier then gives too you.

So those 6 nuggets that you get at 3am could well have been sitting there since 6 or 7pm.

Only partially true.

High frequency items would get cooked in bulk, and put into bain maries or under heat lamps until used. These are required by law to keep food items at a safe temperature until used, but any busy kitchen will have them used and replaced fairly sharpish. And any good kitchen manager will see that rotation is kept up.

Put it like this, when was the last time you heard of a McDonalds getting closed down for not meeting H&S standards?

EDIT: Oh and fully frozen doesn't mean raw. Oftentime are nearly full cooked before flash frozen in the meat plant, and require little further cooking. Plus they are thin.

Walter H Price

seamus wrote: »

When's the last time you've had a carvery?

It's certainly not fine dining, but at the very least you're going to get potatoes, veg and meat that's been prepared from scratch. Loaded with butter and salt to make it taste nicer, but still plenty of nutrition.

Cheap food isn't necessarily bad food, and food can be both high in calories and high in nutrition.

BK and McD's goes for the high-calorie, low-nutrition route.

I wouldn't be a major fan of Fast food, would be very occasional , Hanging for a McMor though now after the disastrous decision to read this full thread though

Wouldn't give the steam of my p!ss for a carvery manky , boring meat and two veg , you want a boring bland dinner you could have made better at home , that's your only man , only thing more grim then a Carvery Sunday lunch is the Carvery Curry.

armaghlad

Burger King burgers are better. I kinda hate fast food but when I'm hungover sometimes I just go all out and spend the guts of £20 on a pile of ****e from McDs. And almost instantly regret it once I've finished eating

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

tedpan wrote: »

You must be from Roscommon..

..Or Leitrim

Yep but, if you're lucky enough to live near the border with a county that has a McDonald's, sometimes on a clear day, if you're lucky, you can hear adverts on Westmeath, Galway or Shligo stations on your transistor radio.

Bliss.

K.Flyer

Minderbinder wrote: »

they don't resemble the burgers in the ads as they have these sort of food make-up artists. They just bring everything to the edge on one side of the burger so in the advert you can see everything that's in it. What you are eating is exactly what's in the advert.

Are you sure in Germany you weren't eating a gourmet burger? They have different menus in every country. I had a gourmet type burger in Newbridge one day, it was lovely and a lot better than a cheeseburger or Big Mac, or the burgers in that GBK.

No, it was not was not a Gourmet burger, it was the same as listed here, IIRC it was a double bacon cheese burger, or similar.
I was so impressed I sent my daughter a picture of it
And it wasn't a one off either, in the month we were there we went back a few times and the quality and freshness was the same every time irrespective of what we ordered.

Mr.Plough

F*ckin love McDonalds. It's been months since I've had one, but when I do (usually there's a mammoth hangover involved), I like to go on an all out binge. Beautiful stuff.

Sofiztikated

K.Flyer wrote: »

The chances of getting a burger in McDonalds in Ireland that even slightly resembles what is on the display is close to Nil.
Was in Germany for a while recently and there was a McD nearby, a world of a difference. Fresh crispy salad on hot burger, always fresh and tasty, almost gourmet compared to what they throw at you here. (Ok.. gourmet is probably a stretch, but you get the point )

To be fair, I've found the salads in Germany are way better than most here. Even in the scaldy little kebab place, at arsehole o'clock, the donerbox salads were fresh, and crunchy, tomatoes were red and juicy, sauerkraut all sour and krauty.

Man, I'd kill for a decent donerbox right now.

Kerrigooney

hungry hypno toad wrote: »

So you are boasting about never having eaten in McDonalds but you drink to excess to the point where you vomited. Classy.

It was 24 years ago. You never did anything stupid when you were 20,no? :rolleyes:

weldoninhio

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

Amen.
Life goals is to associate yourself with people who don't like the gherkins, so you get more gherkins anytime you're having a burger with someone who is impartial to them, you just get there's. It's the keystone to any succesful relationship.

