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Original poster

What the hell happened to McDonald’s ?

217 replies

Painrelief · 12/07/2025 00:12

Last night on the way home we popped into a Maccies drive thru . I haven’t been for months due to the Monday app deals being rubbish anyway the food was disgusting . The worst I’ve ever had from a McDonald’s , The filet o fish had blatantly been recooked as the fish had fries attached to the chewy as a boot batter and the cheese burger was from dinner time I think judging by how stale it was . My mate said hers the night before from her local one had been warmed up aswell …

But seriously the prices ?!! How can they justify it ! £2.19 for a mayo chicken or a cheese burger now (used to be 99p!) and the arch meal starts from £10.99 !!!
even the slush I had from a different maccies earlier in the day was just liquid and £3.19 !

McDonalds used to be a cheap and quick treat . How have the prices gone up so much and so quickly !!!

Do you still go to McDonald’s ? Has the standards dropped or something because I’ve never experienced such awful food .

OP posts:
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6
ShamrockShenanigans · 12/07/2025 00:18

The quality very much depends on the branch around here.

But yes, it's got very expensive.

KFC is worse though, if their chicken pieces get any smaller they'll need to throw a magnifying glass in.

Katemax82 · 12/07/2025 00:20

ShamrockShenanigans · 12/07/2025 00:18

The quality very much depends on the branch around here.

But yes, it's got very expensive.

KFC is worse though, if their chicken pieces get any smaller they'll need to throw a magnifying glass in.

I took my 7 year old to KFC between us our food was £20! I only had a 5 quid original wrap meal so that was £15 for my 7 year old

ninjahamster · 12/07/2025 00:21

Maccies in my area is really good, always freshly cooked and hot.

floppybit · 12/07/2025 00:21

Milkshake machine is never working either

purpleme12 · 12/07/2025 00:23

McDonald's is same quality it's always been in my experience. Not had a bad one. Loved it and still love it. The only bad thing is they now don't put onions in the quarter pounder and cheeseburger( or put in the meat or whatever they say- either way it's like they're not there anymore)

And yes price gone up. But I don't think it's gone up any more than any other place really

mumda · 12/07/2025 00:24

Weather spoons is cheaper. You get a proper plate and table service.

andthat · 12/07/2025 00:27

It cant have passed you by that the cost of everything has gone up, not just McDonald’s?

McDonald’s has raised prices like almost every other restaurant/hospitality outlet has had to do, due to rising food, energy, and wage costs. Global inflation, supply chain pressures, and higher staffing expenses have to get passed on somewhere.

As for the quality? Sounds like that is just a case of being a shit outlet!!

Original poster
Painrelief · 12/07/2025 00:32

I guess someone has to pay for their new uniform hey ?! Coz that’s a priority lol .

OP posts:
wheresmymojo · 12/07/2025 00:34

I don’t think it’s gone up that much….I had 2 cheeseburgers, fries and a milkshake for about £6 in London the other day.

For £2.19 I expect you were looking at either a double cheeseburger or a quarter pounder. The ‘normal’ cheeseburger that was 99p is now about £1.10-£1.20

Thunderpants88 · 12/07/2025 00:38

It’s woeful where we live (and the next nearest McD’s is about half an hour away) extortionate, bland and I am so sick of it being branded “fast food” I haven’t been in the last year and not been asked to pull up at a bay and wait.

Burger King is far superior, and a step up again is Tim Hortons burgers. Delightful

BogRollBOGOF · 12/07/2025 00:39

Our frequency has gone down. It's not cheap and cheerful for a family with ravenous teenagers, and we don't get change from £30 for 4 of us. I'd now rather go out half as often and spend £60 on something nicer.

We've got one a nice walk away so were there fairly recently. I don't know what my chicken wrap had done to offend the staff, but the chicken was hanging out and the wrap was screwed into the tube and had hard, burnt sections. The problem was by the time I realised how badly mangled the thing was, I'd already eaten the chicken hanging out and couldn't prove it was them that mangled it.

To add insult to it, I'd ordered a side salad instead of fries and it was basically a box of shredded lettuce (rather than the usual salad leaves) and one slice of unripe tomato with a substantual section of core. Shredded lettuce and a cardboard fork are not a compatible combination!

I ended up getting food in the nearby supermarket instead because that sorry mess of a meal quenched my appetite for it.

My family's food was fine.

Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 12/07/2025 00:39

Painrelief · 12/07/2025 00:32

I guess someone has to pay for their new uniform hey ?! Coz that’s a priority lol .

The poor kids who work there pay for their own uniform out of their shit wages.

Or mine did anyway, I'm not sure if all franchises are run the same way.

