It is not that fair at least in Portugal. Health insurance, paid sick days, paid maternity leave is something that is normal benefits if you work. Holiday nope, You have to work for over 6 months to have the right to take holidays and the limit is 2 days of holiday per month of contract to a limit of 20 days of holiday (if you take the usual 12 months contract you can only take 20 days off after 6 months of working). Be it in a Portuguese McDonalds or in any other company in Portugal. As for fair wage, I don't think the minimum wage is any fair. 870 euros per month is not a fair wage. If you are alone and need a place to live, the minimum wage will not help you, the cheapest 1 bedroom house in my region which is outside of Lisbon available as of now costs 575 euros per month and that is only for rent. What about water and electricity? you can add around 100 euros for that per month. That leaves you with 195 euros. Based on statistics a normal portuguese worker spends 373 euros per month in food for the month. Okay a regular job gives you a Meal card where they give you a daily limit that you can use in supermarkets and such, but if you don't use the money for meals the amount can be cumulative and at the end of the month you get around 175 euros. And I am not even gonna talk about Fuel and Transportantion because now you have to make choices because you can't get everything you need. You either eat less and be able to pay for your daily comute to work
@@wrestlingkid10 I don't think he meant fair wage as in fair to the cost of living. In the US, service workers make like 2 dollars an hour + tips. They rely on tips for the vast majority of their income. That's why they're so obsessed with it. Fair wage means a fixed salary that's not dependent on the customer. Whether it's minimum wage or not. Of course you won't be able to live off minimum in Lisbon, but imagine living in New York with 2$ an hour if you take away the tips.
I just heard you say you love your country....... that good BUT does your country love you .... or are they just in it for the money and to rob the poor to give to the rich....
17:44 The strange fries are a mixture of fries made with carrots, red beets and parsnips. This trio has been used to make vegetable crisps that have been found in my supermarkets for years. It was a limited time edition, like wavy fries. Year-round, we have 2 choices at McDo: classic fries or potatoes. These limited editions replace potatoes for a few weeks. And yes, it's vegetables fries are not terrible. I seem to remember that even BK made fun of these vegetables fries on April 1st this year. 1st tweet: '' tomorrow, discover our vegetable fries ''. 2nd tweet "April Fools. Imagine someone really does that. Lol'' that sums up the general opinion very well. Fortunately, the potatoes came back quickly, but we had fears..
You can choose regular fries or these delicious little potato wedges coated with garlic/paprika and served with a creamy sauce. Same price and absolute banger :) (the Royal Deluxe burger worth a try too)
Every time I buy a bag of mixed root vegetables, I get parsley root and not parsnip. Unless I have the two next to each other, I cannot tell them apart! lol Such a let-down when I sink my teeth into a roast parsley root and not a parsnip. I expect lovely and sweet. I get attacked by iron. No, I love parsley root too, but not when I expect a roasted parsnip.
I've seen the same root veg. fry mix for sale in western Canada at a wholesaler, but I'm not sure if any local restaurants serve them. I'm sure they must, otherwise why would a wholesaler keep them in stock? I just cook them at home, though.
The icecream machine being down is a typical American problem. I've only had it once here in Europe, and that was due to an electrical issue in the building. I heard that it being down in the US, is due to a contract they have with the manufacturer. Might be interesting to react to, if you can find the video.
It happens sometimes in the uk a mate that used to work at maccies told me it’s normally when the person that was supposed to put the machine on clean hasn’t and they can’t use it.
As a Mcdonald's employee in France, I can say that the reusable cutlery (or re-use as we call it) has been used since December 2022 (at least in my resturant). It's a nightmare to wash, but I understand the goal. I did not realise about the cultural stuff, but what I know is that the McCafé, where we sell macarons, pain au chocolat, croissants, smoothies, iced coffee, expressos, hot chocolate and whatnot is a huge success with foreign clients, especially Americans. Most medium to large Mcdos have a McCafé, and in our restaurant it's about 25% of sales.
McCafé was an Australian invention. We also have things like macaroons and pastries. I think we also started the self serve computers. A lot of what comes out in McDonald’s is tested in the Thornleigh restaurant at the head office in Sydney Australia. (Except specific national menus). It’s kinda the experimental restaurant.
If you work shifts here and are coming of the night shift, there's two places you can go get a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, ranging from fresh pastry to actual normal menus. And those are the Quick at the Cinema complex and the McDonald's a few 100 meters away from it. If you ever pass there at night, both are stuffed to the brim. And when you go inside and look at what people are eating, you'd have to do a double take that there's indeed a bunch of Quick and McDonald's branding all around you, to believe that you're in a fastfood restaurant.
Sorry but the "it's a staple of French culture to sit down to eat" I've had to laugh. It's not just French. It's the entire Mediterranean area. Try convince an Italian, a Spanish or a Greek to eat on the go like many in the US seem to love to do. They'll look at you as if you had grown two heads.😅
Saying that something is a staple of one country does not exclude that something from being a staple of other countries. You left out plenty of countries yourself where sitting down and taking time to eat is also a staple.
@@mikeyb2932 first, I just made some examples, you Karen. Second, maybe you should try and re-read what I wrote, while also listening to the video. In the video they are talking about EU countries and in particular of France. So when they said that McDonald's policy in France changed because of the eating culture, I thought that it wasn't a plausible explanation for just France, but was valid, in regards to EU and McDonalds, also for other countries in the same area and with the same regulations (because we're talking about food and the rules are the same all over the EU). Try not to call out people for things you don't understand, thank you. It just makes you look overly and unnecessarily grumpy.
but the americans are in a permanent HURRY , HURRY , HURRY to earn a few dollars to be able to CONSUME!! CONSUME !! CONSUME so eating is only for SURVIVING ... not for taste , HEALTH or any other nonsense !
@@Jmvars I used to live in Lillehammer. I still remember the day I walked past McDonalds there and saw a car at the drive through. Not a big deal but certainly a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
I was in Metz in France where all the old buildings are made from a pale orange sandstone, and all new buildings have to conform. McDonalds were allowed to open there, but not using their colour scheme, they had to blend in with the rest of the buildings. I was very impressed. No big red and yellow sign, just a simple pale orange M on the front of the building. Similar restrictions in many other towns and cities. Still didn't eat there. Hell, I was in France!
@@lyonstclair69300 It's been longer than that since I've been to France, I like how they keep all the character of towns and cities, like Dijon and the amazing tiled roofs.
The first time i went to a McDonald's in England was on my 7th birthday in the 70s. Dad asked where the plates and cutlery were, and hasn't been in one since😂
The same thing is true in Denmark. Larger tables for larger groups and table service. They also do collaborations with Danish chefs to make special "Homestyle" burgers. Like a Chicken Teriyaki burger or something like that.
Probably because ordering in or to go is still what the majority do. We want to sit down to eat... just not necessarily at McD So, unless McD figures out a deal with our Returpant system, they'll never see those reusable containers again. Edit: it's perhaps 10 years since my last visit to the US, but I don't remember the food quality to be particularly different across the pond... but I do remember that there was no big or even small tasty (bummer, it's available even in Asia).. on the other hand they had some interesting third pounders, which I believe was the ancestors to what we know as homestyles today.
We do have chefs burger in France too Anyway, I’ve been in LA in the US and I have to say that the food is globally better in French (and European) Mc Donald’s than in the US. Probably because it’s more under control though
@@BenjaminVestergaard The last time I was at USA I ate (out of necessity because I don't like fast food chains and try to not visit them) at Mc Donals... It was a sticky and not so "clean" feeling experience. The premise seemed old and not well maintained, like it needed a good tuning and I think we were the only three (a part of the workers) that were there. The rest came, purchased and went away. Sometimes, here in Spain, they advertise "chef burguers" with "recipes" or endorsed by famous Spanish chefs. I have to say Mc Donals knows how to penetrate a market. I ate in Japan a local shrimp hamburguer because a friend wanted to try the special Japanese hamburguer from Mc Donals and here you can eat a jamón (Spanish cured ham) and tomato toast, to put an example of how they do local to attract people. The premises are way different here in Spain and in Japan than the ones I saw in USA.
@@vanesag.9863 damn it... now I wanna visit a McD in Spain again... Jamon is crazy good, also easily available here, just not at McD... makes me curious.
i ate at US mcdonalds and european mcdonalds in various countries. its basically a tradition. european mcdonalds is way "cleaner" if that makes sense. you dont feel as sluggish. the taste and quality is just way better. in austria and germany the beef quality is fantastic, so it almost tastes like a real burger.. US mcdonalds uses sketchy chemicals compared to an european mcdonalds. they never could use them...the regulations are way way stricter.
But that is not a typically McDonalds thing! More than 1500 dyes, artificial aromas, preservatives and so on are banned in the EU but allowed in the US. The FDA is a massive joke and the US as a whole doesnt care about public health. No refulation on food quality, 6 times more sugar in their industrial bread, around 35% more sugar in their sodas ... Highest rates of obesity, diabetes, heart diseases among OECD countries. Most expensive healthcare system (more than twice the average cost per person) but ranks last on the OECD quality and accessibility ranking.
Wait, could you please tell me when & where in austria you ate at a mcdonalds and the burger tated "almost like a real burger"? I 100% believe that it's way better than in the US, but I never had the feeling of a burger at mcdonalds tasting almost like a real burger so far.
@@LucRio448 standards are different most likely. The fact that in the usa pretty much no matter where you get a burger it comes with basicly the same kind of bun that mcdonalds also uses would make it pretty simmilar. Here those kind of buns are pretty much mcdonalds exclusive.
@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 You mean the burgers would be "actual good burgers" to someone from the US who is used to utter crap, while we in europe who are used to ACTUALLY good burgers from restaurants etc with great buns and everything think pretty different about that? Yeah, I can see that, good point.
I live in Prague a few Km from the Westfield shopping center. The local fast food zone has had porcelain plates and stainless steel cutlery as standard for years. We don't even have disposable beer cups in the Czech Republic. Sitting down to eat is common across Europe, and in the Czech Republic, for example, it is normal to go for lunch on weekdays, and restaurants have a lunch menu that often includes soup and a main course. And always at an affordable price.
I live in the Netherlands an I've never heard anyone here refer to a McDonalds as a 'restaurant'. We have a long tradition of snackbars and McD is just another one but with a much more limited choice than other ones.
Well, nobody -- except American food chains and US Americans -- regards fast food joints as restaurants. Even in the cheapest restaurant in Europe you will get glass, porcelain or at least faience or earthenware and metal cutlery to eat. McDonalds and their competitors neglect these European culture traits. (I am European and don't have too much experience with other parts of the world, except the USA.)