I'm a bit strange. I take all of the gherkins off my burger. But if I miss one and bite into it, I like the taste. Yet I still remove them then next time.

harry Bailey esq

My better half is a serious coffee fiend,she reckons that McDonald's coffee is far superior than the stuff sold in the two best known coffee chains.

hungry hypno toad

Kerrigooney wrote: »

It was 24 years ago. You never did anything stupid when you were 20,no? :rolleyes:

I don't boast about never eating in McDonalds, so what I have or haven't done isn't relevant. :rolleyes:

Seanachai

Would be a good time for them to introduce gluten free buns here then, they've had them in Spain for years.

hungry hypno toad

Seanachai wrote: »

Would be a good time for them to introduce gluten free buns here then, they've had them in Spain for years.

Do many Irish people have a gluten intolerance or is this in response to the gluten free fad?

Boom_Bap

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

My better half is a serious coffee fiend,she reckons that McDonald's coffee is far superior than the stuff sold in the two best known coffee chains.

There's been many a time when I've been travelling and dipped in to Mickey D's for a coffee. It's better than most coffee shops and cheap as chips, and you get it fairly quickly as well.
Your better half knows their stuff

thelad95

Seanachai wrote: »

Would be a good time for them to introduce gluten free buns here then, they've had them in Spain for years.

For the 0.5% of the population who are actually intolerant of gluten or for all the idiots who insist on raiding all the gluten free food in the supermarket so that those who are actually coeliac can't ever have nice stuff?

murpho999

seamus wrote: »

When's the last time you've had a carvery?

It's certainly not fine dining, but at the very least you're going to get potatoes, veg and meat that's been prepared from scratch. Loaded with butter and salt to make it taste nicer, but still plenty of nutrition.

Cheap food isn't necessarily bad food, and food can be both high in calories and high in nutrition.

BK and McD's goes for the high-calorie, low-nutrition route.

Thankfully been a while since I've had a carvery and I don't see why that matters as they have not exactly changed over the last 20 years.

I would not be so certain that carvery potatoes and veg are made from scratch. A lot of it is bought in processed food. How do you think they can give you so much for so little.

Also, always too salty and fatty....it 's really not much healthier than a McDonalds.

murpho999

Seanachai wrote: »

Would be a good time for them to introduce gluten free buns here then, they've had them in Spain for years.

Why? They are only required if you are coeliac and otherwise offer no benefits.

This gluten free obsession by people without food tolerance issues is just pur e misunderstanding in my opinion.

Sofiztikated

thelad95 wrote: »

For the 0.5% of the population who are actually intolerant of gluten or for all the idiots who insist on raiding all the gluten free food in the supermarket so that those who are actually coeliac can't ever have nice stuff?

That's more of a supermarket supply error, than a shopper error. If you are constantly running out of a product, then demand is greater than supply, and supply should be increased.

Seanachai

hungry hypno toad wrote: »

Do many Irish people have a gluten intolerance or is this in response to the gluten free fad?

Are there people out there that choose to go gluten free to feel 'cleaner' or for lifestyle reasons, yes. But there are also a lot of people who genuinely have an intolerance, even though they grew up without an intolerance strangely enough. There's research that says there may be a viral cause, god only knows. I love regular bread, if I eat it though I get awful GI symptoms, even if it's homemade and non-processed.

Uncle_moe

Seanachai wrote: »

Are there people out there that choose to go gluten free to feel 'cleaner' or for lifestyle reasons, yes. But there are also a lot of people who genuinely have an intolerance, even though they grew up without an intolerance strangely enough. There's research that says there may be a viral cause, god only knows. I love regular bread, if I eat it though I get awful GI symptoms, even if it's homemade and non-processed.

It seems as though you have a wheat intolerance not a gluten intolerance.

PARlance

murpho999 wrote: »

Thankfully been a while since I've had a carvery and I don't see why that matters as they have not exactly changed over the last 20 years.

I would not be so certain that carvery potatoes and veg are made from scratch. A lot of it is bought in processed food. How do you think they can give you so much for so little.

Also, always too salty and fatty....it 's really not much healthier than a McDonalds.

I wouldn't be as worried about the veg as I would the meat itself. There was a piece about 'meat glue' on some RTE show last week. Fooking disgusting really, could only find a Daily Mail link that explains it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2144981/How-chefs-use-meat-glue-pig-blood-stick-steaks-together.html

Seanachai

Uncle_moe wrote: »

It seems as though you have a wheat intolerance not a gluten intolerance.

