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Original poster

How often do you eat at McDonalds?

644 replies

TumblingTower · 01/10/2023 15:31

Just interested. I think DH visits too often with the kids, he would take them even more if it wasn’t for me asking him not to.

For context he takes them once a fortnight, he would take them once or twice in a week if it wasn’t for me putting my foot down.

It annoys me as I do 90% of the parenting (he works away often) and I feel I can’t give them a lazy tea as they’re already having enough crap.

I know I’ll be criticised for that and not too interested - just wonder what other people do?

OP posts:
Rattlethestars · 03/10/2023 07:56

We don't.
My eldest won't eat it (ASD, very limited diet). The one time we have been, my daughter barely picked at it. She was more excited about the toy 😂
I have several food intolerances and only eat meat from butchers so nothing there for me.

Once or twice a week they have fish fingers or pizza, and we go our local chip shop occasionally instead.

Allschoolsareartschools · 03/10/2023 08:02

blissno · 03/10/2023 07:08

The pomposity on this thread is cracking me up.

I think the stress that being so uptight about this stuff must cause you is probably worse than the effect of eating a McDonald's every now and again.

Yes indeed & as pp have said, wait until dc are teens & want to go there with their friends. It's a rare teen who will quote their parents principles & not go!
Awaits tales of teens that of course wouldn't go near the place (or that's what they tell their parents...😉)

NortieTortie · 03/10/2023 08:14

Some times every week, sometimes not for 6 months. It's so expensive now. My kids absolutely adore it so I like to treat them when I can.

Zanatdy · 03/10/2023 08:15

Once every 6 months or so

Gameofphonesx · 03/10/2023 08:28

@Rattlethestars even the toys are a bit rubbish compared to the plastic tat we were poisoned with 😂

ShellySarah · 03/10/2023 08:29

Never..cold food in a cardboard box on a plastic tray. Can't stand it.

Hellofromtheotherslide · 03/10/2023 08:41

At least once a month. It used to be more because when I worked in a proper posh fine dining restaurant, each of us staff (including excellent chefs) would take it in turns to do a McDonald's run. It was our go to place for munchies at the end of a long shift. I recall we had to bring the deliveries in the back door so our own customers couldn't see what we were up to. Happy memories there 🤣

I think McDonald's etc once aa week/fortnight is fine if the rest of your diet and health are ok.

Dymaxion · 03/10/2023 08:47

I get coffee from the Services ones if travelling. I never eat at Macdonalds, its not the sort of food I enjoy, I might get DS one every six to eight weeks as he likes one as a treat. We don't generally eat take aways anyway though, mainly because they are expensive and hard to access where we are.

Dymaxion · 03/10/2023 08:50

I can get a steak and a bag of potatoes and make myself steak and home made chips for the same price as a meal at Macdonalds, neither is particularly healthy, I just enjoy one more than the other Wink

Frequency · 03/10/2023 08:54

I think McDonald's etc once aa week/fortnight is fine if the rest of your diet and health are ok.

No one would bat an eyelid if you were making homemade burgers and chips once a fortnight and unless you bake your own organic buns it's really not that different. The plastic cheese isn't ideal but apart from that it is just a burger patty in a bun the same as you would make at home and fried strips of potato.

Deftandglory · 03/10/2023 08:54

blissno · 03/10/2023 07:08

The pomposity on this thread is cracking me up.

I think the stress that being so uptight about this stuff must cause you is probably worse than the effect of eating a McDonald's every now and again.

I don’t think anyone is being pompous. Posters who don’t go to Maccy’s mostly seem to not like the food on offer.
People don’t “get stressed” about it because unbelievably they give it a swerve. You don’t have to love them or assume your kids will.

Berninaa · 03/10/2023 09:03

Deftandglory · 03/10/2023 08:54

I don’t think anyone is being pompous. Posters who don’t go to Maccy’s mostly seem to not like the food on offer.
People don’t “get stressed” about it because unbelievably they give it a swerve. You don’t have to love them or assume your kids will.

Show quote history

100% this, I don’t eat anywhere else where I think the food is shite either.

AlwaysPrettyOnTheInside · 03/10/2023 09:11

Frequency · 03/10/2023 08:54

I think McDonald's etc once aa week/fortnight is fine if the rest of your diet and health are ok.

No one would bat an eyelid if you were making homemade burgers and chips once a fortnight and unless you bake your own organic buns it's really not that different. The plastic cheese isn't ideal but apart from that it is just a burger patty in a bun the same as you would make at home and fried strips of potato.

They fill it full of all sorts of shit, despite what they say. Why do you think mcds never goes off?

I do like it but I don't like how it makes me feel. I feel like shit after eating it and as I'm trying to be healthier, rarely go there now.

This thread is making me laugh though at all the people that have never ever eaten there, how has mcds become one of the biggest companies in the world if no one eats there? I think there are a fair few on this thread that do eat there but pretend they don't.

Berninaa · 03/10/2023 09:17

Not sure why not going to McDs is so hard to believe, I never get takeaways either. Just not part of my routine.