Not sure about other countries in Europe but where I'm from, if a customer wants ice cream and the machine is down, they would most likely request the "Complaints Book", which is a literal book that every single business must have at every single location and online (edit: obviously online it is not a literal book xD). It is periodically reviewed by the Economic and Food Safety Authority during inspections, and a complaint can be a huge headache to your business, ranging from forcing a business to take action against an employee who misconducts (so no more sweeping it under the rug by the managers) to the business facing fines or even closure. Now, an ice cream machine being broken happens, it never happened while I worked there, but some of our other machinery did break, and techs were usually there in a couple of hours. However, no McDonald's would ever risk saying the ice cream machine is broken without it being broken, or have it broken for longer than a day without calling maintenance, as that trend of complaints would cause them great trouble. Costumer rights, yay!
in every country outside us there's something special in the menu, in Poland on breakfast time you can buy sandwitch with radish and cottage cheese from what i remember. i saw somewhere in Spain or Italy some type of macaroni or teriyaki in Japan. most of the people dont just walk in and go away with their meal, most of the times we sit with friends and enjoy our meal with them
@@LeutnantJoker for me every fast food chain is pretty dogshit ngl, mcdonalds/kfc, burger king and the rest, its all trash. im curious why people buy this, its not even that good. if im gonna eat something this type, i rather go for nice kebab
they also opened new fast food chain called pompeye or similar i dont remember, i just looked on the menu and knew that it was dogshit as hell and i wasnt wrong.
In the 90s in Australia they proposed the "McCafe" adjustment, (basically putting a reasonably decent cafe counter for coffee and muffins etc on the side of a regular McDonalds store). The head office said "no" and the local industry essentially went rogue and did it anyway HUGE success. You can actually get a decent coffee at McDonalds, with a ham and cheese toasty, some raison bread, and a muffin. (And yeah we have Macarons)
Of course you might still get a better/worse coffee based on particularly franchise and barrista, but most of the time it's good enough. Just hope they go back to non-takeaway containers soon (changed during COVID). Much prefer drinking my latte out of a better texture container.
My co-worker used to travel a lot to the US on business and he was shocked how bad the fast food restaurants were, like they're places you'll go if you have to, not because you really want to.
@andrew_koala2974You might want to calm down a notch. Also the original comment isn’t wrong as it is described how the circumstances were at a given time and (assuming) there is no way to know wether these circumstances have changed.
@andrew_koala2974 Why are you using 2 different brackets when saying "[NOT were}" ? It is also much less convenient to read your split rows of texts. So maybe focus more on yourself than others whose comment was very understandable. Go read books and improve your knowledge of how to behave with others and becoming better person in general.
Yes, when I lived in the US (that was 20 years ago though) the McDonald's there looked very depressing and even a bit seedy, they was badly lit, smelled bad and seemed to be used mostly by homeless people to hang out in all day. The food was much poorer quality and much, much greasier compared to the French version.
In the Netherlands, because ketchup wasn't as popular as it was in the US, they made a special sauce to go with fries. American friends that visit absolutely love it.
Was just in Amsterdam and Amersfoort for a few days. It was interesting to see how many Fries places there were, just selling fries. Seemed most got mayo on their fries. I tried it and it wasn't bad, though mayo is not my normal thing. If there was another special sauce, I'll have to try it next time.
@@tomsmits259 Thanks for the info. I have never eaten at a McDonalds anywhere else but in the US (and rarely eat it here). I figure there are better things to eat when away. :)
Never heard this before but interesting. Do you mean hat yellowish sauce for fries or a different real mayonaise? Bc the US does have that yellow sauce too. And your American friends would know that already. Was that sauce made only for the Netherlands or for all of Europe at when that was made for the first time? And Belgians also have mayonaise with their fries but different one than the Dutch mayo. Same in France and Spain.
They forgot to specify in the video that Mcdonalds were forced to change their colors in France to do greenwashing, because France loves ecology, the exterior wall and the logo are green for several years, and in their pubs they specify that their potatoes are of French origin, and even some burgers where they specify that the origin of the meat is French, Even some burgers have a cheese with a controlled "AOP" Designation of Origin, a very strict standard in France that prevents cheese counterfeiting. And that it is only thanks to this that they managed to make a place for themselves in France. It is important for the French that the origin of the food comes from France. Because France is the strictest country in terms of health regulation. Many pesticides, OGM etc are banned in France, but are allowed in the rest of Europe. Whether it is strict standards for animal welfare, or for cultivation so that some insects are spared, like bees, France is always one step ahead of health and ecology.
But Mac Do is one of the 224 major companies which do not pay their providers on time (and put them at risk economicaly). The list was published for the first half of 2023 by the goverment so that that shame is known (and 200 000 euros as a fine for Mac Donald's)
In the UK MacDonalds cater for sit down meals particularly, we order at the screen, take a table number and the food is served at the table, and the servers are invariably polite and friendly and do not get tips so they are genuine. There are also dedicated parking spaces where pre-orders from the app will be served to the vehicle, all this in addition to the normal drive through. The products are also of decent quality, usually with local ingredients and relatively inexpensive - not cheap. \we take a meal there about once a month, especially when travelling.
and it is not only for phones, it works (USB C) for laptops, and all kind of appliances and small tools, so with a couple of smart (powerful enough) chargers, you can recharge anything you need to recharge in an average home
We used to stop at Maccas when we were driving on holidays. Because they were in a couple of big service centres on the main highways, where you could get fuel, a feed, and have a bit of a stretch and a break. But since the kids have grown up, i can't remember the last time I went to a Maccas.
In Britain we have/had a show called "Have I Got News For You". Topical news with a comedic slant given to it. In one episode a number of years ago they showed 4 photos - e-coli bacteria, raw sewage, a rats foot, and a nematode worm, and the contestants had to guess which was the odd one out. The answer, of course, was the raw sewage - it had merely seeped up through the drains and been found in a McDonalds restaurant. The other 3 had all been actually found in McDonalds burgers served to the public. This one statement put me off McD's for life, I will never set foot in one of their places for any reason.
@@Thurgosh_OG I don't doubt that for a second, I stopped eating in the canteen at work the day I saw the chef take a dump then walking out without washing his hands. Packed lunches from that moment on.
in the mid-80s the first Italian MC opened in Rome near Piazza di Spagna in an elegant and ancient building, with tables where you could sit and relax as is customary in Italy, immediately the managers tried to make you get up and leave the table claiming that this was a fast food restaurant and therefore the very philosophy of the type of restaurant was to eat quickly, but all we did was get up from one place and occupy another, in a short time they surrendered to our habits, another thing I remember about that MC was the first in the world to offer a different menu from the usual hamburgers, in the center of the restaurant it seems to me there was a self-service area with salads and pasta much more appreciated than chewing gum sandwiches
Here in the Netherlands you have those containers too recently. You pay extra for them so can take them home if you want to. However if you return them then you just get the payment back. For example you pay 1 euro extra just for the glass and once you return the glass they return you the 1 euro.
I was collecting a load of French published Citroen magazines over in Le Havre back in '97 to sell at a Citroen show back in the UK and met up at the nearby McDonalds to load my car boot (a Citroen XM 3.0 V6 Si) up with them. That was the first instance where I saw salads and other healthy looking foods on sale in McDonalds, when in the UK it was all the usual stuff McDonalds had on offer since the '80s.
A interesting video, its a shame they never went into the menu differences per country, couse they will be mindblowing for sure. In the Netherlands we still use paper cups and straws, though the Mac's interior look really good and comfortable and u can order food digitally so that u can move to your seat(if u eat there) instead of having to wait for the food first. I generally only go to one of i happen to be in the city center around dinnertime(wich is rare) and even then i keep it simple with what i order.
In the McDonalds where I sometimes eat, you order yourself on a touch screen at the entrance, pay electronically, get a number and go sit in the restaurant and put the number visible on the table. They come and bring you your order a few minutes later. It is kind of a table service.
@andrew_koala2974 in this context it is totally acceptable to use you. If you decide to be annoying correcting people, at least make sure to be correct yourself.
@andrew_koala2974 I reckon you’re not a fan of foreigners trying to speak or write in a language which isn’t their own. And you have a nice way of pointing at (possible) mistakes. Hope you did better in school than me 50 years ago, since it is your language and not mine.
We don't have rewashable cutlery in swedish McDonalds but have had touchscreen kiosks for self ordering and table service for many years now, with the app you can basically just walk into any Mcd, sit down at a numbered table, order your food to that number and they'll bring it out to you.
For a time, they served special burgers in Germany with real cutlery on wooden plates, not packed in anything, but delivered via table service to your place. Those were a different kind of burgers, more high-end, and not all McD did get them as far as I remember. I think they've been phased out though. But maybe, the only drive-through for boats is still active (it is in Hamburg, and not strictly a drive-through, but they have a boat mooring and a speaker to order stuff down there ^^ ) Somehow I sometimes miss the old styrofoam boxes from the 80s, the silly transforming toys, the chicken nuggets that still had somewhat-recognizable meat pieces in them. But some things improve (more eco-friendly), some get worse (the bright red color has all but vanished, modern McDs tend to look broodish and dark and meh), and some stay the same (you still burn your tongue if you bite into a fresh filet-o-fish)
Sorry if I digress a bit here: One of the most interesting videos lately. I laughed right at the beginning when the subject of the ice cream machine came up, because that's often the case with us. I like always your comments on how it is in the US in comparison. This makes it very exciting and highly informative. You find out what it's like somewhere else and at the same time we find out what it's like where you are. Everyone benefits from that. I was definitely one of the first McDonalds customers in Austria. At first there were rumors that there were dead mice in the burgers. The stuff was demonized with us, but the triumphal procession could not be stopped. Right from the start, I was fascinated by how diverse the clientele was, from street workers to bankers, everyone is there to this day. I like going there with family or friends, but sometimes I'm alone, I hardly go to any other restaurant alone and when I'm alone abroad I'm more drawn to McD than anywhere else. Many Europeans do not know this French concept at all. In Austria we also have table service and McCafé, but otherwise a lot is still the same. It's like when you cross a border into a neighboring country, even from Austria to Germany, you get different things at McD than at home in your own country. That's why at least one McD visit in another country is always a must with my family, although of course we prefer to go out for local premium food.
Lol, the poster with that french Chef: it's a Dutch poster (or Flemish). BTW, about the packaging: France (or at least the McDonald's) went ahead of the pack and switched to re-useable packaging, anticipating EU-laws meant to reduce waste. So the switched to the hard-plastic containers for fries, nuggets, etc. and actual glasses for the beverages.
In Portugal, you choose the food, on the kiosk and then we are served at the table, customers don't walk around with their trays. In Portugal, they are like gourmet fast food 😉
Since you know about the origins of the "Hamburger", you should check out a "Bremer" 😂... I worked close to the guys who did the redesign of McDo in Germany in 2010 to about 2014. They added a whole new section with the McCafé and explained to me that McDo wanted to increase the time of the customers staying in the restaurant. So there is a different approach to customers by McDo throughout Europe. My own experience with McDo are childhood memories, unplanned travels and disappointment when I actually eat there. Funny story from my hometown Reutlingen (110k ppl, south of Stuttgart): The first Burger joint in town was a restaurant called "Udo's Burger". A few years after he opened, a McDo restaurant opened just on the opposite side of the street (in about 1985). Everybody was convinced he was done... 20 years later, McDo went away, Burger King took over and is still there. But so is Udo. And when I want to refresh childhood memories, don't want to get disappointed and I am in my hometown... Udo's it is. For me nowadays fast food is not really an option. I tend to eat mostly non processed, home made foods. I eat somewhat low carb, but I don't bend myself. More veggies and salad, instead of fries or pasta. In Switzerland McDo is expensive and really not nice for lunch. You need to order on stupid screens and it takes ages during lunch time to get your food. I'd rather spend 5$ extra, go in a restaurant and order one of the daily specials, which come at a reasonable price. Also Swiss take lunch and food as serious as the French.