LadyLolaRuben · 12/07/2025 00:41

Im glad you posted this. I've not enjoyed my last few meals there. The final straw was last week. Towards the end of eating a McChicken sandwich meal I got a sharp pain in my stomach. Forty minutes later I needed the loo and had the most horrendous upset stomach all evening. I won't be eating them again. They've gone tasteless and dry too

TheRosesAreInBloom · 12/07/2025 00:42

Painrelief · 12/07/2025 00:32

I guess someone has to pay for their new uniform hey ?! Coz that’s a priority lol .

I suspect it will be more to do with NMW increases 🤷🏻‍♀️

Original poster
Painrelief · 12/07/2025 00:45

wheresmymojo · 12/07/2025 00:34

I don’t think it’s gone up that much….I had 2 cheeseburgers, fries and a milkshake for about £6 in London the other day.

For £2.19 I expect you were looking at either a double cheeseburger or a quarter pounder. The ‘normal’ cheeseburger that was 99p is now about £1.10-£1.20

I am so glad you said this so I just went bk into my app and those prices were in fact delivery prices , not pick up in store .I ordered in the drive thru but looked at my app beforehand. I genuinely wondered how the prices could’ve gone up sooooo much 🤣🤣

But those delivery prices are shocking too !

OP posts:
LadyLolaRuben · 12/07/2025 00:46

Thunderpants88 · 12/07/2025 00:38

It’s woeful where we live (and the next nearest McD’s is about half an hour away) extortionate, bland and I am so sick of it being branded “fast food” I haven’t been in the last year and not been asked to pull up at a bay and wait.

Burger King is far superior, and a step up again is Tim Hortons burgers. Delightful

Yes you're right. Every time ive been in the last 12 months, I've had to wait for my order in a parking bay. But these have been at peak meal times when its no blinking surprise people want food and should expect to receive an order

Catladywithoutacat · 12/07/2025 00:52

It’s expensive cardboard

simsbustinoutmimi · 12/07/2025 00:54

I find some branches are good and some rubbish. My local one is great, the one in the capital sucks.

my top tip would be to make a custom change to your burger (ie more/no pickles, sauce) and then they will make it from fresh.

Original poster
Painrelief · 12/07/2025 00:55

Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 12/07/2025 00:39

The poor kids who work there pay for their own uniform out of their shit wages.

Or mine did anyway, I'm not sure if all franchises are run the same way.

Show quote history

That’s terrible . It’s not like you’re gonna want to wear your uniform out on the town after your shift is it ?!

i used to work for maccies 10 years ago and our franchise didn’t do that tbf . I enjoyed my maccies job then they bought in the self serve kiosks and changed the stores to serve only “fresh” made to order food …

judging by my experience the other day .. going well isn’t it !! My daughter had wing stop and she had a better food .

OP posts:
SinisterBumFacedCat · 12/07/2025 00:56

The decor is very cold and minimalist too, I remember a train with Ronald McDonald and the Hamburgler in my local in the 1980’s. A new opened up near me, all concrete, no colour, looks like something from behind the iron curtain.

Stelly8 · 12/07/2025 00:56

Same with Wagamama where I used to go with the kids at least once a fortnight after soft play. Katsu curry has a smear of curry like in a Michelin star restaurant and the slices of veg are wafer thin. Price is going up and up though. 🤷‍♀️ I’ve started making my own as it’s just taking the piss.

TourdeFrance25 · 12/07/2025 00:57

ninjahamster · 12/07/2025 00:21

Maccies in my area is really good, always freshly cooked and hot.

How are the prices?

do they vary depending on location?

it's been well over a year since I've been. I'm not supposed to eat it (health issues) so it was a very rare event, so not up in his the pricing works.

simsbustinoutmimi · 12/07/2025 00:58

TourdeFrance25 · 12/07/2025 00:57

How are the prices?

do they vary depending on location?

it's been well over a year since I've been. I'm not supposed to eat it (health issues) so it was a very rare event, so not up in his the pricing works.

Show quote history

Not OP but they do. The one in my capital city is a bit pricier.

NewbieYou · 12/07/2025 01:01

I think £2.19 for something that contains animal meat and dairy, has to be produced shipped, cooked by workers and then served to you is actually insanely cheap given restaurant meals are all £20 round me nowadays. A pint is £8.

Did you not notice inflation going haywire in the last year?

simsbustinoutmimi · 12/07/2025 01:01

NewbieYou · 12/07/2025 01:01

I think £2.19 for something that contains animal meat and dairy, has to be produced shipped, cooked by workers and then served to you is actually insanely cheap given restaurant meals are all £20 round me nowadays. A pint is £8.

Did you not notice inflation going haywire in the last year?

£8 for a pint??!! Where are you from?