During lockdowns we had dinner delivered from a local Italian restaurant a couple of times a month which is as close to it as I’ve ever got.

Graciebobcat · 03/10/2023 09:21

At one point we went to McDs once a week when the kids were little - both doing some kind of club after school and the local branch was convenient.

Now DDs (teens) have it more often than I do. For me it's once every few months.

Emeraldrings · 03/10/2023 09:21

It varies. We always have one on DDs birthdays as that's what they ask for, so twice in that month. Other times we go months without eating it (me and DH anyway).
I do like it but it's very expensive for what it is.
DDs have it more often as that's what they normally eat I'd they're going out with their friends.

Ffion21 · 03/10/2023 09:30

Enjoyed reading the responses.

OP the reality is once a fortnight isn’t the end of the world if it’s the only takeaway they’re having. McDonalds is no worse for you than the other fast food chains. Pizza/burgers/fried chicken from takeaways are all rubbish food in comparison to cooking a home made version.

However everything in moderation is totally fine.

interesting how many people say it’s a ‘treat’. Arguably this is encouraging a bad relationship with food. If it’s a treat you start having it and viewing it as behavioural which encourages it. If it is simply sustenance there is less emotion around it.

I quite like it. Husband hates it. 6 year old isn’t bothered as prefers KFC anyway. However we don’t get any of them much because son eats anything and everything so we can eat anywhere and aren’t limited to chips (he isn’t a fan of any chips). As such we get takeaways but this would not be our go-to.

Wiaa · 03/10/2023 09:33

We probably have breakfast 3 or 4 times a year usually on a journey and the dc 3 and 7 probably have a happy meal every other month or so. Its usually me who takes them as a little treat when dh is away for the day/weekend.

AmazingSnakeHead · 03/10/2023 09:49

Never, but kid is only 4. Might well change when they're 10+.

blissno · 03/10/2023 10:03

@Deftandglory I'm talking about it from a parental perspective though, once the kids hit a certain age then mdonalds becomes unavoidable in my experience, parties with a mcdonalds afterwards, or your kid gets invited to an outing with a friend and they get a mcdonalds on the way back, a playdate where the parent can't be arsed to cook so get a deliveroo happy meal.

But maybe this isn't the vibe in posher circles 😂

Petal34 · 03/10/2023 10:08

Just my two pence here. There is a big difference between UK/European McDonald’s and the US McDonald’s. Go on their website and have a look at the ingredients and you will see.
For example, the fries are literally potato, rapeseed oil and sometimes dextrose depending on the time of year.

It’s processed food of course, but no worse than any other processed food you might chuck in the oven.

I’ve seen the supersize me documentary mentioned above, whilst we can all agree daily supersize McDonald’s isn’t great, a lot of the claims were invented or overstated and have since been discredited.

I love food and I love cooking, and I cook fresh food from scratch nearly every day of the week, but if one night we be can’t be arsed to cook, we’ll go to the drive through and the kids bloody love it. We don’t make a song and dance about it, it’s not demonised and equally it’s not a treat (ie. If you’re good we’ll get a happy meal), it’s just food. We talk about some food being more nutritious than other foods but never ‘this is bad, and this is good’. It’s about balance.

To answer your question, sometimes we’ll go 6 months without a visit and there’s been occasions where we’ve been twice in one week.

Original poster
TumblingTower · 03/10/2023 10:13

Ffion21 · 03/10/2023 09:30

Enjoyed reading the responses.

OP the reality is once a fortnight isn’t the end of the world if it’s the only takeaway they’re having. McDonalds is no worse for you than the other fast food chains. Pizza/burgers/fried chicken from takeaways are all rubbish food in comparison to cooking a home made version.

However everything in moderation is totally fine.

interesting how many people say it’s a ‘treat’. Arguably this is encouraging a bad relationship with food. If it’s a treat you start having it and viewing it as behavioural which encourages it. If it is simply sustenance there is less emotion around it.

I quite like it. Husband hates it. 6 year old isn’t bothered as prefers KFC anyway. However we don’t get any of them much because son eats anything and everything so we can eat anywhere and aren’t limited to chips (he isn’t a fan of any chips). As such we get takeaways but this would not be our go-to.

I like a takeaway but am limited in options, neither me, nor DH eat there. He’ll have a coffee, if anything with the kids. So this isn’t a family meal. What I mean to say is it’s not the “only” takeaway we have. So any other takeaway is in addition to and not instead of.

OP posts:
cringelibrarian · 03/10/2023 10:29

This reply has been deleted

This user is a troll so we've removed their threads and posts.

WonderingAboutBabies · 03/10/2023 10:34

Used to have it loads when I was teen. Now I probably have only had it twice in the past 5 years and that was only because it was the only place open late at night after concerts/late night driving etc.

SplendidUtterly · 03/10/2023 10:42

Never. I'm still traumatised by something i was told in my late teens by an ex who worked there during his college years about some of the disgusting things him and his friends did to the food.