Let's not even start with all these hygiene scandals that we have here in germany with these fast food chains ... since Günter Wallraff's revelations I no longer eat at these fast food chains (I rarely ate there before these events ) although I actually really liked the vegan burger at mcd.
I'm not sure if this exists where you are, but in the US, McDonald's used to have a play area with slides and climbing stuff, and I remember that being fun as a kid. Sadly, most of them have gotten rid of that in pursuit of profit margins, and COVID certainly didn't help.
My favourite McDonald's experience was in Greece. It seemed completely normal except that any menu included a free salad bar. I don't know if this is still the case, but I found it amazing. Apparently Greeks won't eat anything without their greens.
I guess I just learned something, but It was a salad bar, so there where definitely some vegetables to choose from. Not potatoes though, if that's what you mean. @@heldertorres4296
I loved the wedge potatoes they served in France as an alternative to fries. In Italy I once had creamy spinach nuggets as a side, they were delicious. And it's somehing else to eat a cheeseburger with a slice of parmesan instead of some orange cheese. I don't remember if it was a seasonal offer or if it was in the regular menu.
Every time I hear or think about Mc Donalds, I just remember an old article here in Norway. The workers there were lazy, so they put the toilet seats in the dishwasher. I couldn't eat there for years after that.
In Australia we have McDonald's (Australian) Angus burgers with cheese and bacon, egg and sausage breakfast McMuffins, and the McFeast has lettuce, cheese and tomato! Salads and wraps are available too! 😃👍
If you want to check different MacDonalds in Europe you must check the one in Porto, Portugal. I won the award of the most beautiful MacDonalds in the world. They bought an old art deco café and they just integrated into it, keeping all the amazing visuals.
Not a regular of McD (here in Portugal the prices are very similar to a regular restaurant and not a big fan of burgers) but in in some of them they make a great Caesar Salad. Btw the ice cream machine never failed me.
When I lived in Oz they were testing the quarter pounder deluxe in the early 90's tomatoes and lettuce, how revolutionary, it's now a regular menu item.
They used to have the deluxe in the UK about 20 years ago and they would make one it saked to about 15 years ago not been able to get one since. In the States had a Mc DLT in the 80's which was the same but the lettuce, tomato and top of the bun was separate from the burger to stop it going limp till you were ready to eat it.
The best burger I had was at Snow White Burger. A small wooden shack that had only 2 burger (cheese burger and supreme cheese burger). They used only fresh ingredients, nothing precut and no frozen meat pads and you could watch the whole making of your burger. I think it was somewhere near Sequoya National Park on our way to Bakersfield.
There are very rarely any international fast food restaurants in Italy, except at a few railway stations. Italy has seriously restricted their. Umbers to preserve Italian culture.
The best breakfast for me is no longer available. It was called a big breakfast and consisted of 2 sausages, scrambled egg(the best eggs I've ever eaten) hash browns and muffins. I miss it :(
@@kingofracismwith you there. I liked the breakfast bagel which they scrapped at the same time, and the mocha frappe - while retaining the far inferior caramel frappe. The people making menu choices here in the U.K. need to be shown the door. We often comment on how tasteless and awful the quality is but people Keep going back. I joke with my wife that one of those faceless E-number preservatives is probably going to be discovered to be more addictive than class A drugs 😅
Like any company doing business in the EU, American companies have to obey EU laws. So the meat has to be EU produced or EU approved. Fries cannot contain other ingredients than potatoes, oil/fat and little salt. Plastic wrapping, in any form, has to be billed clearly and reduced where possible. Paper straws for a milkshake are just an example.
As Belgian with many independant "friteries" around in every towns or villages, cheaper, better with bigger portion, I don't understand how fast-food "restaurants" are still selling those craps in Belgium ! It's a national shame for me....
If your fellow countrymen didn't buy them they wouldn't be there, right? How many Belgian people have to loose their jobs to satisfy your personal fellings?
@@liamwashington2046 : You call it "job" ?? Arrassement, bad salary, bad products (unhealthy), environmentally and socio-economic destructive, etc.... The society will be better without this monstuosity (even if there is less job... happiness is not relative to money !) !!
Whilst driving through France to get to Spain, a few years back, we stopped at a service station to grab a bite to eat, it wasnt a McD's but a French chain. Well, they put a tonne of garlic in their cheeseburgers. I was nearly sick. Not that i dont like garlic, i love it, but they must grated a whole bulb of garlic in there 😂 couldnt wait to get to Spain for some decent food 😂
Mostly empty calories, though. And you can get 1000+ healthier calories for less in every supermarket, also edible without any preparation and with more variation.
The speaker is a member of the German TH-cam channel "Simplicissimus". Simplicissimus has been making very good documentaries since 2015. They were also part of the ARD & ZDF content network called funk from October 6th, 2019 to May 15th, 2022. ARD and ZDF are the state broadcasters of Germany. The Channel "fern" appears to be a new project they are involved with. I think stopping by regularly to see what new videos there are will be worth it
I like watching your reactions because you do stick up for your country when you feel like it :) Its nice to see. Keeps things real. :) Sometimes I think its sad seeing Americans put America down just for views. And who really enjoys watching that? Anyway, keep up the great work! You seem like a nice guy. All the best wishes from the Netherlands! :)
Interesting to see France also picked a fight with McD and their american ways. Us Danes weren't happy with their garbage practices either. I suppose if you can find a video explaining it, it could be worth learning about for ya mate.
mccafe was invented in australia in 1993, you can buy macarons in mcafes in australia but i wonder if mccafes in france or australia had macarons first.
I love the fact that the chef sued them for using his image, here in Scotland several people have had been sued by ‘MackieDees’, as we call it where I live, for using their own name of Mc/MacDonalds for their business.
Oh that's awful to hear about, copyrighting someone's name should be an absolute crime. Good for the French chef not tolerating any nonsense, the franchise was awful to do that to him.
Did you know that the most beautiful McDonald's in the world is in Porto? I ate at the most beautiful McDonald's in the world, with crystal chandeliers, stained glass windows and a delicious pastry shop," wrote Harrison Jacobs. Before being a restaurant, this space belonged to an old café in Porto, which did not survive the passage of time - Café Imperial. Created in the 1930s, the business gained fame and operated for decades, standing out for its Art Deco style.
McDonalds was in France before 1997. I went to Paris with my colleagues (weekend trip) in 1992, and - among others - we ate at a McDonalds in Saint-Quentin, a suburb of Paris. And it was there already for a couple of years.
Its worth saying that macdolands in most european coubtries have load of off menue item, like bear and stuff like that (well apart from germany where bear is on the menue) Its also worth saying that in specifically geramany they have those huge highway side M just like in the us. While most other EU countries have a normal 10 meter sign. Macdonalds is diffrent in oretty much every country. The mest mc donalds i have eaten to this dsy was in thailand. But on the flip side, there it was more expensive than fancy dining. One thing is inteesting. Mcdonalds burgers are tiny. 45 or 90gram, if you go to a normal resturant in most euroean countrirs and order a burget you will likely get a 150 or 200gram burger. Some times even 250. 100gram might exist as a "small" burger.
@@mrpatrick9577 they have bear all over Europe, at least sweden, Spain and UK. But its a off menue item in those countries. They bear is low alcohol, under 2%, this is typically considered road safe if you only drink one.
Here in Czech Republic, it looks totaly the same as on that "USA" picture. It mostly looks better in KFC than in McDonnalds, especially fries are much better in KFC. And chicken nugets in McD are like something frozen from Lidl. I don't really like McD and I don't understand it's popularity, food in KFC or other fastfoods looks better to me. Only think I sometimes have in McD is coffee.
I'm surprised that beer wasn't mentioned! I'll never forget my first French McDonalds, BigMac, Fries and a beer! Lovely! Not all serve alcohol, but I belive some also serve wine. ( Could be wrong, I have never seen it myself) Great video, I enjoy watching you react to none US culture!
Actually, Burger King also had reusable containers and in both restaurants chains, they are not just limited to glasses, fries box and trays. You can also get coffee cups of all sizes, salad boxes, ice cream cups, tableware,… The Burger King containers designs are more simple , round shaped boxes for almost every type of food. I must admit I already borrowed some salad container from Burger King because they are very practical with their lid and because I needed it to bring food to work the day after but I took it back to the restaurant afterwards… I wouldn’t dare to sell it online ! The Mc Do containers are more interesting for collectors because the double arch logo is carved in every reusable container. BK are just printed in white but their dishes are in bright colorful plastic. PS : the looking burned fries were a limited edition of carrots, beets and parsnips fries which (thankfully) hasn’t been released again since their first release in February 2023. They were limp and greasy.
Would love to see how McDonals adopted my culture - but alas, there is no McDonals (anymore) in the country. Well, as far as i remember .. our Mcdonals was pretty mundane though .. probably more US American (just more expensive) - but i cannot remember any special items on the menu .. its been a while though, i think it closed in well over 10 years ago.
The plastic cups, happy meals and cutlery are also starting to be implemented in the Netherlands too right now as i comment this our local McDonalds has just got their hands on those reusable things that’re replacing cups and everything and you pay 1 euro for each plastic thing but you can use it as many times as you want. You can also hold onto the cup and return it when visiting again and you’ll get your money back.
It's funny how in the US, all of these fast food chains have "Please Recycle" written on all of their disposable packaging, yet the restaurants themselves have no place to recycle it, only a trash bin.
@@pikachuchujelly7628 yup and most places in the US don’t even have a recycling center. The US is a stone age shit hole. Everything is about capitalism in north America :(
Btw, one use plastic straws, cups, cutlery were banned from France YEARS ago, you can t find them in supermarkets and fast foods neither, you ll only find reusable straws, paper cups and plates, and bamboo or one use wooden cutlery. And Mcdo still use paper cups and one use wrapping but only for take outs
at the local Mall , to the left and to the right of the main entrance we have a McDonalds and a KFC, left and right so you can choose. the shops inside the mall open at around 10 AM but the KFC and McD. open at 8 am so people that want to go the Mall, will just wake up ,wash,dress and skip breakfast since two of most renown fastfoods are there. you go there eat in a very nice place, the chairs/benches are covered in leather and very soft like couches you would by for own home, you do your own combination from the menu, pay with card and bring the paper to the people at the counter and wait for them to bring it to you at your table, very effortless and welcoming atmosphere. by the time you end eating, the mall shops open and you go inside. from what i saw in youtube videos , McDonalds in US doesn't have this welcoming feel that makes you look forward for the next time you go there. the menu on KFC and McDonalds have 30-35 different things that you can combine each time you go there for a different experience. everything feels nice and easy. and from all of it i think the feeling of a welcoming place is what makes 80% of the customers come.
