Tell McDonald’s what’s important to you when eating out with your family - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED!

[EmmaMumsnet]

Whilst eating out with the family can provide a much-needed treat and opportunity to reconnect, it can also entail much compromise in order to ensure that all members are satisfied with the outing. McDonald’s UK is keen to find out what is running through your mind when it comes to making that often tricky dining decision whilst keeping smiles on everyone’s faces.

Here what McDonald’s has to say: “We’re looking at new options for our Happy Meal and invited Mumsnet behind the scenes as we started the food development journey! Our restaurants have changed, options like kiosk ordering and table service make it easier for families to enjoy our food but we want to know what you look for when eating out as a family.”

Whether you are celebrating a special occasion, visiting your favourite family restaurant or simply popping into a local take away, we want to know on what basis you make such decisions. Is it the provision of colouring sheets for the kids, or haute cuisine for the more mature members of the family? Maybe you find it difficult to identify a restaurant with menus capable of pleasing all parties and resort to visiting several locations? Is making sure your children’s meals are well balanced or that the location is family friendly important to you?

Whatever your main considerations are when choosing somewhere to eat out with your family, please share them below and you will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

Good service and food that arrives quickly. Our local McDonalds has recently undergone renovation and now its the case that you order your food and then wait for your number to appear on the orders screen, which is fine, but since the introduction of Ubereats and possibly others, that area is taken up with delivery drivers waiting for big orders while people in the restaurant wait AGES for food... we waited something like 10 minutes once for a McFlurry... so frustrating and has put me off going in there if I am honest, which is a shame as my son loves going there.

Good selection of food
Quick , efficient and friendly staff

A bit of variety, the kids loves restaurants where they can have a bit of everything and try different things. The adult menus have new burgers all the time, like the Happy Meal toys are changed frequently maybe introduce some new things for the kids to have, introduce some kids' specials and if they take off make them permanent.

Quick service, things for kids to do (colouring in on the menu) and healthy child sized portions, not just fish fingers and chips

Healthy food for the whole family, clean seats and table and that adults clear up their own kids mess from the floor. It only takes a minute or two if they've dropped something and it's much better for the following customers :)

Clean tables, high chairs that are easy to get on!! music is not too loud, after all us adults have to put up with it too.Bins are not over flowing and maybe just maybe if parents are buying kids meals maybe we could get a free hot drink?? nice gesture

Single parent - when I take dd out a problem we've had is if she needs the toilet half way through eating. We need to take our things to the toilet obviously, otherwise they could go walkabout but have come back to our food being cleared away. Not sure what the solution is there!

The menu and that there is a quite healthy option is the biggest consideration, next that it has child friendly things like toys or colouring

I think it would be good to do smaller portions of pancakes for childrens breakfast (e.g one pancake). Would also like to have a menu at the table to sit and look at. And also would like to see abit more variety of sides like corn on the cob, beans, coleslaw.

Please please please get rid of the plastic toys. What not be ahead of the game in the war against plastic? The tide has turned

I heard from someone who worked in McDonalds head office that the Happy meal toy is the biggest selling toy on the planet. How depressing is that- most end up in landfill after a few hours. Imagine what change you could make to the world by stopping them- moving over to books for example...

Somewhere with:

• baby changing
• kids menu
• on the kids menu there is something with rice or chips
• somewhere we as parents want to eat

I appreciate a family friendly atmosphere when eating out. It's also helpful when colouring books and crayons are provided for very young children to keep them entertained.

Clean restaurant, good prices and good service :)

My children are 10 and 7 and love to go to Macdonalds for a treat. They don't, however, like any of the desert options and are often hungry anfter the meal so for me perhaps the ability to choose any four things rather than having to get a desert they don't want.

We would all also really like it if there were any way to make it quieter. We struggle to actually talk to each other over our meal. The toilets also could be a bit nicer.

At this stage in my life (young dc) somewhere clean, value for money and low stress. I have to say Mac Donald’s does provide all these things. My DC are young so we choose milk or water fish fingers/chicken wrap and a fruit bag for them. The staff at our local MD’s are always ridiculously good too. They are great with the kids, ruthlessly efficient and have fab customer service.

Clean highchairs, child-friendly atmosphere and distractions, and a children's menu with healthy choices. Simples!

A clean restaurant.
Meal options for all ages.
Good vegetarian options (for me!).
Good quality of food, freshly prepared.

Introduce more rainbow salad, veg.
A signature range for children.
Less plastic.
Fast service (kiosk system has definitely slowed down the process).

I would also like something that I would prefer to eat, like a bunless burger with salad or something for my coeliac friend.

The salads in McDonalds are absolutely grim.

Be prepared!! I have only just started venturing out for meals with all my children - I have 5 so we do look like the hill billies walking into restaurants. I take my youngest Daughter a sippy cup in my bag - saves my heart jumping through the roof when she knocks her cup over (always happens) I also take her favourite pepper pig plastic cutlery set - I am ready for all toddler demands!!!

The 2 most important considerations I have when going out for a meal; do they do gluten free food? And the cost.

We live on a tight budget that allows a treat meal out every now and then so cost is important but we will spend slightly more if the restaurant has a good gluten free menu.

My friend orders a burger without the bun (I think the burger is gluten free?) and has it with the salad that would have been in the burger.

Also the fries are gluten free- not much choice but still something for those on a gluten free diet that need a quick snack. 😀

Healthy quality good choice of food, plenty of space (no crammed together tables)

Low carb, healthy options