I get the same symptoms with rye and other grains also

Uncle_moe

sorry, it was just when you referred to bread alone I assumed it was just wheat you were intolerant to.
Just annoys me that so many people claim to be intolerant yet have no problem with gluten containing products like porridge, soy sauce, packet stocks, soups and sauces etc.

d2ww

It's 20 years since I was last in one. The stench of cooking fat in the air around those places acts like an invisible force field, one that I have no desire to break through.

Oafley Jones

Boom_Bap wrote: »

There's been many a time when I've been travelling and dipped in to Mickey D's for a coffee. It's better than most coffee shops and cheap as chips, and you get it fairly quickly as well.
Your better half knows their stuff

We'd a fairly militant anti capitalist/globalisation lecturer in college who admitted that wherever he was in the world he'd go to McDonalds for a good cup of coffee. He'd only buy the coffee though.

A friends father used to be a franchise owner in Ireland. They'd a room of rare and valuable kids meal toys. The staff uniform back then also had stars underneath the name badge; with each star being awarded for passing a Mc course. Everyone had one of these badges, including the owners. Saw his in the home office, it was like something you'd see on a third world general, rows and rows of stars, it's make Idi amin or Gaddafi proud. We took the piss of course only to be told what serious business it was. FFS.

thelad95

Sofiztikated wrote: »

That's more of a supermarket supply error, than a shopper error. If you are constantly running out of a product, then demand is greater than supply, and supply should be increased.

Supermarkets don't care much for it, it costs them a lot too order in and they don't make much from genuine celiacs as they have a sort of celiac medical card which allows them to claim back some of the extortionate price so all that taken into account, they make just above even money on it. Having a gluten free aisle is just another tactic to get people in the door.

As a result, they are deelighted when all the faddists come in and spend €4 on a pack of 6 gluten free rice cakes.

I have all this knowledge as my little sister is a properly diagnosed celiac and it is incredibly frustrating for my poor mother when people who don't need these niche products take them all and prevent those who actually do need them from gaining access.

Bringing the thread back on point, the exact same thing would happen in McDonald's, the same way people order soy lattes in Starbucks even though their stomachs are well capable of digesting an ocean of lactose.

Sofiztikated

thelad95 wrote: »

Supermarkets don't care much for it, it costs them a lot too order in and they don't make much from genuine celiacs as they have a sort of celiac medical card which allows them to claim back some of the extortionate price so all that taken into account, they make just above even money on it. Having a gluten free aisle is just another tactic to get people in the door.

As a result, they are deelighted when all the faddists come in and spend €4 on a pack of 6 gluten free rice cakes.

I have all this knowledge as my little sister is a properly diagnosed celiac and it is incredibly frustrating for my poor mother when people who don't need these niche products take them all and prevent those who actually do need them from gaining access.

Bringing the thread back on point, the exact same thing would happen in McDonald's, the same way people order soy lattes in Starbucks even though their stomachs are well capable of digesting an ocean of lactose.

Economies of scale come into play. The more that is supplied, the cheaper a product can get.

Also, the coeliac medical card thingy is coeliacs being able to claim gluten free food as a medical expense. It doesn't affect the supermarket price/profit at all, as it's claimed back as tax, minus what is imbursed by insurers. The same way I pay a chemist for medical supplies, and can claim expenses back in the new tax year.

Another tactic to get people in the door? What, by supplying a product that you would purchase, and hopefully purchase other such items?

I'd be more inclined to think that more people buying a gluten free option, showing a demand for it, would be a benefit to your sister, rather than a hindrance. The more demand, the likelier a place would provide said option, and more variety.

EDIT: I remember when gluten free options was just hard, crappy bread. Now your sister has the option of bread, scones, pita, pizza, beer, sausages, cakes, etc etc. All because there was a demand for it.

JamboMac

thelad95 wrote: »

Supermarkets don't care much for it, it costs them a lot too order in and they don't make much from genuine celiacs as they have a sort of celiac medical card which allows them to claim back some of the extortionate price so all that taken into account, they make just above even money on it. Having a gluten free aisle is just another tactic to get people in the door.

As a result, they are deelighted when all the faddists come in and spend €4 on a pack of 6 gluten free rice cakes.

I have all this knowledge as my little sister is a properly diagnosed celiac and it is incredibly frustrating for my poor mother when people who don't need these niche products take them all and prevent those who actually do need them from gaining access.