In Germany, we call it Mäcces. One of its main reasons for success here were the US soldiers stationed all over the country. The soldiers were able to straight up pay with Dollars to get food they knew from home. For the Germans, fast food was nothing really new, we always had street food like bread rolls with fish, meat, or cheese on it.
The part where they show that Emily in Paris clip with the (I suppose) Frenchman not knowing Grimace isn't an exxageration. Unless you have Happy Meals (and even then? I never got one as a kid) all the McDo 's (and I learnt it's a typical French nickname, the more you know) characters Americans are familiar with are just non-existant. You don't see them anywhere in the restaurants. I kinda soarta remember seeing them as big stickers in the early 2000's in the kid corner, but that's all. Even Ronald McDonald himself is totally fading from French McDo. The mascot of McDonald here is the anthropomorphic Happy Meal box. For advertising, I guess you owuld have a great time watching them. As a Frenchman I find McDo's ads to be among the most pleasant to watch. Their general theme in the past years have been around "being together" which is always wholesome. The one advertising table service was even all about dropping every screen distraction to be together around a meal. I guess, an extremely French advert for McDo : th-cam.com/video/4Om0NOuWfvc/w-d-xo.html And ther's a special one they did when COVID lockdown was lifted, where you get a look at the insides of a typical McDo : th-cam.com/video/ZTGf0CtWNsA/w-d-xo.html
I have traveled around Europe and have been to several McDonalds but I have NEVER seen anything like these pictures. Also, they now know that there isn't as much plastic in the oceans as they thought. It turns out that they overestimated the amount by about 98,5%. There is still a LOT of plastic in the oceans but not as much as they originally thought.
not sure where you got your information from, but just yesterday i read an article from scientists of the netherlands (published in „Nature Geoscience“) where they say it's around 10 times worse than previously published figures. imho it's safer to believe in the higher numbers. if it wasn't that bad in the end, we will be over it even faster. but if we believe in the lower numbers and were wrong, we have a more serious problem than we already have today.
9:10 : "it is not quite like that, it is not taller than the mountains" In Illinois it is. The hilly parts in the north (of Illinois) is flatter than Denmark...
In the 1970s there was no McDonalds in Austria, my home country. When I was 15 or 16 y old, I traveled with a friend to Sweden for a few weeks. I lived most of the time on the outskirts of Stockholm or in a little village near Stockholm. As I heard, there was a McDonald in Stockholm, I wanted to go there on the spot, so we jumped on the next bus and we drove to Stockholm, just for the McDonalds experience. As a nearly life long vegetarian, I was happy to order a cheese burger, only to find out, there wasn't just cheese in it.
Hi Ian, my experience of McD in the UK is of a quality which seldom varies wherever you go and you know exactly what to expect. A few years ago on a trip to Poland I ventured into a McD in Poznan and was blown away by the superior quality of my usual quarter pound cheese burger. The texture of the meat and its flavour were superb - far better than anywhere in the UK and also less expensive.
In Switzerland Mc Donalds has special Swiss cheese weeks a few times a year, when they have cheeseburgers with different Swiss cheeses that change every weekday. So people return every day to try them all. Marketing genius ...
Also, in Europe/Germany McD is not a "Restaurant", it's an "Imbiss" - a fast food joint, where you go to if nothing else is available. Even the "Frittenbude an der Ecke" or the nearest "Dönerbude" - the small local fast food joint around the corner is considered first.
Here in Germany and i think Austria they have special Winter Items each Year, like a Burger with Bacon on Top of the Bun, a Kartoffelpuffer (Potato pancake) and a special Sauce. They also have various other Burgers and other stuff like fried Mozzarella Sticks etc in that Time. Though me and my Parents dont buy anything from Fast Food Chains for 10+ years now, considering what their Stuff is made from, plus Homecooking is cheaper and more delicious ^^
The fact of wanting to sit for at least half an hour when having a meal is something I think is present in all cultures of the world. There are some foods that you eat standing up or while you're on the move, those that are precisely defined as "street food" such as ice creams, snacks, at most filled sandwiches... for everything else, the most logical thing is to find a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the food, first because we are human and not horses, second because moving too much while eating slows down digestion.
Every European country has a different recipe in MC Donalds. They all add their traditional meals in the menu and it is so delicious. In Germany, or at least in my city, the buns are very big and fluffy. Not to mention that we also sell alcohol in MC Donalds.
Glaces are taken because they are functional -- and can be used at home. And are not available for sale -- they could make extra money selling them at their locations... By the way, the packages are papper made -- plastic is no longer used . Forks, spoons and knives are wood disposable utensils. In Portugal, McDonald's features 2 great soups every day. And Expresso Coffee is available -- and beer as well. Most Restaurants feature the Mc Cafe, were a wide array of paistry is available. Personally, I rather go to Burger King -- unfortunately, in Europe McDonald's is a lot more common than the KING ! From a Social view-point, in Portugal and all over Europe the employees have Health-Insurance, Paid Vacations, etc. Probably not in the US!
The containers for pommes are kartonage. Also for drinks, Nuggets, Curly Fries and Burgers, but they give cheaper burger only in paper. Only in some restaurants you became glas for drinks, but i don't know 1 in Vienna where you get glas. Ok, they have glas in the MC Donalds Cafès, if you sit and eat/drink inside you became your coffee in normal keramic cups and a small glas with water. The Mc D quality is much much better here in most European states, they also have more and more vegetarien or vegan things.
I loved that I could get cafe gourmand in the McD's in Reims. And I thought the reusable containers were a good idea. (We had looked for my usual eatery there, but it had closed down since I was last there in 2022).
I remember 20 years ago, McDonalds in the UK were all about the 4 uncomfortable red or yellow plastic seats fixed around each little table. Bright lights, loud music (the faster the beat of the music, the faster people chew/eat, cranking up the dance music at busy times does turn tables over at a faster rate), Ronald McDonald, (13 year old me thought he was a touchy feely paedo). It was cheap unhealthy fast food, about bums on seats and making money. Now, the only yellow is the M logo, wood panels, green walls, plants, indirect lighting. Ok, still not the best seats but definitely better. Not necessarily a cheap option anymore, and apparently the internal scuttlebutt is the business is now actually about buying/owning land in premium locations, and tying franchisees into unholy contracts for rents and fees and percentages and services and suppliers and nominated companies, that the easiest way to start paying your utility bills and McD HQ is by selling burgers in bulk.....
The strange fries are vegetable fries. Purple carrots, panais (an old root vegetable) and sweet potatoes. It's a marketing try to make diet fries (less sugar than in potatoes)
The icecream machine being down is a typical American and Europe problem. There is only 1 Company who are assigned and allowed to fix them, but the costs to repair is really high. So most mc donalds restaurants don´t want to pay that price and they wait to a later date and maybe and only maybe then it will be repaired.
I love how the dutch mcdonalds were the one who had the ad that the french chef disliked. Probably a dutch marketing person too. Really gives an insight into both countries
My only experience of Macca's in Paris was in July 1975, the food and packaging was similar but the prices were 3 times more than USA at the time. Oz is, from my last experiences, similar to US, I have not been for years as if I go for a FF burger I go to Hungary Jacks (Burger King). Back when I still lived in US, I used to have to drive often between O'hare airport and Wisconsin, and I would pass by McDonald's Hamburger University where they trained their managers. I also remember the Hormel Chili can display along there. Often driving around USA on Jobs I would find it easy to spot the Golden Arches and also KFC signs which were my 2 favorite eating places in my junk food phase of life.
McDonald in Denmark looks a lot like what we see from the US in packaging, but friends who recently visit the US were shocked by the meat quality compared to what we get here, they tried it twice because the first one, they were sure it was an error, but both times, they trashed the burger.
Don't forget that European McDo employees get fair wages, health insurance, paid sick days, paid maternity leave, holidays from day 1 etc
and don't forget it is not through government regulation, but unions allowing the workers to pull their weight in negotiating working conditions
@@doltBmB In Germany we have strong worker protection laws, strong unions, so it may be the mixture.
The problem is the US has none of these
It is not that fair at least in Portugal. Health insurance, paid sick days, paid maternity leave is something that is normal benefits if you work. Holiday nope, You have to work for over 6 months to have the right to take holidays and the limit is 2 days of holiday per month of contract to a limit of 20 days of holiday (if you take the usual 12 months contract you can only take 20 days off after 6 months of working). Be it in a Portuguese McDonalds or in any other company in Portugal.
As for fair wage, I don't think the minimum wage is any fair. 870 euros per month is not a fair wage. If you are alone and need a place to live, the minimum wage will not help you, the cheapest 1 bedroom house in my region which is outside of Lisbon available as of now costs 575 euros per month and that is only for rent.
What about water and electricity? you can add around 100 euros for that per month. That leaves you with 195 euros.
Based on statistics a normal portuguese worker spends 373 euros per month in food for the month. Okay a regular job gives you a Meal card where they give you a daily limit that you can use in supermarkets and such, but if you don't use the money for meals the amount can be cumulative and at the end of the month you get around 175 euros.
And I am not even gonna talk about Fuel and Transportantion because now you have to make choices because you can't get everything you need. You either eat less and be able to pay for your daily comute to work
@@wrestlingkid10 I don't think he meant fair wage as in fair to the cost of living. In the US, service workers make like 2 dollars an hour + tips. They rely on tips for the vast majority of their income. That's why they're so obsessed with it. Fair wage means a fixed salary that's not dependent on the customer. Whether it's minimum wage or not. Of course you won't be able to live off minimum in Lisbon, but imagine living in New York with 2$ an hour if you take away the tips.
I just heard you say you love your country....... that good BUT does your country love you .... or are they just in it for the money and to rob the poor to give to the rich....
17:44 The strange fries are a mixture of fries made with carrots, red beets and parsnips. This trio has been used to make vegetable crisps that have been found in my supermarkets for years. It was a limited time edition, like wavy fries. Year-round, we have 2 choices at McDo: classic fries or potatoes. These limited editions replace potatoes for a few weeks. And yes, it's vegetables fries are not terrible. I seem to remember that even BK made fun of these vegetables fries on April 1st this year. 1st tweet: '' tomorrow, discover our vegetable fries ''. 2nd tweet "April Fools. Imagine someone really does that. Lol'' that sums up the general opinion very well. Fortunately, the potatoes came back quickly, but we had fears..
You can choose regular fries or these delicious little potato wedges coated with garlic/paprika and served with a creamy sauce.
Same price and absolute banger :) (the Royal Deluxe burger worth a try too)
Every time I buy a bag of mixed root vegetables, I get parsley root and not parsnip. Unless I have the two next to each other, I cannot tell them apart! lol Such a let-down when I sink my teeth into a roast parsley root and not a parsnip. I expect lovely and sweet. I get attacked by iron. No, I love parsley root too, but not when I expect a roasted parsnip.
@@jenat82I tried those vegetable fries in Germany and instantly regretted my choice 😅
I've seen the same root veg. fry mix for sale in western Canada at a wholesaler, but I'm not sure if any local restaurants serve them. I'm sure they must, otherwise why would a wholesaler keep them in stock? I just cook them at home, though.
