My Moral Dilema at McDonalds

Here. But I haven't tried them. I use the 2-for-1 coupons and/or the Dollar Menu.

McRib is my only full-price indulgence, and they haven't had it here in years now.

 

I never knew their Cokes were any different than anywhere else.

What I love most about Mickey D's is the damage they did to Starbucks with (gasp) affordable coffee.

One of the morning shows actually did a taste test in Seattle and the McDonald's stuff destroyed Starbucks.

 

Their onions are the best...

Their pickles are the best...

Seriously, no one knows what the fuck they are doing business-wise more than Micky D's. Disney comes close.

 

Excepting Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's is the best chain coffee in the states, and it's not close.

 

I won't go to DD durning the summer, because their iced coffee has all of the sugar undissolved on the bottom. In Starbucks, QuikChek or 7-Eleven you have no such problem.

 

Is this only a summer problem?

 

Is there any doubt that this is actually a method of cost control? It's annoying, but having worked in restaurants, it's ridiculous the amount of stuff people waste.

 

If Carls Jr./Hardees really believed that, they would put the soda fountain behind the counter as well.

There's no question it's for cost/waste. The customers hate it though.

 

Not worth the labor costs to put the soda behind the counter. It takes time to fill up the cup.

And then you'd have to deal with folks who want "no ice", "just a little ice", and "lots of ice".

Not to mention the half-diet, half-regular requests and all of the other absurdities that would lead to complaints when you didn't get their soda "right".

Plus the refills.

Panera Bread actually has their coffee out on the floor.

Most other coffee places won't do that. They figure you'll buy one coffee and take up a chair and use their internet all day.

But at a fast food joint, where you're not likely to linger, it makes sense with the soda. Even if there's some waste, soda is so cheap to them.

 

Unless a lot has changed (and I doubt it has) those places make the bulk of their money from sodas. That's why I applaud Mickey D's for offering the 32 ounce soda for a buck. At some other places it's twice that, which is insane.

 

I want to say five to 10 cents for a soda is the overhead cost. It's insanely cheap.

 

I think that's about right, from when I worked at some burger shops. But that's still more expensive than ketchup packets, so who knows what their motivation is.