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  • McDonald's

    The title obviously explains it all - not Jim and Liz out of Corrie, but the world's most famous fast food restaurant which was founded by Ray Kroc in the mid 20th century. The first restaurant opened in the United States in 1955, while the first one in the United Kingdom (which was also the 3,000th international restaurant) opened in Woolwich in 1974.

    In my neck of the woods, the first Nottingham McDonald's opened on Clumber Street in 1982 next to a Barry Noble amusement arcade (around the time when Noble had an offer for a jar of Maxwell House coffee of all things via coupons from The Sun, I think). I believe that Clumber Street was also the 79th British McDonald's to open, and it was also the first one that I had experienced as a "customer" for my sixth birthday in 1984 - it is still there although it had a makeover a couple of years ago just like a lot of McDonald's have. My late father used to tell me that it used to be a pub, and the amusement arcade was a furniture shop, although it could have been the other way round. He also used to think that Ronald McDonald was actually based in each restaurant - I am certain that he said something similar when an advert for McDonald's came on TV once.

    I am not certain whether Happy Meals were involved back then, or whether I wore one of those paper party hats similar to what nurses wear when on duty - I didn't have one of those "parties" there although my nephew did for his sixth birthday in 1998. I do remember the family bringing me to McDonald's and having my food sitting inside the restaurant. I tried a hamburger and thought that it was too much for me to eat at the time and I had difficulty eating it, although I loved the chocolate milkshake just like I do know. This was around the same time when McDonald's were doing their "School Kits" if you remember them - it was a transparent pencil case (looking a little bit as if it was aimed towards girls, I assume); with ruler, pencil, a Ronald McDonald pencil sharpener (twist Ronald's head around to sharpen pencils), a rubber and other things included - I might have got a special meal thing on that day in order to get one of those. And then we went back home and saw Starstrider on the Children's ITV...

    There is nothing quite like unwrapping the straw (which are not like the ones we have now of course), and poking it through the X-shape perforations in the middle of the plastic transparent lid which is held on tightly to the milkshake cup (as well as tea coffee for Health and Safety reasons). Sucking the straw until no milkshake was left and a gurgling noise, just sucking fresh air was something most of us did. Just like sitting upstairs with a view from the window, watching the shoppers go by was such a treat back then. And of course fries - never chips even though they were the same thing, but fries. Yes, 1984 was the year when I had officially discovered McDonald's for the very first time.

    I have noticed that there is a McDonald's advert on at the moment which shows someone eating a meal in a restaurant going from the 1980s to the present day - cue a mid 1980s Paul Young-alike man changing, and so is the food packaging as well in just a few seconds. And that made me think about the packaging. Does anyone remember when the Big Mac and McChicken Sandwich cartons were made from polystyrene-alike packaging and not like the card packaging we have now? I assume was changed due to protecting the environment and going green in the 1990s.

    These days I am a McDonald's regular - they do say that we are addicted to things that are bad for us including food, but I think that I have never smoked and only drink at Christmas and New Year, and so I do allow to opt out of healthy eating now and again to enjoy my favourite takeaways. As a matter of fact, I an actually eating as part of a takeaway purchased earlier on, a limited edition Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese as I am writing this! I was concerned that the Big Macs would lay victim to the horsemeat scandal a few years back like it did to the Findus Lasagne, but I was reassured that it wasn't. No, I would miss McDonald's if it did a "Woolworths" and disappeared from the High Street. Burger King is not quite the same, and Wimpy is almost extinct in this country anyway.

    When did you first come across McDonald's and how old were you? Did you have those parties in the restaurant with those paper hats, or was it just a Happy Meal with a Disney toy inside? Or did you find McDonald's food too exotic? Is it something that you cannot stand because of the taste or the ingredients? After all, it was American by origin...
    I've everything I need to keep me satisfied
    There's nothing you can do to make me change my mind
    I'm having so much fun
    My lucky number's one
    Ah! Oh! Ah! Oh!

  • #2
    Re: McDonald's

    I get annoyed when i see the illustrations of the food but the reality looks nothing like it, i would rather pay the extra and eat at Burger king who,s food is tastier and more satisfying.
    Ejector seat?...your jokin!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: McDonald's

      I know what you mean. The illustrations of the Big Macs and hamburgers look immaculate, yet most customers are served something that looks squashed or stodgy and bares very little resemblance to what is seen in TV adverts or on menus.

      But I think that it's how it tastes rather than how it looks.
      I've everything I need to keep me satisfied
      There's nothing you can do to make me change my mind
      I'm having so much fun
      My lucky number's one
      Ah! Oh! Ah! Oh!