The icecream machine being down is a typical American problem. I've only had it once here in Europe, and that was due to an electrical issue in the building.
I heard that it being down in the US, is due to a contract they have with the manufacturer. Might be interesting to react to, if you can find the video.
It happens sometimes in the uk a mate that used to work at maccies told me it’s normally when the person that was supposed to put the machine on clean hasn’t and they can’t use it.
also a typical Australian problem, but here the workers clean it early and turn it off to make so to have less work later while closing
Quite typical in Finland.
I work in McDonald's in France and in my restaurant the icecream machine broke quite a lot
th-cam.com/video/SrDEtSlqJC4/w-d-xo.html
As a Mcdonald's employee in France, I can say that the reusable cutlery (or re-use as we call it) has been used since December 2022 (at least in my resturant). It's a nightmare to wash, but I understand the goal. I did not realise about the cultural stuff, but what I know is that the McCafé, where we sell macarons, pain au chocolat, croissants, smoothies, iced coffee, expressos, hot chocolate and whatnot is a huge success with foreign clients, especially Americans. Most medium to large Mcdos have a McCafé, and in our restaurant it's about 25% of sales.
McCafé was an Australian invention. We also have things like macaroons and pastries. I think we also started the self serve computers. A lot of what comes out in McDonald’s is tested in the Thornleigh restaurant at the head office in Sydney Australia. (Except specific national menus). It’s kinda the experimental restaurant.
If you work shifts here and are coming of the night shift, there's two places you can go get a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, ranging from fresh pastry to actual normal menus.
And those are the Quick at the Cinema complex and the McDonald's a few 100 meters away from it.
If you ever pass there at night, both are stuffed to the brim.
And when you go inside and look at what people are eating, you'd have to do a double take that there's indeed a bunch of Quick and McDonald's branding all around you, to believe that you're in a fastfood restaurant.
But what are those things that look like burned fries?
@@KenFullman it was vegetable french fries that's was temporary available in macdonalds in france
@@KenFullman non-potato fries.
Sorry but the "it's a staple of French culture to sit down to eat" I've had to laugh. It's not just French. It's the entire Mediterranean area. Try convince an Italian, a Spanish or a Greek to eat on the go like many in the US seem to love to do. They'll look at you as if you had grown two heads.😅
Saying that something is a staple of one country does not exclude that something from being a staple of other countries. You left out plenty of countries yourself where sitting down and taking time to eat is also a staple.
It's the same in Norway, and likely our neighbours as well.
@@mikeyb2932 first, I just made some examples, you Karen. Second, maybe you should try and re-read what I wrote, while also listening to the video. In the video they are talking about EU countries and in particular of France. So when they said that McDonald's policy in France changed because of the eating culture, I thought that it wasn't a plausible explanation for just France, but was valid, in regards to EU and McDonalds, also for other countries in the same area and with the same regulations (because we're talking about food and the rules are the same all over the EU). Try not to call out people for things you don't understand, thank you. It just makes you look overly and unnecessarily grumpy.
but the americans are in a permanent HURRY , HURRY , HURRY to earn a few dollars to be able to CONSUME!! CONSUME !! CONSUME
so eating is only for SURVIVING ... not for taste , HEALTH or any other nonsense !
@@Jmvars I used to live in Lillehammer. I still remember the day I walked past McDonalds there and saw a car at the drive through. Not a big deal but certainly a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
I was in Metz in France where all the old buildings are made from a pale orange sandstone, and all new buildings have to conform. McDonalds were allowed to open there, but not using their colour scheme, they had to blend in with the rest of the buildings. I was very impressed. No big red and yellow sign, just a simple pale orange M on the front of the building. Similar restrictions in many other towns and cities. Still didn't eat there. Hell, I was in France!
In France, the standard McDo color scheme is green/yellow, red was phased out 10/15 years ago
@@lyonstclair69300 It's been longer than that since I've been to France, I like how they keep all the character of towns and cities, like Dijon and the amazing tiled roofs.
unfortunately , in paris there is nos restriction and the beautiful haussmann style heritage is getting more and more messed up everyday
The first time i went to a McDonald's in England was on my 7th birthday in the 70s.
Dad asked where the plates and cutlery were, and hasn't been in one since😂
The same thing is true in Denmark.
Larger tables for larger groups and table service.
They also do collaborations with Danish chefs to make special "Homestyle" burgers.
Like a Chicken Teriyaki burger or something like that.
We don't have those plastic designed things though :)
Probably because ordering in or to go is still what the majority do. We want to sit down to eat... just not necessarily at McD
So, unless McD figures out a deal with our Returpant system, they'll never see those reusable containers again.
Edit: it's perhaps 10 years since my last visit to the US, but I don't remember the food quality to be particularly different across the pond... but I do remember that there was no big or even small tasty (bummer, it's available even in Asia).. on the other hand they had some interesting third pounders, which I believe was the ancestors to what we know as homestyles today.
We do have chefs burger in France too
Anyway, I’ve been in LA in the US and I have to say that the food is globally better in French (and European) Mc Donald’s than in the US.
Probably because it’s more under control though
@@BenjaminVestergaard The last time I was at USA I ate (out of necessity because I don't like fast food chains and try to not visit them) at Mc Donals... It was a sticky and not so "clean" feeling experience. The premise seemed old and not well maintained, like it needed a good tuning and I think we were the only three (a part of the workers) that were there. The rest came, purchased and went away.
Sometimes, here in Spain, they advertise "chef burguers" with "recipes" or endorsed by famous Spanish chefs. I have to say Mc Donals knows how to penetrate a market. I ate in Japan a local shrimp hamburguer because a friend wanted to try the special Japanese hamburguer from Mc Donals and here you can eat a jamón (Spanish cured ham) and tomato toast, to put an example of how they do local to attract people. The premises are way different here in Spain and in Japan than the ones I saw in USA.
@@vanesag.9863 damn it... now I wanna visit a McD in Spain again... Jamon is crazy good, also easily available here, just not at McD... makes me curious.
i ate at US mcdonalds and european mcdonalds in various countries. its basically a tradition. european mcdonalds is way "cleaner" if that makes sense. you dont feel as sluggish. the taste and quality is just way better. in austria and germany the beef quality is fantastic, so it almost tastes like a real burger.. US mcdonalds uses sketchy chemicals compared to an european mcdonalds. they never could use them...the regulations are way way stricter.
But that is not a typically McDonalds thing! More than 1500 dyes, artificial aromas, preservatives and so on are banned in the EU but allowed in the US. The FDA is a massive joke and the US as a whole doesnt care about public health. No refulation on food quality, 6 times more sugar in their industrial bread, around 35% more sugar in their sodas ... Highest rates of obesity, diabetes, heart diseases among OECD countries. Most expensive healthcare system (more than twice the average cost per person) but ranks last on the OECD quality and accessibility ranking.
Wait, could you please tell me when & where in austria you ate at a mcdonalds and the burger tated "almost like a real burger"? I 100% believe that it's way better than in the US, but I never had the feeling of a burger at mcdonalds tasting almost like a real burger so far.
@@LucRio448 standards are different most likely. The fact that in the usa pretty much no matter where you get a burger it comes with basicly the same kind of bun that mcdonalds also uses would make it pretty simmilar.
Here those kind of buns are pretty much mcdonalds exclusive.
@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 You mean the burgers would be "actual good burgers" to someone from the US who is used to utter crap, while we in europe who are used to ACTUALLY good burgers from restaurants etc with great buns and everything think pretty different about that? Yeah, I can see that, good point.
Living in Belgium not far from Germany, I concur at 100% the quality of the meat is something even if in Belgium, quality control is very strict
I live in Prague a few Km from the Westfield shopping center. The local fast food zone has had porcelain plates and stainless steel cutlery as standard for years. We don't even have disposable beer cups in the Czech Republic. Sitting down to eat is common across Europe, and in the Czech Republic, for example, it is normal to go for lunch on weekdays, and restaurants have a lunch menu that often includes soup and a main course. And always at an affordable price.
I live in the Netherlands an I've never heard anyone here refer to a McDonalds as a 'restaurant'. We have a long tradition of snackbars and McD is just another one but with a much more limited choice than other ones.
But the prices now are going towards 'restaurants' prices...
McDonalds in the Netherlands is pretty bad by European standards.
Well, nobody -- except American food chains and US Americans -- regards fast food joints as restaurants. Even in the cheapest restaurant in Europe you will get glass, porcelain or at least faience or earthenware and metal cutlery to eat. McDonalds and their competitors neglect these European culture traits. (I am European and don't have too much experience with other parts of the world, except the USA.)
They market themselves/claim they are a restaurant though lol.
MC kroket lol. Well wasn't it in The Netherlands McD started selling salads?
Not sure about other countries in Europe but where I'm from, if a customer wants ice cream and the machine is down, they would most likely request the "Complaints Book", which is a literal book that every single business must have at every single location and online (edit: obviously online it is not a literal book xD). It is periodically reviewed by the Economic and Food Safety Authority during inspections, and a complaint can be a huge headache to your business, ranging from forcing a business to take action against an employee who misconducts (so no more sweeping it under the rug by the managers) to the business facing fines or even closure. Now, an ice cream machine being broken happens, it never happened while I worked there, but some of our other machinery did break, and techs were usually there in a couple of hours. However, no McDonald's would ever risk saying the ice cream machine is broken without it being broken, or have it broken for longer than a day without calling maintenance, as that trend of complaints would cause them great trouble. Costumer rights, yay!
in every country outside us there's something special in the menu, in Poland on breakfast time you can buy sandwitch with radish and cottage cheese from what i remember. i saw somewhere in Spain or Italy some type of macaroni or teriyaki in Japan. most of the people dont just walk in and go away with their meal, most of the times we sit with friends and enjoy our meal with them
I lived in Poland for 18 months. Your mcd is similar to the German menu, but dann, polish KFC was disgusting :D you need to kick that chain out :D
@@LeutnantJoker for me every fast food chain is pretty dogshit ngl, mcdonalds/kfc, burger king and the rest, its all trash. im curious why people buy this, its not even that good. if im gonna eat something this type, i rather go for nice kebab
they also opened new fast food chain called pompeye or similar i dont remember, i just looked on the menu and knew that it was dogshit as hell and i wasnt wrong.
I think Czech Republic doesn't have that.. but idk
In the 90s in Australia they proposed the "McCafe" adjustment, (basically putting a reasonably decent cafe counter for coffee and muffins etc on the side of a regular McDonalds store). The head office said "no" and the local industry essentially went rogue and did it anyway HUGE success. You can actually get a decent coffee at McDonalds, with a ham and cheese toasty, some raison bread, and a muffin. (And yeah we have Macarons)
Thank you, Australia 🇦🇺 McCafe is actually the only thing I'm trying there.
McCafe is the point I have accepted McDonals. I'm not stopping for some coca-cola and burger, decent coffee is it for me.
Of course you might still get a better/worse coffee based on particularly franchise and barrista, but most of the time it's good enough. Just hope they go back to non-takeaway containers soon (changed during COVID). Much prefer drinking my latte out of a better texture container.
