Ask Lemmy

Around 2014 or so, I used to go to McDonald's for two McDoubles and a small soda. The McDouble was on the dollar menu, and all drinks, regardless of size, were $1. I could eat a filling meal for $3.

Today, a McDouble is $2.79 in my area and drinks are $1.59, $1.79, or $1.89 depending on size. I'm looking at a minimum of $7.17 for the same meal I used to eat a decade ago, not counting tax.

I used to go out to nice restaurants and spend around $20-30 to feed myself and my wife. Now I spend around that much just feeding the two of us at McDonald's. Going out to a nice restaurant with my wife is easily gonna cost me $50-$100 today, plus tip.

And I always tip a minimum of $20 regardless of the cost of the meal. Much more if it goes over $70. I don't agree with tipping, but I'm not gonna screw over waitstaff when their income is heavily based on tips.

[...] have you tried McDonalds overseas?

I lived abroad for nearly a decade, thanks to military service, and I always loved trying McDonald's in every country I visited, just so I could compare with the US as my baseline.

[...] what item do you wish was available at US McDonalds but only remains in that country?

My favorite foreign item, which I miss dearly, was the teriyaki burger in Japan. It's the best McDonald's burger I've ever had. Japanese food in general is my favorite of all the foreign foods I've eaten and I'm definitely planning a trip back to Japan once day just to gorge on their local foods again. But I will definitely be making time for a McDonald's teriyaki burger the next time I'm in the country.

Is McDonalds in other countries better or worse?

That's kind of a complicated question, because it depends on the country and whether you're looking for "healthier" or "tastier."

In Europe, food regulations prevent American fast food joints from loading their food with tons of sugar, so they end up being (relatively) healthier than their American counterparts. And depending on the country and where they source their ingredients, it might be tastier too. Although it's hard to beat a fattening greasy American burger on flavor.

But I remember being in Germany around 2011 or so when they introduced a "1955 Burger," which they claimed was the burger McDonald's used to sell in Germany in 1955. It was exceptionally good! I came back many times while the promotion was going on.

When I was back in America, I caught another promotional for the "1955 Burger," but it was gross! And nothing like the German variant. Apparently, Germany made the burger differently than we did in the US back in the day, and I much prefer the German version.