I don't understand how McDonalds is still relevant outside of food deserts. The food quality is trash, and the prices are so high that you can and should just go elsewhere and buy real food.
I see this sort of remark every time McDonald's comes up and I always wonder why it doesn't prompt people to check their assumptions. Clearly they are doing well enough so you're missing something.
Seeing as how the remark begins with “I don’t understand how…” it seems you’re the one with unchecked assumptions: namely, about what the text actually says.
No, I don't think that's fair. There are 2 assumptions in your comment which I think the poster you're replying to is suggesting you should reevaluate:
> The food quality is trash, and the prices are so high
If these assumptions are true, it makes sense why you wouldn't understand why McDonalds is relevant / successful.
I do not think these assumptions are true. The food quality is fine - it's somewhere between palatable and mildly tasty for most people. If you use their app, the prices are lower than most other places you could get the same number of calories + protein content.
The food is also very consistent. I've surely gone to at least 20 different McDonalds locations in my life all over the USA, and it tastes pretty much the same every time. I can't say the same for most of their competitors.
But those aren't assumptions: they're statements of personal opinion.
> If you use their app, the prices are lower
Now, that's an interesting data point. I am very app-resistant. It's definitely possible that regulars aren't paying the prices I am seeing.
> The food is also very consistent.
This is so surprising to read! In my experience, this was true 1-2 decades ago, but no longer. I actually do crave "good McDonalds" on occasion, but it's so hard to come by that I rarely bother. Even in the EU, where McD's has always tried harder, I now see the same deterioration and neglect.
The fries can be amazing when fresh and hot. One of the most satisfying things in the world is eating a pound of salty fried potatoes after a big day of hiking.
The food quality is decent. It is also cheaper than 99% of the restaurants out there. It's a cheaper option for people who don't want to cook and don't want to spend a lot of money eating.
I wish this was still the case, but in my experience the differences between individual fast food joints is enormous. We've got one Taco Bell in town for example which is known to take 10+ minutes per car and they constantly screw up orders. This usually shows up as a 1 star fast food restaurant rather than the more common 2-3 stars on review sites.
For me the tell is their soda. My guilty McDonald's pleasure is their Coke mix. Something about it tastes much better than other restaurants or bottles. Except at some McDonald's where they seem to have the CO2 cranked up too much. I can't even get a consistent soft drink from McDonald's anymore. When I get unsalted fries though... those are basically inedible.
McDonald's seems to recently have really bad soda at increasingly close to all restaurants in my general area, and if you try to Google information on this (prepare your tin foil hat) you can only find people claiming Joe Rogan told them McDonald's has a secret exclusive best coke formula.
The food quality is fine. Nutritionally, the burgers and fries are no different from if you made them with ingredients from the supermarket. It's certainly not gourmet, but if you use the app the prices are cheaper than basically anywhere else. Where I am, I can spend $9 on a McDonald's meal or $18-25 for "real food". And actually get enough protein from a double quarter pounder, whereas the expensive "real food" is often three teensy strips of meat on top of a gigantic serving of carbs.
Not my experience in the UK. I hate macdonalds and have eaten there three times in 30 years. But it's a cheap place to take a family to eat compared to most other options. I say this as someone whose wife is a keen cook and I know what decent food is... Definitely not defending the food but the price is often right, particularly if you have multiple kids or their friends with them.
The price hasn't gone up much in the US, but they did shift all the coupons to the app, which means you're missing out on huge deals if you don't use it. It's like 50% off once a day iirc.
But half of relevancy is branding, the other half is delivering. McD has advertising dollars still (also they own other successful franchises such as Chipotle), and in some places in the world it's not crap. It's just another over-priced food chain with some weird marketing attached.
> and the prices are so high that you can and should just go elsewhere and buy real food.
Not sure what you’re implying here, but McDonald’s is still contending for the bottom for price on fast food. Groceries are of course cheaper if that’s what you mean by “real food”, but there aren’t restaurants that really compete with that value meal outside of Taco Bell/Time and maybe Burger King.
At one point I noticed that a Big mac and a large fry was $10, and that I could spend an extra $3 or $4 and get a steak, a baked potato, a salad, and loaf of bread at Outback.
The item in the top left (or #1) at many fast food restaurants is intentionally not the low margin cheap way to eat.
The cost of the Big Mac is certainly approaching sit down places, but that’s the “premium” burger. They have $5 meals now and you can always piecemeal from the value menu for $5-$6 a person.
You're not wrong. They've also got late hours while outback doesn't, but I realized that the food itself isn't really worth what they charge for it. There are circumstances when I might end up at a McDonald's but if I have the option to not eat their food I'll take it.
There aren't many big box names that compete. There are usually places that sell you a "meal" for comparable cost.
The franchise has to pay fees and offer specific menu items. Small restaurants can outcompete in both price and quality.
The flip side is those places don't normally get enough foot traffic to offer their stuff "near cost", so they bundle it up into serving sizes in the $$ range that can last you a couple days. And they don't have brand marketing on their side... Joe's Diner can equally be a gem in the rough or in dire need of a new cook and a safety inspection...
Those places are expensive now too. You should see how much they actually charge now a days in 2025. Burritos made on the sidewalk go for $12 or more now. The bacon wrapped hotdog cooked in a shopping cart on the sidewalk is now like $7 or $8 instead of $5. Cheap food isn’t so cheap anymore. You basically have to vet out specific lunch specials or something if you want a deal on a “meal” and even that will be a small plate vs dinner portion usually. And mcdonalds still wins on a calorie to dollar basis because the app routinely has deals like 2 for 1 big macs where you can throw back a good 1500 calories for like $6 or less. Only thing competitive is costco food court.
> there aren’t restaurants that really compete with that value meal outside of Taco Bell/Time and maybe Burger King.
IKEA does, at least here in Europe. Of course you're not going to find an IKEA on every third block but it you happen to have one around and want some average food a for fairly low (and sometimes very low) price they're a good option. They are also a reliable quality, Swedish meatballs are Swedish meatballs everywhere. A bit like McD, really...
> Not sure what you’re implying here, but McDonald’s is still contending for the bottom for price on fast food.
No, that's exactly my point. McDonalds isn't all that cheap anymore. There are high-quality fast-casual restaurants and local shops that deliver much better quality food at roughly the same price point. E.g.: it looks like $12 is the current price for a Big Mac meal in my area. But I can think of several places I regularly go for lunch that would offer a handmade sandwich and proper side dish, made with organic ingredients no less, for the same price.
I think this is true of the normal menu items, but I still see the value meal as a decent deal. McChicken, small fries, 4 piece nugget and small drink for $5. Similar to Taco Bell where the normal meals aren't that cost effective anymore, but if you pick and choose the value items you can get a ton of food for little money.
Taco Bell is a staple post gym meal for my son and his friends who are trying to bulk as cheap and easily as possible.
They are open for breakfast at 4am when you need to get up early and no where else is open. They are close to the job site and everyone knows the menu already to send one person out to pickup lunch. Many reasons why one might go for mcdonalds even in a food mecca.
This is also the reason for Cheesecake Factory (which is actually good, unlike the other restaurants in its class.) It has everything, so if you take a group of people there won't be an argument.
most of it is trash but there are some items you can order that are a bit more average quality. for instance iirc the quarter pounder patties are grilled in-house and when you order egg on a breakfast sandwich you can choose an option where they use real egg not just the processed stuff.
i’ve also noticed locations in Japan tend to taste a bit better. could be supply chain or something being different. not sure.