My co-worker used to travel a lot to the US on business and he was shocked how bad the fast food restaurants were, like they're places you'll go if you have to, not because you really want to.
@andrew_koala2974You might want to calm down a notch.
Also the original comment isn’t wrong as it is described how the circumstances were at a given time and (assuming) there is no way to know wether these circumstances have changed.
@andrew_koala2974 Why are you using 2 different brackets when saying "[NOT were}" ? It is also much less convenient to read your split rows of texts. So maybe focus more on yourself than others whose comment was very understandable. Go read books and improve your knowledge of how to behave with others and becoming better person in general.
i am from germany and i dont know one who like mcdoof... and i dont know one reason why one should...
@andrew_koala2974
You need to learn foreign languages. Hardly know any US citizen who is fluent in a second language.
Yes, when I lived in the US (that was 20 years ago though) the McDonald's there looked very depressing and even a bit seedy, they was badly lit, smelled bad and seemed to be used mostly by homeless people to hang out in all day. The food was much poorer quality and much, much greasier compared to the French version.
In the Netherlands, because ketchup wasn't as popular as it was in the US, they made a special sauce to go with fries. American friends that visit absolutely love it.
Was just in Amsterdam and Amersfoort for a few days. It was interesting to see how many Fries places there were, just selling fries. Seemed most got mayo on their fries. I tried it and it wasn't bad, though mayo is not my normal thing. If there was another special sauce, I'll have to try it next time.
@@stevefl7175 McDonalds went with something a bit different than mayo, but yes, mayo is the local default to the degree that ketchup is in the US.
@@tomsmits259 Thanks for the info. I have never eaten at a McDonalds anywhere else but in the US (and rarely eat it here). I figure there are better things to eat when away. :)
I know quite a few people that after spending time in Netherlands, took mayo on *everything* back to UK with them!
Never heard this before but interesting. Do you mean hat yellowish sauce for fries or a different real mayonaise? Bc the US does have that yellow sauce too. And your American friends would know that already. Was that sauce made only for the Netherlands or for all of Europe at when that was made for the first time? And Belgians also have mayonaise with their fries but different one than the Dutch mayo. Same in France and Spain.
They forgot to specify in the video that Mcdonalds were forced to change their colors in France to do greenwashing, because France loves ecology, the exterior wall and the logo are green for several years, and in their pubs they specify that their potatoes are of French origin, and even some burgers where they specify that the origin of the meat is French, Even some burgers have a cheese with a controlled "AOP" Designation of Origin, a very strict standard in France that prevents cheese counterfeiting. And that it is only thanks to this that they managed to make a place for themselves in France. It is important for the French that the origin of the food comes from France. Because France is the strictest country in terms of health regulation. Many pesticides, OGM etc are banned in France, but are allowed in the rest of Europe. Whether it is strict standards for animal welfare, or for cultivation so that some insects are spared, like bees, France is always one step ahead of health and ecology.
But Mac Do is one of the 224 major companies which do not pay their providers on time (and put them at risk economicaly). The list was published for the first half of 2023 by the goverment so that that shame is known (and 200 000 euros as a fine for Mac Donald's)
It's also pure chauvinism, we want french food, because we are an agricultural powerhouse ^^
In the UK MacDonalds cater for sit down meals particularly, we order at the screen, take a table number and the food is served at the table, and the servers are invariably polite and friendly and do not get tips so they are genuine. There are also dedicated parking spaces where pre-orders from the app will be served to the vehicle, all this in addition to the normal drive through. The products are also of decent quality, usually with local ingredients and relatively inexpensive - not cheap. \we take a meal there about once a month, especially when travelling.
Single use plastics for take away food are also banned in the Netherlands.
It has to be reusable or made of biodegradable materials.
In the near future, the European Union will oblige all telephone companies to make a single charger for all telephone models, USB-C.
Near future?
@@maravreloadedHappening now…
Hi from the future! You were right 😸
and it is not only for phones, it works (USB C) for laptops, and all kind of appliances and small tools, so with a couple of smart (powerful enough) chargers, you can recharge anything you need to recharge in an average home
We used to stop at Maccas when we were driving on holidays. Because they were in a couple of big service centres on the main highways, where you could get fuel, a feed, and have a bit of a stretch and a break. But since the kids have grown up, i can't remember the last time I went to a Maccas.
In Britain we have/had a show called "Have I Got News For You". Topical news with a comedic slant given to it. In one episode a number of years ago they showed 4 photos - e-coli bacteria, raw sewage, a rats foot, and a nematode worm, and the contestants had to guess which was the odd one out.
The answer, of course, was the raw sewage - it had merely seeped up through the drains and been found in a McDonalds restaurant. The other 3 had all been actually found in McDonalds burgers served to the public.
This one statement put me off McD's for life, I will never set foot in one of their places for any reason.
If you knew what went on in every cafe, restaurant and fast food joint in the world, you'd probably never eat out again.
@@Thurgosh_OG I don't doubt that for a second, I stopped eating in the canteen at work the day I saw the chef take a dump then walking out without washing his hands. Packed lunches from that moment on.
in the mid-80s the first Italian MC opened in Rome near Piazza di Spagna in an elegant and ancient building, with tables where you could sit and relax as is customary in Italy,
immediately the managers tried to make you get up and leave the table claiming that this was a fast food restaurant and therefore the very philosophy of the type of restaurant was to eat quickly, but all we did was get up from one place and occupy another, in a short time they surrendered to our habits,
another thing I remember about that MC was the first in the world to offer a different menu from the usual hamburgers, in the center of the restaurant it seems to me there was a self-service area with salads and pasta much more appreciated than chewing gum sandwiches
Here in the Netherlands you have those containers too recently. You pay extra for them so can take them home if you want to. However if you return them then you just get the payment back. For example you pay 1 euro extra just for the glass and once you return the glass they return you the 1 euro.
I was collecting a load of French published Citroen magazines over in Le Havre back in '97 to sell at a Citroen show back in the UK and met up at the nearby McDonalds to load my car boot (a Citroen XM 3.0 V6 Si) up with them. That was the first instance where I saw salads and other healthy looking foods on sale in McDonalds, when in the UK it was all the usual stuff McDonalds had on offer since the '80s.
A interesting video, its a shame they never went into the menu differences per country, couse they will be mindblowing for sure.
In the Netherlands we still use paper cups and straws, though the Mac's interior look really good and comfortable and u can order food digitally so that u can move to your seat(if u eat there) instead of having to wait for the food first.
I generally only go to one of i happen to be in the city center around dinnertime(wich is rare) and even then i keep it simple with what i order.
In the McDonalds where I sometimes eat, you order yourself on a touch screen at the entrance, pay electronically, get a number and go sit in the restaurant and put the number visible on the table. They come and bring you your order a few minutes later. It is kind of a table service.
@andrew_koala2974 in this context it is totally acceptable to use you. If you decide to be annoying correcting people, at least make sure to be correct yourself.
@andrew_koala2974 I reckon you’re not a fan of foreigners trying to speak or write in a language which isn’t their own. And you have a nice way of pointing at (possible) mistakes. Hope you did better in school than me 50 years ago, since it is your language and not mine.
We don't have rewashable cutlery in swedish McDonalds but have had touchscreen kiosks for self ordering and table service for many years now, with the app you can basically just walk into any Mcd, sit down at a numbered table, order your food to that number and they'll bring it out to you.
For a time, they served special burgers in Germany with real cutlery on wooden plates, not packed in anything, but delivered via table service to your place. Those were a different kind of burgers, more high-end, and not all McD did get them as far as I remember. I think they've been phased out though.
But maybe, the only drive-through for boats is still active (it is in Hamburg, and not strictly a drive-through, but they have a boat mooring and a speaker to order stuff down there ^^ )
Somehow I sometimes miss the old styrofoam boxes from the 80s, the silly transforming toys, the chicken nuggets that still had somewhat-recognizable meat pieces in them. But some things improve (more eco-friendly), some get worse (the bright red color has all but vanished, modern McDs tend to look broodish and dark and meh), and some stay the same (you still burn your tongue if you bite into a fresh filet-o-fish)
Sorry if I digress a bit here: One of the most interesting videos lately. I laughed right at the beginning when the subject of the ice cream machine came up, because that's often the case with us.
I like always your comments on how it is in the US in comparison. This makes it very exciting and highly informative. You find out what it's like somewhere else and at the same time we find out what it's like where you are. Everyone benefits from that.
I was definitely one of the first McDonalds customers in Austria. At first there were rumors that there were dead mice in the burgers. The stuff was demonized with us, but the triumphal procession could not be stopped. Right from the start, I was fascinated by how diverse the clientele was, from street workers to bankers, everyone is there to this day. I like going there with family or friends, but sometimes I'm alone, I hardly go to any other restaurant alone and when I'm alone abroad I'm more drawn to McD than anywhere else.
Many Europeans do not know this French concept at all. In Austria we also have table service and McCafé, but otherwise a lot is still the same. It's like when you cross a border into a neighboring country, even from Austria to Germany, you get different things at McD than at home in your own country. That's why at least one McD visit in another country is always a must with my family, although of course we prefer to go out for local premium food.
Lol, the poster with that french Chef: it's a Dutch poster (or Flemish).
BTW, about the packaging: France (or at least the McDonald's) went ahead of the pack and switched to re-useable packaging, anticipating EU-laws meant to reduce waste. So the switched to the hard-plastic containers for fries, nuggets, etc. and actual glasses for the beverages.
In Portugal, you choose the food, on the kiosk and then we are served at the table, customers don't walk around with their trays. In Portugal, they are like gourmet fast food 😉
Since you know about the origins of the "Hamburger", you should check out a "Bremer" 😂...
I worked close to the guys who did the redesign of McDo in Germany in 2010 to about 2014. They added a whole new section with the McCafé and explained to me that McDo wanted to increase the time of the customers staying in the restaurant. So there is a different approach to customers by McDo throughout Europe.
My own experience with McDo are childhood memories, unplanned travels and disappointment when I actually eat there.
Funny story from my hometown Reutlingen (110k ppl, south of Stuttgart): The first Burger joint in town was a restaurant called "Udo's Burger". A few years after he opened, a McDo restaurant opened just on the opposite side of the street (in about 1985). Everybody was convinced he was done... 20 years later, McDo went away, Burger King took over and is still there.
But so is Udo. And when I want to refresh childhood memories, don't want to get disappointed and I am in my hometown... Udo's it is.
For me nowadays fast food is not really an option. I tend to eat mostly non processed, home made foods. I eat somewhat low carb, but I don't bend myself. More veggies and salad, instead of fries or pasta.
In Switzerland McDo is expensive and really not nice for lunch. You need to order on stupid screens and it takes ages during lunch time to get your food. I'd rather spend 5$ extra, go in a restaurant and order one of the daily specials, which come at a reasonable price. Also Swiss take lunch and food as serious as the French.
Let's not even start with all these hygiene scandals that we have here in germany with these fast food chains ... since Günter Wallraff's revelations I no longer eat at these fast food chains (I rarely ate there before these events ) although I actually really liked the vegan burger at mcd.
