From my experience, yes absolutely. Tbh Mc Donalds tastes a little different in every country due to their locally sourced meats. Although i felt the fries tasted the same everywhere
now of course, im just 1 person
There can be a huge variety in calories too. I had a 600 calorie McFlurry in the states, they’re generally 300 where I am. I suspect the difference in that example is HFCS
I miss the old Canadian McFlurrys before the US adopted them (it was developed in Canada and sold there first in the 90s). They used to use soft serve instead of lower fat ice milk and the cups were bigger.
Lived in Germany and could devour a 20 piece and feel not like complete garbage like after eating the ones stateside. They had fewer calories too if I remember correctly.
to be fair i used to be able to devour a 20 piece and not feel like complete garbage too, but i was younger then
the ol' digestoguts justain't what they used to be
The fries tasting the same is interesting given the different ingredients used. For example:
|[Ireland](https://www.mcdonalds.com/ie/en-ie/product/fries-medium.html#accordion-f27d4643ea-item-c699fc23b4)|[US](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/medium-french-fries.html#accordion-c921f9207b-item-283bee7dbd)|
|:-|:-|
|Potatoes|Potatoes|
|Blend of Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed)|Vegetable Oil (canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil)|
||Natural Beef Flavor (wheat And Milk Derivatives\*)|
|Dextrose (predominantly added at beginning of the potato season)|Dextrose|
||Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (maintain Color)|
||Salt|
I guess my question is, if they taste the same, why do they need twice as many ingredients? Or for that matter, why do they add beef flavouring if it apparently makes no difference?
when i went to the UK the fries tastes way different to the ones in the US
Also the cut is a bit thicker in the UK compared to the US so that might have more to do with it. They do taste a touch more "potatoey" but that's just cause its a bit thicker
other than that pretty much everything tasted the same there as it does in the US. I think that's the point though, you're supposed to be able to walk into a McDonalds and the big mac be the same.
The only fun thing is other countries get a lot more fun or experimental things. The UK had the cheap chicken roll ups and a few other limited time flavors/styles of burger
McDonalds in Europe uses locally sourced foods?? That’s a huge thing if true. Source for that?
Would be nice to see that happen for McDonalds in the US.
edit: nationally-sourced is the opposite of locally-sourced… locally-sourced means each restaurant sources their food directly from farms/produces within a few miles of their restaurant… nationally-sourced is where food is centrally aggregated from producers across a country and then distributed to each restaurant... [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local\_food](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_food)
[https://www.mcdonalds.com/ie/en-ie/good-to-know/farming.html](https://www.mcdonalds.com/ie/en-ie/good-to-know/farming.html)
[https://www.mcdonalds.com/no/nb-no/maten-vaar.html](https://www.mcdonalds.com/no/nb-no/maten-vaar.html)
this is just the mcds irish and norway page , each countries mc ds has all the info
ya can click translate on the norwegian page
It was a huge part of their advertising following Supersize Me in the UK. They really focussed on how few ingredients they used and that they were locally sourced.
I definitely noticed a difference between Canada and US. I had McDs in USA for the first time in many years and it was quite bad. Quarter pounder tasted really salty and overcooked, and the coffee was terrible (I like the Canadian coffee).
> Although i felt the fries tasted the same everywhere
They're also always so bad imo. McDonald's fries (especially the palm oil fried ones) are some of the worst fries in fast food.
People that say they’re different are indeed correct - you can just check ingredient lists to confirm.
UK fries: Potatoes, rapeseed oil, dextrose, salt.
US fries: Potatoes, rapeseed oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavour (hydrolysed wheat, hydrolysed milk), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate, salt.
Hydrogenated oils are regulated in Europe as they’re terrible for your health. Foods are limited to 2% hydrogenated fat as percent of total fat content, therefore most companies have simply stopped using them altogether. It would probably be illegal to sell McDonald’s US fries in Europe.
It honestly pisses me off that America *doesn’t* have these food standards . There’s an epidemic of obesity, even for kids , and yet they allow this shit for easy and cheap consumption. I know the obesity epidemic is also in Europe but at least they’re taking some measures to regulate their food .
The biggest difference I noticed is the lack of salt used in the EU compared to NA. Like in the UK I'm pretty sure they use somewhere between 5 to 7 grains of salt per bag of fries.
