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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy McDonald's In France Doesn't Feel Like Fast Food
Publicité payée NPR pour MacDo? Il semble que oui!
Naturally, the U.S. is its no. 1 market, but guess who is no. 2? You got it: France. A paper out this month by three graduates of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business says McDonald's is such a success in the land of Michelin three-star restaurants because it has adapted to French eating habits and tastes. There are now 1,200 franchises in France; the company opened 30 restaurants per year in the past five years alone.
Even in these harried times, the French spend more than two hours a day at the table. Sitting down to a meal is a cornerstone of French culture, and McDonald's seems to get that. French McDonald's are spacious, tastefully decorated restaurants that encourage people to take their time while eating. And the cozy McCafe's with their plush chairs and sofas have become an extension to many restaurants...
Another reason McDonald's works so well here is that the food is locally sourced and very high quality... And if you like good meat (who doesn't?!), then McDonald's France is clearly superior. In the U.S., McDonald's says its cattle are mostly corn-fed. While the company doesn't address on its site whether growth hormones and growth-promoting antibiotics are added to the animal feed consumed by the animals it buys, it's a reasonable assumption that they are.
Full post: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/01/24/145698222/why-mcdonalds-in-france-doesnt-feel-like-fast-food
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)You get the level of service and quality you demand--we demand fatty flavor-engineered crap that we can eat with one hand while driving.
JitterbugPerfume
(18,183 posts)as Americans we have been conditioned to want fat, salt and sugar, and that is exactly what they give us.
RZM
(8,556 posts)I'm pretty sure French McDonald's sells lots of fries and hamburgers as well, even if you can also order a croissant.
'Quick' is a Belgian hamburger joint that is a lot like its American counterparts. I've eaten there and I can tell you what they offer is pretty similar to what you get here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quick_%28restaurant_chain%29
Jkid
(1,524 posts)as in as "Americans we have been socialized to want fat, salt and sugar, and that is exactly what they give us."
JitterbugPerfume
(18,183 posts)ya' know--Pavlovs dog .
xchrom
(108,903 posts)Eaten @ a mcds there.
However - now I want a buttery croissant.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)and at that time, there were no McDonald's. But France had the best food I have eaten anywhere in my travels, and I have been to a lot of countries.
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)Portugal is wonderful (I am half Portuguese) but the best meals I have ever had were in France.
lapislzi
(5,762 posts)It was a surreal experience. But, as the OP stated, the food was fresh and reasonably tasty, nicely presented, and the surroundings pleasant. We used the automated ordering system which offered French, English, Japanese, and other language options.
Overall, I would call it a better experience than a U.S. McD's, even in the crowded and bustling Louvre. Husband agreed--he'd been bound and determined to eat in McD's just to see what it was like. What better place than the Louvre?
Vive le France!
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Thrill
(19,178 posts)to make chicken nuggets and burgers. We're not even eating real meat.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)uppityperson
(115,677 posts)Saw one in Paris that was like ours here, fast in fast out, and another one maybe in Caen (?) or Cherbourg that was fast in fast out but I can easily believe they have ones that are more like restaurants than in/out.
JI7
(89,252 posts)uppityperson
(115,677 posts)The food is quite different, even fries are different. My young relatives thought it interesting to go there occasionally but it is also more expensive. Might as well go to a sit down place.
salvorhardin
(9,995 posts)One is just up the road from me. It's really quite nice, and relaxing, inside but despite the couches and overstuffed chairs it still feels sterile and cheap. Even so it's a decent neutral place for a business meeting. On the other hand, most of the people I meet with are artsy design types so I prefer to meet in the real coffee shop that's even closer to me that's just as roomy and comfy, has tasty coffee, and real food (scones to die for).
I do wish that cafe-style McD's up the street from me had those miniature baguettes and cute tiny jars of jams like the picture shows.
no_hypocrisy
(46,130 posts)As per Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction
Moondog
(4,833 posts)apologies to the Immortal Bard, is still a shitburger . . . .
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)flvegan
(64,409 posts)We are so much smarter than them. Oh, wait...