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: McDonald's

        I recall many years ago the packaging for McDonald's fillet o' fish would state 100% cod. Now its just white fish.
        Also, thankfully that monopoly game seems to have gone, which according to my daughter was fraudulent.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: McDonald's

          Originally posted by Moonraker View Post
          I recall many years ago the packaging for McDonald's fillet o' fish would state 100% cod. Now its just white fish.
          Also, thankfully that monopoly game seems to have gone, which according to my daughter was fraudulent.
          Pollocks!!
          Ejector seat?...your jokin!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: McDonald's

            When I first heard of Fillet O'Fish I actually thought that they were trying to monopolise on the Irish O' surname prefix just like they have obviously done so with the Mc prefix.

            Mind you, isn't Fillet O'Fish basically just a square fish finger inside a bun these days?
            I've everything I need to keep me satisfied
            There's nothing you can do to make me change my mind
            I'm having so much fun
            My lucky number's one
            Ah! Oh! Ah! Oh!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: McDonald's

              Originally posted by tex View Post
              Pollocks!!
              The same to you.
              I've everything I need to keep me satisfied
              There's nothing you can do to make me change my mind
              I'm having so much fun
              My lucky number's one
              Ah! Oh! Ah! Oh!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: McDonald's

                Originally posted by George 1978 View Post
                When I first heard of Fillet O'Fish I actually thought that they were trying to monopolise on the Irish O' surname prefix just like they have obviously done so with the Mc prefix.

                Mind you, isn't Fillet O'Fish basically just a square fish finger inside a bun these days?
                Indeed, my wife often places two cod fish fingers into a bun adding mayo. But McDonald's sauce is the best

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: McDonald's

                  Originally posted by Moonraker View Post
                  Indeed, my wife often places two cod fish fingers into a bun adding mayo. But McDonald's sauce is the best
                  Barbeque of course - perfect for dipping those Chicken McNuggets into.
                  I've everything I need to keep me satisfied
                  There's nothing you can do to make me change my mind
                  I'm having so much fun
                  My lucky number's one
                  Ah! Oh! Ah! Oh!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: McDonald's

                    Fillet O'Fish was originally introduced in the USA as they found the sales of burgers fell off on Fridays in areas with a high catholic population.
                    The Trickster On The Roof

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: McDonald's

                      Originally posted by tex View Post
                      ...i would rather pay the extra and eat at Burger king who,s food is tastier and more satisfying.
                      Yep, my fave!
                      Time flies like the wind, fruit flies like bananas - go figure!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: McDonald's

                        I don't think there was a McDonald's anywhere near us until the late 90s or later. The closest were one in Walsall and one in Birmingham on the ramp that I would occasionally use on the rare occasions I went there. I'm not a big fan, preferring Burger King, though my visits to that chain are not exactly frequent either. In the 70s as a treat when going into Wolverhampton a couple of times per year, my mom would take me to Wimpey, where we ate our burgers with cutlery.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: McDonald's

                          I am surprised about that as I thought that by the mid 1980s every city and most towns had at least one McDonald's - I know from reading the McSpotlight website that they advertised on British TV from 1976 onwards, mostly targeting children, and I think that there may have been a gap of around two or three years after the first restaurant opened in Woolwich, before the next one opened. No doubt that prior to 1982, the nearest McDonald's to Nottingham would have probably been Leicester or even Birmingham.

                          When did Burger King first open in Britain? I know from YouTube clips that as early as 1982 they advertised on British TV but I don't remember a restaurant in Nottingham prior to the start of the 1990s (corner of Upper Parliament Street and Milton Street which used to be a Wimpy, and a Harris Carpets prior to that). I know that Wimpy was McDonald's main rival in the 1980s, and I believe that I must have gone inside Wimpy back then more often than McDonald's.
                          I've everything I need to keep me satisfied
                          There's nothing you can do to make me change my mind
                          I'm having so much fun
                          My lucky number's one
                          Ah! Oh! Ah! Oh!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: McDonald's

                            I remember a lot of Wimpys became Burger Kings in the late 1980s.

                            At one time Stockport had two Burger Kings, but both are now gone, but Manchester has at least one.
                            The Trickster On The Roof

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: McDonald's

                              You're right Richard - the Milton Street one in Nottingham was a Wimpy and became a Burger King, even though I thought that they were unconnected (apart from the fact that they were both fast food restaurants of course), and I think that the Angel Row one (convenient for the Odeon cinema back then), went that way as well.

                              Funny how Broad Marsh remained a Wimpy until around a year or two ago.
                              I've everything I need to keep me satisfied
                              There's nothing you can do to make me change my mind
                              I'm having so much fun
                              My lucky number's one
                              Ah! Oh! Ah! Oh!

                              Comment

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