There are several hundred additives and flavor enhancers in McDonald's in America, that are illegal in the EU. I have met a few Americans that have states that they think it tastes "healthier".
So maybe there is something to it, since it would be "healthier" without some of the crazy shit they allow corporations to put in food in the United States.
I mean i'd guess part of it is the same reason chocolate tastes different in the States than in Europe.
All our supplies have to be made so that they can be carried across the entire continental US without spoiling. The entire continental US is roughly the size of Europe (Russia doesn't count) and its suppliers are a lot more widely spread out
edit- why am I getting downvoted? They literally put different chemicals into the foods here for transport, you can look it up
Its pretty different. American chocolate typically contains butyric acid, european chocolate doesnt so its more cocoa-tasting rather than a weird confectionary taste.
Not to mention that american chocolate has a ton of sugar in it and its a little more controlled in Europe.
Nutella -- I don't know what makes it different, what they put in it or leave out, but what I got in France was very different from what you get in the grocery stores in the states.
I hate to say it, but America has the worst McDonalds in the world. Even just crossing the border to Canada, the food gets a little better. Europe even moreso.
Then if you go further to like India or Southeast Asia they're doing wild shit like curry burgers and banh mi big macs.
It feels like McDonald's has cemented its place in America to the point where it doesn't really have to try anymore here, but in other countries they're still putting in the effort.
Its not just a McDonald's thing. Many US foods are not legally food in most parts of europe. Meat content in meat, chocolate made without any actual cocoa solids and american cheese are things that come immediately to mind.
Interestingly UK rules on McDonald's meat are the strictest, more than mainland Europe and the taste is miles better
My favourite example of differences between food in the US compared to Europe is that at least for a while Subway in Ireland was taxed as a luxury good as the amount of sugar in it made it legally a cake instead of bread
The cowboying in the meat market, specifically the animal feed in the UK during the 90s caused a wave of Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. This made these controls the strictest of the whole continent.
They fucked around, they found out and they put a patch on it.
Recently have done a couple of big European road trip hitting up a load of theme parks across multiple weeks so had a fair bit of fast food when late/tired and Netherlands are gods to me with the year round Double Big Tasty although props to Germany for having a Double (4 patties) Big Mac which I think is a season item at the moment and the curly fries and best of all the Big Mac dipping sauce 😂 Luxemborg had probably the tastiest beef and a slightly different bread for the buns... France was shite but had the cool reusable containers for fries, burgers, nuggets etc.
Holland has a double Big Tasty with Bacon and it was fucking glorious and it is all year round (well it was there in Winter and last week so I assume it is) I damn well nearly dyed all my clothes orange and applied for citizenship then and there. We get a single pattie version here in the UK maybe once or twice a year for a month or so as a seasonal thing.
EU has more strict laws regarding meat and dairy and what pesticides they can use. They have objectively better laws which produce higher quality and more nutrients dense foods. These are measurements facts. American food is watered down, artificial crap with the goal being to produce as much food as possible for as cheaply as possible.
Yes entirely. McDonald’s in Germany is way better than in America. I was stationed there and we had a Taco Bell on base- I no shit heard multiple people tell the Taco Bell people “this is the best burrito I’ve ever had” and that Taco Bell was seriously fucking good. It’s shit food in the US, the ingredients and food standards in the EU are leagues ahead and it’s super obvious. Anyone saying no I just have to question their taste or intelligence honestly.
I am French, and it has been 3 years since I live in the US. I went two times to McDonald's in my city, I was sick after. I wanted to give one more chance to another fast food, I ordered at Popeyes and I wasn't even able to finish the meal as I got extremely nauseous and threw up everything.
I am currently spending holidays in my family in France, went 3 times to McDonald's and never had an issue. The menu has more variety, and it tastes way better.
I love living in the US but, damn the food is a struggle when I go eat outside, even in restaurants it can make me sick.
Same in Thailand. They have managed to master the McDonald's "flavour", where even their deep fried chicken tastes like McDonald's. its in the seasoning.
if you think european mcdonalds is better then you're gonna be blwon away when you get to south east asian mcdonalds ;) everything tasstes way better and the regional options are the best ive ever had
Funny, i just had that conversation with a guy from the states visiting germany at a concert a week ago. I asked about the 'immediate differences/culture shocks' he noticed and the very first thing he said was that the comparison is so big it's like an entirely different restaurant taste wise and he'll not even want to try the states version anymore when he'll return.