I was in Geneva last day, prices are not too high and we doesn't wait a decade
I'm not sure if this exists where you are, but in the US, McDonald's used to have a play area with slides and climbing stuff, and I remember that being fun as a kid. Sadly, most of them have gotten rid of that in pursuit of profit margins, and COVID certainly didn't help.
@@pikachuchujelly7628 we still have it in France but only if they have space to build it
My favourite McDonald's experience was in Greece. It seemed completely normal except that any menu included a free salad bar. I don't know if this is still the case, but I found it amazing. Apparently Greeks won't eat anything without their greens.
Salade is not greens , vegetables are 🤣🤣
I guess I just learned something, but It was a salad bar, so there where definitely some vegetables to choose from. Not potatoes though, if that's what you mean.
@@heldertorres4296
Yet Greeks are typically overweight!
Just thought about this Channel because i had a recommendation in mind and boom, here comes a new Reaction 😂😂😂. Ian, you're a Timing God
I loved the wedge potatoes they served in France as an alternative to fries. In Italy I once had creamy spinach nuggets as a side, they were delicious. And it's somehing else to eat a cheeseburger with a slice of parmesan instead of some orange cheese. I don't remember if it was a seasonal offer or if it was in the regular menu.
Every time I hear or think about Mc Donalds, I just remember an old article here in Norway. The workers there were lazy, so they put the toilet seats in the dishwasher. I couldn't eat there for years after that.
About 6 months ago my boss put 2 toilet brushes in the dishwasher. That day I started hand washing my coffee cup and I stopped using the cutlery.
😮😮😮😓😰🥴🤢
🤢 in defense of those workers, perhaps they wanted a specialized cleaner service to clean the bathrooms and don't be added at their workload.
In Germany, McDonald's had to actually shorten the pole on which the logo was mounted since residents complained about the height
In Australia we have McDonald's (Australian) Angus burgers with cheese and bacon, egg and sausage breakfast McMuffins, and the McFeast has lettuce, cheese and tomato! Salads and wraps are available too! 😃👍
The McMuffins are in France too! I loved them when I lived in the UK!
@andrew_koala2974 Agree, I prefer the taste of the burger without the bacon, but with beetroot! 😋
If you want to check different MacDonalds in Europe you must check the one in Porto, Portugal. I won the award of the most beautiful MacDonalds in the world. They bought an old art deco café and they just integrated into it, keeping all the amazing visuals.
Not a regular of McD (here in Portugal the prices are very similar to a regular restaurant and not a big fan of burgers) but in in some of them they make a great Caesar Salad. Btw the ice cream machine never failed me.
in belgium the packaging is more "standard", disposable foam cups, cardboard boxes
When I lived in Oz they were testing the quarter pounder deluxe in the early 90's tomatoes and lettuce, how revolutionary, it's now a regular menu item.
They used to have the deluxe in the UK about 20 years ago and they would make one it saked to about 15 years ago not been able to get one since. In the States had a Mc DLT in the 80's which was the same but the lettuce, tomato and top of the bun was separate from the burger to stop it going limp till you were ready to eat it.
The best burger I had was at Snow White Burger. A small wooden shack that had only 2 burger (cheese burger and supreme cheese burger). They used only fresh ingredients, nothing precut and no frozen meat pads and you could watch the whole making of your burger. I think it was somewhere near Sequoya National Park on our way to Bakersfield.
There are very rarely any international fast food restaurants in Italy, except at a few railway stations. Italy has seriously restricted their. Umbers to preserve Italian culture.
I've lived in the UK for a couple of years and I used to like their weekend breakfast menu. Really good!
The best breakfast for me is no longer available. It was called a big breakfast and consisted of 2 sausages, scrambled egg(the best eggs I've ever eaten) hash browns and muffins. I miss it :(
@@kingofracismwith you there. I liked the breakfast bagel which they scrapped at the same time, and the mocha frappe - while retaining the far inferior caramel frappe. The people making menu choices here in the U.K. need to be shown the door. We often comment on how tasteless and awful the quality is but people Keep going back. I joke with my wife that one of those faceless E-number preservatives is probably going to be discovered to be more addictive than class A drugs 😅
Like any company doing business in the EU, American companies have to obey EU laws. So the meat has to be EU produced or EU approved. Fries cannot contain other ingredients than potatoes, oil/fat and little salt. Plastic wrapping, in any form, has to be billed clearly and reduced where possible. Paper straws for a milkshake are just an example.
As Belgian with many independant "friteries" around in every towns or villages, cheaper, better with bigger portion, I don't understand how fast-food "restaurants" are still selling those craps in Belgium ! It's a national shame for me....
tourists and kids (through advertisment).
If your fellow countrymen didn't buy them they wouldn't be there, right? How many Belgian people have to loose their jobs to satisfy your personal fellings?
So true, its part of the you must taste this when you visit belgium.
I also dont understand anyone would go for the McD ones instead,
@@liamwashington2046 : You call it "job" ?? Arrassement, bad salary, bad products (unhealthy), environmentally and socio-economic destructive, etc.... The society will be better without this monstuosity (even if there is less job... happiness is not relative to money !) !!
Whilst driving through France to get to Spain, a few years back, we stopped at a service station to grab a bite to eat, it wasnt a McD's but a French chain. Well, they put a tonne of garlic in their cheeseburgers. I was nearly sick. Not that i dont like garlic, i love it, but they must grated a whole bulb of garlic in there 😂 couldnt wait to get to Spain for some decent food 😂
oh , yeah , garlic , racist slur, next line the luftwaffe coming for a blitz, and complain about diarrhea in Spain ...
in the Netherlands we also have a McCafe in most ''restaurants'' with pastry and different coffees like a coffeshop
One of the few places that you can buy 1000+calories for 5 bucks that isn't pizza
Mostly empty calories, though.
And you can get 1000+ healthier calories for less in every supermarket, also edible without any preparation and with more variation.
There are various US v the world TH-cam comparisons, McD is smart enough to produce many food items for the local palate/taste.
I still remember the macpork hummmm amazing , and the macbifana was quite good as well.
The speaker is a member of the German TH-cam channel "Simplicissimus". Simplicissimus has been making very good documentaries since 2015. They were also part of the ARD & ZDF content network called funk from October 6th, 2019 to May 15th, 2022. ARD and ZDF are the state broadcasters of Germany.
The Channel "fern" appears to be a new project they are involved with. I think stopping by regularly to see what new videos there are will be worth it
I like watching your reactions because you do stick up for your country when you feel like it :) Its nice to see. Keeps things real. :) Sometimes I think its sad seeing Americans put America down just for views. And who really enjoys watching that? Anyway, keep up the great work! You seem like a nice guy. All the best wishes from the Netherlands! :)
In Italian art cities centre (as we call them) the arches are (not) bright yellow, on royal green, not on rec. Is it a thing somewhere else?
Interesting to see France also picked a fight with McD and their american ways. Us Danes weren't happy with their garbage practices either. I suppose if you can find a video explaining it, it could be worth learning about for ya mate.
Where I live, all the hamburger chains are nicknamed what translates to "cardboard inn" (Schachtelwirt), as they serve their food in cardboard boxes.
mccafe was invented in australia in 1993, you can buy macarons in mcafes in australia but i wonder if mccafes in france or australia had macarons first.
I love the fact that the chef sued them for using his image, here in Scotland several people have had been sued by ‘MackieDees’, as we call it where I live, for using their own name of Mc/MacDonalds for their business.
Oh that's awful to hear about, copyrighting someone's name should be an absolute crime. Good for the French chef not tolerating any nonsense, the franchise was awful to do that to him.
Did you know that the most beautiful McDonald's in the world is in Porto?
I ate at the most beautiful McDonald's in the world, with crystal chandeliers, stained glass windows and a delicious pastry shop," wrote Harrison Jacobs.
Before being a restaurant, this space belonged to an old café in Porto, which did not survive the passage of time - Café Imperial. Created in the 1930s, the business gained fame and operated for decades, standing out for its Art Deco style.
McDonalds was in France before 1997. I went to Paris with my colleagues (weekend trip) in 1992, and - among others - we ate at a McDonalds in Saint-Quentin, a suburb of Paris. And it was there already for a couple of years.
Its worth saying that macdolands in most european coubtries have load of off menue item, like bear and stuff like that (well apart from germany where bear is on the menue)
Its also worth saying that in specifically geramany they have those huge highway side M just like in the us. While most other EU countries have a normal 10 meter sign.
Macdonalds is diffrent in oretty much every country. The mest mc donalds i have eaten to this dsy was in thailand. But on the flip side, there it was more expensive than fancy dining.
One thing is inteesting. Mcdonalds burgers are tiny. 45 or 90gram, if you go to a normal resturant in most euroean countrirs and order a burget you will likely get a 150 or 200gram burger. Some times even 250. 100gram might exist as a "small" burger.
Why tf McDonald's in Germany have bears? 🫣
@@mrpatrick9577 they have bear all over Europe, at least sweden, Spain and UK. But its a off menue item in those countries.
They bear is low alcohol, under 2%, this is typically considered road safe if you only drink one.
@@matsv201 Dude! Do you mean beer? Bear is an animal
@@mrpatrick9577 haha.. yes. Maybe
@@mrpatrick9577 I have a German friend, he has trouble spelling Bear and bare, as you could if not aware.
The part at 10.49 is like Macdonalds in UK. We have MD owned and larger nicer franchises too
Here in Czech Republic, it looks totaly the same as on that "USA" picture. It mostly looks better in KFC than in McDonnalds, especially fries are much better in KFC. And chicken nugets in McD are like something frozen from Lidl. I don't really like McD and I don't understand it's popularity, food in KFC or other fastfoods looks better to me. Only think I sometimes have in McD is coffee.
I know UK is in Europe, but you could get a beer in McD in mainland Europe. Maybe was just Germany, or I just dreamed the whole thing!
I'm surprised that beer wasn't mentioned! I'll never forget my first French McDonalds, BigMac, Fries and a beer! Lovely! Not all serve alcohol, but I belive some also serve wine. ( Could be wrong, I have never seen it myself) Great video, I enjoy watching you react to none US culture!
well beer?? its still dutch Heineken what the serve.
thats the worst "beer" in the Netherlands. 😜
@@jptv5726 It's Better than nothing! Even more so than English Lagers, trust me!
You can also buy beer in MacDonalds in Portugal - it's local beer like Sagres or Super Bock.
@@jptv5726
My dad used to call Heineken "horse piss".
In a lot if french McDonald's, tout have also french béer called 1664 by Kronenbourg 😉
re you gonna do a nascar stream again ? don't think I can watch the race here in nz 🇳🇿 you were a lifesaver keep us updated ❤️
Im so happy simplicissimus gets recognition on their english videos
Here in the Netherlands it's pretty normal to eat inside the restaurant. They also serve your meal at the table. We also have separate coffee bars.
Try non McDonalds burgers in Ireland
Actually, Burger King also had reusable containers and in both restaurants chains, they are not just limited to glasses, fries box and trays.
You can also get coffee cups of all sizes, salad boxes, ice cream cups, tableware,…
The Burger King containers designs are more simple , round shaped boxes for almost every type of food.