Bringing the thread back on point, the exact same thing would happen in McDonald's, the same way people order soy lattes in Starbucks even though their stomachs are well capable of digesting an ocean of lactose.

Its funny their was a tv show saying how people are paying extra for the gluten free isle stuff, but if you look in another isle stuff that is perfectly gluten free just with no gluten free written on the packet for half the price. If something has gluten in it, it has to state so in the ingredient, greatest con supermarkets ever played.

PARlance

thelad95 wrote: »

Supermarkets don't care much for it, it costs them a lot too order in and they don't make much from genuine celiacs as they have a sort of celiac medical card which allows them to claim back some of the extortionate price so all that taken into account, they make just above even money on it. Having a gluten free aisle is just another tactic to get people in the door.

As a result, they are deelighted when all the faddists come in and spend €4 on a pack of 6 gluten free rice cakes.

I have all this knowledge as my little sister is a properly diagnosed celiac and it is incredibly frustrating for my poor mother when people who don't need these niche products take them all and prevent those who actually do need them from gaining access.

Bringing the thread back on point, the exact same thing would happen in McDonald's, the same way people order soy lattes in Starbucks even though their stomachs are well capable of digesting an ocean of lactose.

That's some waffle there.

Supermarkets make money on gluten free products whether it's purchased by a Coeliac or a faddist.
Supermarkets don't subsidise diets of Coeliacs (Coeliacs can claim food expenditure via a Med 1 form, from the Gov.).

You can be guaranteed that if a supermarket is dedicating an aisle to anything, they're making plenty of money on it.

PARlance

JamboMac wrote: »

Its funny their was a tv show saying how people are paying extra for the gluten free isle stuff, but if you look in another isle stuff that is perfectly gluten free just with no gluten free written on the packet for half the price. If something has gluten in it, it has to state so in the ingredient, greatest con supermarkets ever played.

An awful lot of gluten free products will have more bad stuff in them vs regular products too. More sugar, salt etc etc.

Grab All Association

McDonalds is one of the biggest purchasers of Irish beef from Bord Bia quality assured farms. Their bacon is supplied by Dew Valley Meats in Thurles.

catbear

I remember the first one opening and the criticism in the following years that it couldn't be safe.

Unless I'm mistaken there were attempts in it the late 70s to shut Maccas down through hygiene checks but the standards they used were better than established practice so they effectively upped the bar.

OU812

I can remember being brought to McDonalds for my birthday in 1977. There were no "seats" you could sit on. Instead, there was a shiny (easy to wipe down) 45? angle strip around the side that you kind of leaned your arse against. The tables toward the centre had the same style lean, because they didn't want people to sit around taking up space.

They also had a McDonalds Ice Cream birthday cake if you were having a party

Beyondgone

Senna wrote: »

Had a McMuffin breakfast a few months ago, it was possibly the most vile thing I have ever eaten. Tasted dodgy going down, but I was starving, didn't feel well for hours after.
Big Mac is nice, chips are always good but the Mcflurrys are beautiful.

First time ever having a McDonalds was 1988, family holiday to Florida. The burgers were $1 and I want another one after devouring the first one.

Cobblers. You just weren't really hungry.

McD's is grand. If you try to eat it as "food" and live on it, you'll die. Rapido. Pretty much. If you regard it as spot-on for occasionally "filling a gap" or as a "treat", it's 100%. I'm 212 years old, and I've eaten loads of Mcdonalds. Apart from the seriously dodgy "smoky flavoured sauce" - which allegedly contains polonium, depleted uranium and bits of shergar, it's alright every once in a while.

Sofiztikated

Beyondgone wrote: »

Cobblers. You just weren't really hungry.

McD's is grand. If you try to eat it as "food" and live on it, you'll die. Rapido. Pretty much. If you regard it as spot-on for occasionally "filling a gap" or as a "treat", it's 100%. I'm 212 years old, and I've eaten loads of Mcdonalds. Apart from the seriously dodgy "smoky flavoured sauce" - which allegedly contains polonium, depleted uranium and bits of shergar, it's alright every once in a while.

The fact you got through the Famine is more impressive than you surviving on McD's.

Beyondgone

Sofiztikated wrote: »

The fact you got through the Famine is more impressive than you surviving on McD's.

