to think McDonald's have lost the main idea of "fast food"

[urwildquoter24]

It's not even fast anymore. It takes at least 15 minutes on a good day to get food, and on a bad day even longer. The drive-thru is even worse, I was in there last weekend and there were three cars in front of me and took half an hour to get my food and go.

I haven't even seen McDonald's do anything particularly creative recently. They're just bringing back old things and the food really doesn't look anything like in there adverts (which we established years ago)

And don't start about the new Happy Meal toys!!!

McDonald's is basically where fast food started, and now I think it's lost it a bit.

Just wish they'd bring back the plastic toys.

Why? They're not very sustainable. I am fully on board with them getting rid of the plastic tat, to be honest - the books are alright. Didn't love the weird Mr Men teddies.

It's only extra dips that cost 10p, if you buy something that comes with dips, they're still free. And they charge because people started going in to get 20 to take on holiday. It's sad if you were a normal-dip-user, but it makes sense.

Ours isn't slow, either. They even have a separate person who makes the food delivery orders, so that it doesn't slow down the main person.

Have you got another one local that you could try? Perhaps us having two close-ish together means they stay on their game!

Yes, it’s so annoying!! It’s not fast food anymore.

TBH, it's not even food. Never has been. YA all BU for even going to McD's in the first place!

I used to love a McDonald's but never go now. The deliveries take precedence and the result is I always have to wait to ultimately get cold food. They're also very hit and miss on the salting of fries .

I feel sorry for the people who work there though . The introduction of deliveries means double the work for them and there's no capacity for more staff in kitchens that were designed for footfall only. In mine post 4pm the restaurant is heaving with teens, deliveroo order drivers are at least 3 in every five minute period. I've watched them and they are run off their feet, with increased complaints because they can't meet the impossible demands

I was practically weeping having to wait about 10 mins for a single hamburger. There was tons of massive deliveroo etc orders in front of me.
It used to be you'd go up and they'd just hand you the hamburger. I guess it wasn't as fresh...
They have apparently changed their big Mac buns to brioche and cook onions into the burger patty now? Dk how that works if you hate onions!
The only time it's actually fast is maybe middle of the afternoon, after lunchtime.
They have to bring back the spicy nuggets though. I could eat 20 of those easily, lol

They could bring them back, but instead have options for customers to recycle unwanted toys through a special bin of some sort.

We do have about three nearby each other, but they're just as bad as each other.

Yep, we go because DS loves the Happy Meal toys, and we are always waiting for at least 15 mins, sometimes up to 30mins. They do seem to focus on Deliveroo drivers over normal customers. And they keep giving DS the crappy book in the Happy Meal - we have to take it out and ask for the toy instead (we are definitely ordering the toy on the screen). Just irritating in general.

I ended up buying the Squishmallows on eBay, they were cheaper than a Happy Meal and honestly DS was just as happy with those and a bag of chip shop chips.

I haven't even seen McDonald's do anything particularly creative recently.

In what sense? I don't eat McDonalds as I'm on a health kick but I do buy for others and they've introduced:

• order on the app to collect at the counter
• order on the app to have food delivered to your table in restaurant
• order on the app to have food delivered at home
• a loyalty app that is generous with points
• a loyalty app that gives you offers for 99p burgers
• special limited menus and products

In the sense that they haven't really bought put any menu items that are actually interesting.

And not to be rude, but every other fast food restaurant has almost everything you've listed.

Buying the Happy Meal toys online seems like a good idea.

I heard that uber eats and deliveroo take priority because the customers have already paid. That definitely seems to be the case as the delivery drivers walk in and get their orders straight away.

We found the same in Nando’s recently. We were eating in, and waited nearly an hour for our food to arrive.

These delivery companies will be the death of eating in. I’ve never really understood why people want this kind of food delivered. It’s barely warm when you take it from the counter to your table. It will be a limp soggy mess by the time it arrives at your front door!

Same here.

You get asked to move your car round to the car park and wait!

It's frustrating too as you can get caught up in the queue for the drive thru window and then realise how long it's taking so change your mind. But you can't then get out of the queue!

I probably only go about once a year anyway if we are busy and need a quick "meal". This delay defeats the object!

I went in one physically the other day. Not a ‘busy time’ and it was heaving with delivery drivers - there must have been 15 of them all with there huge insulated bags etc I wanted a salad and we waited 10 minutes

Yes it is, don't be ridiculous.

It will be a limp soggy mess by the time it arrives at your front door!

And most of the time it is!

What would you like to see?

The biggest selling items at McDonalds are the Big Mac and French Fries. So it seems the originals are still interesting to customers.

Yes, but the other fast food companies are imitating McDonalds innovation.

Just wish they'd bring back the plastic toys.

Seriously? Don't kids have enough plastic tat bound for landfill already?

I think McDonald's should have special kitchens/locations for delivery drivers, similar to Pizza Hut/Domino's Delivery to collect from, as they should have just takeaway outlets so we can actually enjoy the eat-in/drive-thru experience without waiting.

My son uses it occasionally and gets it 'click and collect'

No issues

But you can't really do anything with the new paper ones. Most of the time they just get chucked in the bin.

I seem to recall around 12/13 years ago McDonald's doing a set of toys that played different pop songs.

Man it's painfully slow these days. It was so much more convenient when they used to have the burgers ready on the shelf behind the tills, it was so quick but the menu was much simpler. It got really slow once they introduced all the chicken stuff!

And the Happy Meal toys used to be elite. They are completely naff now. I hear the landfill comments but lots didn't end up in landfill, they used to be real collectibles.

90% of McDonald's restaurants are independently owned and operated by franchisees. Each franchise has to look at its own set up and profitability.

Space is at a premium, they can't create a special kitchen and locations for delivery drivers if the business case doesn't stack up.

In fact, the other week I waited 10 mins for a large Coke Zero.

I'd like to know what the hold up was. A Coke Zero doesn't exactly require a ton of prep, specialised equipment and time, does it?

The franchisee of our local branch seems to have made it their mission to hire the most incompetent and inefficient people they can find, which is very selfless of them, but not exactly conducive to getting orders right/complete/prepared quickly

There use to be a large Mcdonalds (had a huge seating area upstairs as well as down)near me but that shut a few years ago.

They've just opened a new, much smaller, takeaway only, one across the road from the old site.

They have a separate entrance for the courier business although the same kitchen, of course.

Seems to be pretty quick service to me.