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Original poster

McDonalds birthday parties

36 replies

onceuponadream17 · 19/09/2022 15:22

My dd is 5 in November and would like to have a birthday party (she hasn't had one before- just tea parties with family in previous years). She loves McDonalds and would love to have her party there. Our local McDonalds does parties (I've enquired and they've given me a quote but it's quite vague) and I was just wondering if anyone else's child has had a McDonald's party. I was slightly worried that it might be a little chaotic and also what do they do to entertain the kids. Also, what is their cake like? Would appreciate anyone's experiences! Thank you

OP posts:

Hawkins001 · 19/09/2022 15:23

I guess any party has potential to be chaos, all the best and positivity op

UghAsIf · 19/09/2022 15:23

Where do you live? I remember mcdonalds parties when I was a child but thought they stopped doing them years ago.

Hohofortherobbers · 19/09/2022 15:25

Aah, I remember wimpy parties in the space ship cabin upstairs. They used to send out Mr wimpy who chased us around and we played sleeping lions, do they still have Ronald?

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MossGrowsFat · 19/09/2022 15:27

They certainly don't do proper birthday parties anymore.
In the 80's you got a tour of the kitchen and then flipped your own burgers and fried your own fries, then you went to the party room, played on a climbing frame of Ronald and then actually met Ronald and sometime his friends before being given a balloon on a stick.
And, AND you got plastic straws (and styrofoam) which meant you could drink a whole milkshake without the straw disintegrating.

Glory days!

vroom321 · 19/09/2022 15:30

I had them there in the 80s and 90s. I didn't know they still did them. Can you call them?

vroom321 · 19/09/2022 15:31

But yea you definitely need entertainment/ something for the kids to do.

FredaFox · 19/09/2022 15:38

Didn't know they still did them.
My local one growing up had a boat you could sit in when not used for parties, it had all the characters in it eg hamburgler
I remember balloons but not much else

gogohmm · 19/09/2022 15:43

We went to them as kids, basically you eat food and they give you balloons. Some McDonald's have play areas

Whinge · 19/09/2022 15:46

Are you sure your local McDonalds does parties, or did they mean they cater for larger numbers if you bought a group of party children in?

Eating there would be a nice extra after another party activity, such as bowling, soft play etc. But I would think most children would be bored, as there's nothing to entertain them other than the tablets (although i'm not even sure every store has those.)

mumda · 19/09/2022 15:46

They followed a set routine. About an hour from start to finish.
Take orders for food.
A musical statues game.
Some other game maybe involving empty big mac boxes.
Food.
Then cake, sing happy birthday.
Cakes took the right amount of time to defrost if you got it ready just before the party.
There may have been party bags too with crayons and a toy.

I did them whilst in college. It made the day go quick. Memory of a bit fuzzy despite having done a lot.
Have good memories of some nice well-behaved kids and some utterly wild monsters. Largest group was 25. Never again.

Original poster

onceuponadream17 · 19/09/2022 15:50

@UghAsIf I'm not in the UK (sorry should've put that in my post). I googled them though and on the website it looks like they still do them in the UK. I grew up in the UK and I don't ever remember anyone having one though.

OP posts:

Original poster

onceuponadream17 · 19/09/2022 15:52

@Hohofortherobbers no I don't think they do Ronald anymore (there isn't any mention of him)

OP posts:

tearsandtiaras · 19/09/2022 16:29

Macdonalds these days are quite packed, noisy places with an emphasis on getting out asap after ordering on their machines, I can't imagine going to one as a main event for a childs party. Staff are limited due to the development of technology with their machines to order on. I remember in the 90's there being side rooms, with party games. I also remember a very rich friend paying them to deliver en mass to a kids party at home which was a major treat.

Id do an activity first like swimming, or soft play. For my childs birthday once i took 4 friends to soft play after school them got my partner at the time to get take away happy meals and bring them
To the soft play . This worked well

FrodisCapering · 19/09/2022 16:38

It's a lovely idea but not all children are allowed to go to McDonalds. We are trying to keep ours' out of it for as long as possible. It might be that not everyone will be able to come.

AMessageToYouRuby · 19/09/2022 16:46

God I used to love a McDonalds party. Longed for one but we were never allowed (probably due to cost).

I’ve never encountered a child who wasn’t actually allowed in a McDonalds though, that’s a new one for me and I’ve been parenting for decades now!

tonightelmowillrise · 19/09/2022 16:51

FrodisCapering · 19/09/2022 16:38

It's a lovely idea but not all children are allowed to go to McDonalds. We are trying to keep ours' out of it for as long as possible. It might be that not everyone will be able to come.

🙄

Frazzled2207 · 19/09/2022 16:58

I used to work there (00s) and don’t ever recall there being a party although they def did them in the 80s.
I don’t think they are a thing here anymore. For a five year old in the UK the most usual thing is a party in a soft play type place. With burgers and chips/pizza.

Onesailwait · 19/09/2022 16:59

Does it have a play area?. My kids went to a lot of McDonald's parties pre covid. They played in the massive play area, ate, had cupcakes. Chaos but fun.

LosttheremoteAGAIN · 19/09/2022 17:03

I work in one and all we do is corner off a few tables,hand out a few balloons and a chat-we then leave you to it

i don’t know if they charge tho

lap90 · 19/09/2022 17:22

Talk about a blast from the past! I have some pics from childhood of a mcdonalds birthday party although don't think it's so common now. Some parents wont be too keen.

DuaneDibbley · 19/09/2022 17:31

One near us has a basement with a party room. Never seen that in any other though

Covidwoes · 19/09/2022 17:57

@FrodisCapering why's that? Are you saying you wouldn't allow your child to go to a party there at all? What if it was their best friend's party?

StopStartStop · 19/09/2022 18:00

DD had one 34 years ago - ish. It's a con. They distract your attention then go round with a pen and paper asking each child individually what their order is.

I stopped that nonsense and said everyone got a plain burger, small fries and fizzy drink or I wasn't paying. There'd been primary school boys ordering double cheeseburgers and huge packs of fries!

gogohmm · 19/09/2022 18:08

@FrodisCapering

why?

It's food, convenient at the services (most of my McDonald's is eaten during road journeys somewhere. It's no worse than many of the middle class haunts

illiterato · 19/09/2022 18:13

I realised my bff was a frenemy when she didn’t pick me as her plus one for the kitchen tour at her McDonald’s party having promised me for weeks. This thread has been very triggering for me and needs a warning 🤣

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