If we'd had Miccky D back then, Cromwell could have gone and shat. The fries were rubbish at the time tho.:( Don't even mention the first "ride throughs". The amount of people who misunderstood that one wasn't right. I remember well when "Ye Olde Faste Foode Tavern" chucked up the first fancy Golden arches sign. People came in their droves, with their droves. A Bigge Mak was a farthing. "Woulds't thou liketh fries with thatt?" changed everything.

catbear

Beyondgone wrote: »

If you regard it as spot-on for occasionally "filling a gap" or as a "treat", it's 100%.

I use Maccas to fill a gap but it's never a treat. A really good chippers is a treat.

Beyondgone

catbear wrote: »

I use Maccas to fill a gap but it's never a treat. A really good chippers is a treat.

Fresh cod and chips, loads of vinegar and much salt. My idea of heaven as well. Feck you Ronald..

rob316

I've an lad with autism who is a really fussy eater and unfortunately maccy d's nuggets and fries is one of the few things he'll eat so its a regular place for us. I don't eat there though, not because I think its **** but because I'm starving after it, I prefer a proper chippers feels me better.

That said I absolutely love their breakfast, I'd eat the egg mcmuffin yoke everyday if I could. The odd time I'll get a McFlurry too.

The only thing that concerns me about it is kids like my lad who wont eat a thing at home will consume a large nugget meal like a crack addict. What do they put on the food like!?

catbear

rob316 wrote: »

I'd eat the egg mcmuffin yoke everyday if I could.

It's probably the only real value thing they have and was so popular in the USA they made it available all day.
The black coffee is ok too, I'm happy with it if there aren't better options around.

I use to work near a macca's and take my coffee break there. Loads of people would leave their coffee cup behind and I'd collect their coffee card sticker. I reckon I use to only ever pay for every second coffee there.

Seanachai

rob316 wrote: »

I've an lad with autism who is a really fussy eater and unfortunately maccy d's nuggets and fries is one of the few things he'll eat so its a regular place for us. I don't eat there though, not because I think its **** but because I'm starving after it, I prefer a proper chippers feels me better.

That said I absolutely love their breakfast, I'd eat the egg mcmuffin yoke everyday if I could. The odd time I'll get a McFlurry too.

The only thing that concerns me about it is kids like my lad who wont eat a thing at home will consume a large nugget meal like a crack addict. What do they put on the food like!?

I was told by a friend that the reason some special needs kids go for the McD's type of food is that it's easy to digest. Some options are high fat but their food is actually quiet easy to eat.

Claude Burgundy

topper75 wrote: »

Aye.

Plus €2, and you are eating a carvery roast with a knife and fork, at a table, civilized, like a Christian (as my gran would say).

And 6 quid for a pint of diet coke.

thelad95

Seanachai wrote: »

I was told by a friend that the reason some special needs kids go for the McD's type of food is that it's easy to digest. Some options are high fat but their food is actually quiet easy to eat.

That maybe the case but my insides always feel stodgy for a few hours after eating it.

Glenster

Claude Burgundy wrote: »

And 6 quid for a pint of diet coke.

The good ones have homeopathic squash for free.

spurious

endacl wrote: »

Fun fact: George Hook was offered the first McDonalds franchise here, and turned it down because he thought Irish people wouldn't eat meals without plates and cutlery.

My mother was one of the early customers in Grafton Street. She asked where the cutlery was. The answer? 'Fingers, dear, fingers!'

Claude Burgundy

Glenster wrote: »

The good ones have homeopathic squash for free.

Agreed some do and some charge up to €2 for a dash.

Seanachai

thelad95 wrote: »

That maybe the case but my insides always feel stodgy for a few hours after eating it.

Something about the oil on the fries clogs me up too.

Foxhound38

Partial to a Big Mac myself, although I feel almost dirty admitting that.

In fairness, it's not a bad burger :pac:

Also, relevant: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/10210327/McDouble-is-cheapest-and-most-nutritious-food-in-human-history.html

Foxhound38

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

My better half is a serious coffee fiend,she reckons that McDonald's coffee is far superior than the stuff sold in the two best known coffee chains.

It is - I often scratch my head about how they manage to get it as good as they do.

It's a damn good cup of coffee