I must admit I already borrowed some salad container from Burger King because they are very practical with their lid and because I needed it to bring food to work the day after but I took it back to the restaurant afterwards… I wouldn’t dare to sell it online !
The Mc Do containers are more interesting for collectors because the double arch logo is carved in every reusable container. BK are just printed in white but their dishes are in bright colorful plastic.
PS : the looking burned fries were a limited edition of carrots, beets and parsnips fries which (thankfully) hasn’t been released again since their first release in February 2023. They were limp and greasy.
Would love to see how McDonals adopted my culture - but alas, there is no McDonals (anymore) in the country. Well, as far as i remember .. our Mcdonals was pretty mundane though .. probably more US American (just more expensive) - but i cannot remember any special items on the menu .. its been a while though, i think it closed in well over 10 years ago.
Let me guess... Iceland?
I've heard they tried but were unsuccessful there.
The plastic cups, happy meals and cutlery are also starting to be implemented in the Netherlands too right now as i comment this our local McDonalds has just got their hands on those reusable things that’re replacing cups and everything and you pay 1 euro for each plastic thing but you can use it as many times as you want.
You can also hold onto the cup and return it when visiting again and you’ll get your money back.
It's funny how in the US, all of these fast food chains have "Please Recycle" written on all of their disposable packaging, yet the restaurants themselves have no place to recycle it, only a trash bin.
@@pikachuchujelly7628 yup and most places in the US don’t even have a recycling center. The US is a stone age shit hole. Everything is about capitalism in north America :(
Maybe i should visit France someday since here in Finland McDonalds food is at the very bottom of my fast food list.
Btw, one use plastic straws, cups, cutlery were banned from France YEARS ago, you can t find them in supermarkets and fast foods neither, you ll only find reusable straws, paper cups and plates, and bamboo or one use wooden cutlery. And Mcdo still use paper cups and one use wrapping but only for take outs
The “weird looking food” looks like sweet potato fries
Maybe they are vitelottes.
It was a temporary fries made of vegetables (not potatoes)
at the local Mall , to the left and to the right of the main entrance we have a McDonalds and a KFC, left and right so you can choose. the shops inside the mall open at around 10 AM but the KFC and McD. open at 8 am so people that want to go the Mall, will just wake up ,wash,dress and skip breakfast since two of most renown fastfoods are there. you go there eat in a very nice place, the chairs/benches are covered in leather and very soft like couches you would by for own home, you do your own combination from the menu, pay with card and bring the paper to the people at the counter and wait for them to bring it to you at your table, very effortless and welcoming atmosphere. by the time you end eating, the mall shops open and you go inside. from what i saw in youtube videos , McDonalds in US doesn't have this welcoming feel that makes you look forward for the next time you go there. the menu on KFC and McDonalds have 30-35 different things that you can combine each time you go there for a different experience. everything feels nice and easy. and from all of it i think the feeling of a welcoming place is what makes 80% of the customers come.
In Germany, we call it Mäcces. One of its main reasons for success here were the US soldiers stationed all over the country. The soldiers were able to straight up pay with Dollars to get food they knew from home. For the Germans, fast food was nothing really new, we always had street food like bread rolls with fish, meat, or cheese on it.
The part where they show that Emily in Paris clip with the (I suppose) Frenchman not knowing Grimace isn't an exxageration.
Unless you have Happy Meals (and even then? I never got one as a kid) all the McDo 's (and I learnt it's a typical French nickname, the more you know) characters Americans are familiar with are just non-existant. You don't see them anywhere in the restaurants.
I kinda soarta remember seeing them as big stickers in the early 2000's in the kid corner, but that's all. Even Ronald McDonald himself is totally fading from French McDo.
The mascot of McDonald here is the anthropomorphic Happy Meal box.
For advertising, I guess you owuld have a great time watching them. As a Frenchman I find McDo's ads to be among the most pleasant to watch. Their general theme in the past years have been around "being together" which is always wholesome.
The one advertising table service was even all about dropping every screen distraction to be together around a meal. I guess, an extremely French advert for McDo :
th-cam.com/video/4Om0NOuWfvc/w-d-xo.html
And ther's a special one they did when COVID lockdown was lifted, where you get a look at the insides of a typical McDo :
th-cam.com/video/ZTGf0CtWNsA/w-d-xo.html
I have traveled around Europe and have been to several McDonalds but I have NEVER seen anything like these pictures.
Also, they now know that there isn't as much plastic in the oceans as they thought.
It turns out that they overestimated the amount by about 98,5%.
There is still a LOT of plastic in the oceans but not as much as they originally thought.
not sure where you got your information from, but just yesterday i read an article from scientists of the netherlands (published in „Nature Geoscience“) where they say it's around 10 times worse than previously published figures.
imho it's safer to believe in the higher numbers. if it wasn't that bad in the end, we will be over it even faster. but if we believe in the lower numbers and were wrong, we have a more serious problem than we already have today.
9:10 : "it is not quite like that, it is not taller than the mountains"
In Illinois it is. The hilly parts in the north (of Illinois) is flatter than Denmark...
In the 1970s there was no McDonalds in Austria, my home country. When I was 15 or 16 y old, I traveled with a friend to Sweden for a few weeks. I lived most of the time on the outskirts of Stockholm or in a little village near Stockholm. As I heard, there was a McDonald in Stockholm, I wanted to go there on the spot, so we jumped on the next bus and we drove to Stockholm, just for the McDonalds experience. As a nearly life long vegetarian, I was happy to order a cheese burger, only to find out, there wasn't just cheese in it.
Hi Ian, my experience of McD in the UK is of a quality which seldom varies wherever you go and you know exactly what to expect. A few years ago on a trip to Poland I ventured into a McD in Poznan and was blown away by the superior quality of my usual quarter pound cheese burger. The texture of the meat and its flavour were superb - far better than anywhere in the UK and also less expensive.
In the UK they only had to be better than Wimpy to take over, a really, REALLY low bar.
17:10 possibly stealing and reselling. I know it's pretty common with the pub branded beer glasses here.
In Switzerland Mc Donalds has special Swiss cheese weeks a few times a year, when they have cheeseburgers with different Swiss cheeses that change every weekday. So people return every day to try them all. Marketing genius ...
Also, in Europe/Germany McD is not a "Restaurant", it's an "Imbiss" - a fast food joint, where you go to if nothing else is available. Even the "Frittenbude an der Ecke" or the nearest "Dönerbude" - the small local fast food joint around the corner is considered first.
18:00 i would guess those are root fries, beetroot, parsnip and carrots. Healthy version of the "french" fry basically.
Here in Germany and i think Austria they have special Winter Items each Year, like a Burger with Bacon on Top of the Bun, a Kartoffelpuffer (Potato pancake) and a special Sauce. They also have various other Burgers and other stuff like fried Mozzarella Sticks etc in that Time.
Though me and my Parents dont buy anything from Fast Food Chains for 10+ years now, considering what their Stuff is made from, plus Homecooking is cheaper and more delicious ^^
am i the only one noticing that at 3:50 ish, that ''french'' chef is standing next to a dutch(netherlands) advertisement sign?
No, wanted to comment on that also but then saw yours. 😂
The fact of wanting to sit for at least half an hour when having a meal is something I think is present in all cultures of the world.
There are some foods that you eat standing up or while you're on the move, those that are precisely defined as "street food" such as ice creams, snacks, at most filled sandwiches... for everything else, the most logical thing is to find a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the food, first because we are human and not horses, second because moving too much while eating slows down digestion.
Every European country has a different recipe in MC Donalds. They all add their traditional meals in the menu and it is so delicious. In Germany, or at least in my city, the buns are very big and fluffy. Not to mention that we also sell alcohol in MC Donalds.
Glaces are taken because they are functional -- and can be used at home.
And are not available for sale -- they could make extra money selling them at their locations...
By the way, the packages are papper made -- plastic is no longer used .
Forks, spoons and knives are wood disposable utensils.
In Portugal, McDonald's features 2 great soups every day.
And Expresso Coffee is available -- and beer as well.
Most Restaurants feature the Mc Cafe, were a wide array of paistry is available.
Personally, I rather go to Burger King -- unfortunately, in Europe McDonald's is a lot more common than the KING !
From a Social view-point, in Portugal and all over Europe the employees have Health-Insurance, Paid Vacations, etc.
Probably not in the US!
the shift to reusable containers appears very significant when you realize the very small volume that goes into garbage in the end
The containers for pommes are kartonage. Also for drinks, Nuggets, Curly Fries and Burgers, but they give cheaper burger only in paper. Only in some restaurants you became glas for drinks, but i don't know 1 in Vienna where you get glas. Ok, they have glas in the MC Donalds Cafès, if you sit and eat/drink inside you became your coffee in normal keramic cups and a small glas with water. The Mc D quality is much much better here in most European states, they also have more and more vegetarien or vegan things.
I loved that I could get cafe gourmand in the McD's in Reims. And I thought the reusable containers were a good idea. (We had looked for my usual eatery there, but it had closed down since I was last there in 2022).
I remember 20 years ago, McDonalds in the UK were all about the 4 uncomfortable red or yellow plastic seats fixed around each little table. Bright lights, loud music (the faster the beat of the music, the faster people chew/eat, cranking up the dance music at busy times does turn tables over at a faster rate), Ronald McDonald, (13 year old me thought he was a touchy feely paedo). It was cheap unhealthy fast food, about bums on seats and making money.
Now, the only yellow is the M logo, wood panels, green walls, plants, indirect lighting. Ok, still not the best seats but definitely better. Not necessarily a cheap option anymore, and apparently the internal scuttlebutt is the business is now actually about buying/owning land in premium locations, and tying franchisees into unholy contracts for rents and fees and percentages and services and suppliers and nominated companies, that the easiest way to start paying your utility bills and McD HQ is by selling burgers in bulk.....
The strange fries are vegetable fries. Purple carrots, panais (an old root vegetable) and sweet potatoes.
It's a marketing try to make diet fries (less sugar than in potatoes)
The icecream machine being down is a typical American and Europe problem. There is only 1 Company who are assigned and allowed to fix them, but the costs to repair is really high. So most mc donalds restaurants don´t want to pay that price and they wait to a later date and maybe and only maybe then it will be repaired.
I love how the dutch mcdonalds were the one who had the ad that the french chef disliked. Probably a dutch marketing person too. Really gives an insight into both countries
My only experience of Macca's in Paris was in July 1975, the food and packaging was similar but the prices were 3 times more than USA at the time. Oz is, from my last experiences, similar to US, I have not been for years as if I go for a FF burger I go to Hungary Jacks (Burger King). Back when I still lived in US, I used to have to drive often between O'hare airport and Wisconsin, and I would pass by McDonald's Hamburger University where they trained their managers. I also remember the Hormel Chili can display along there. Often driving around USA on Jobs I would find it easy to spot the Golden Arches and also KFC signs which were my 2 favorite eating places in my junk food phase of life.
McDonald in Denmark looks a lot like what we see from the US in packaging, but friends who recently visit the US were shocked by the meat quality compared to what we get here, they tried it twice because the first one, they were sure it was an error, but both times, they trashed the burger.