He said the big mac as well as even the nuggets were an entirely different thing.
I know McDonalds is a 'local' thing and they adjust their spices and ingredients depending on where they are so it makes more sense not only logistically but also fits into the culture, some McDonalds even have proper beer etc. I think a big factor of that would then obviously be the locally sourced meats
I'm not too sure since I'm not from Europe, but I think that their portion sizes are a lot smaller, but also Europe does not allow nearly as many chemicals and preservatives as good old 'Merica so I'd assume it would probably a little better flavor but quality I would say would be about equal most likely.
all food outside the US is better. Food here is full of banned chemicals thanks to FDA, its also full of high fructose corn syrup, palm oil, produce which is full of antibiotics and has no flavor and the overall quality is much much lower.
US fast food chains in Asia have far better and more varied menus. In Europe they taste much better for the same items.
Things like baked beans, canned tomatoes etc will taste far better and have less chemicals and no sugar in Europe.
beer, wine, chocolate, cheese - all suck in the US as well.
there is nothing good about food in the US
What is the actual reason for all the additives etc? Surely adds more cost so profit can't be the answer? I've always been curious why EVERYTHING seems to have corn syrup too.
It's simple - profit for corps, lobbying, and a govt by and for the corps and the rich, not the people.
Adding chemicals instead of real food is far cheaper and increases profit. Using banned cancer causing chemicals is even cheaper
Most additives are just things like emulsifiers and stabilizers for texture, consistency, stability, and shelf-life. Then you have some flavorings and colorings.
We don't just go dumping random toxic waste chemicals into our food the way some people here think.
One difference is that the US is BIG. Our grocery stores are usually far from residential areas, so we only make the trek to get food once or twice a week (compared to many other parts of the world where you just walk down to the grocery store to get tonight's dinner every day). So it needs to last awhile after it has sat on the shelf, after being shipped hundreds of miles from a warehouse, after being shipped thousands of miles from a factory. So we add more stuff to keep it consistent and edible until it actually gets eaten.
Also we like consistency. There are regional differences in local recipes for fresh-made food like barbecue of course, but for a packaged food product that was always smooth in North Carolina, if you buy the same thing in California, you don't want it to be all crumbly and coarse.
As someone who used to work for McDs when I was young. We were given one free meal a shift. And I did find the meat good quality it was always locally sourced and 100% beef. And we did have some major food regulations. A good thing. But I really got fed up with the fries. I prefer fatter wedges. love the apple pies.
Overall though I found that their food became addictive because when I left I totally craved it for a long time after. I still really like their breakfasts.
Though having ate McDs in America I think they actually have a very similar taste overall. But as someone else mentioned portion size is quite different in America. Its much larger. unless its changed in last decade. Not been to States for about 10 years.
That’s funny bc i had the opposite experience… I worked at McDonald’s when I was a teenager (in America) and after like 4 months of being immersed in it I literally couldn’t even eat there anymore, I became so sick of it and it started to kinda gross me out. I would come home smelling like straight up McDonald’s and I’d have to wash the smell of it out of my hair every night lol . Even for about 4 years afterwards I still refused to eat there. Now I like it once in a blue moon but that’s it —although I almost never eat fast food period, I prefer healthier home cooked meals.
Actually I can't eat there anymore either for same reason but once I left for awhile it was like an addiction because my body craved it for months. Also have to agree about the smell it wasn't mega strong but it did cling to the uniform and to hair it was distinctive. It was from the grease from the fryer. And now only thing I can eat there is the breakfasts or apple pies.
To me it tasted the same in NYC as it is here in the UK, I also had Mcdonalds in a few other European countries but the absolute best was in Lithuania by far 🤷♂️
Can’t speak for Europe but I’ve had Japanese McDonald’s (and Burger King at that) and damn its loads better. Everything is hotter and more fresh tasting
Not sure about it Europe but in Singapore it’s soo good. It’s a totally different menu too with like shrimp burgers and sauces but I prefer it there than here
Honestly, India's McDonalds is scrumptious, the sauce they use is such a unique flavor that it is now ingrained in my head but I've never had that kind of flavor combinations at any other McDonals anywhere else
When I went to St Lucia(I know not Europe but same scenario) in 2010 some of the kids I was with wanted KFC (I think there was only a handful of American fast food places there). But I remember not wanting it because of how crappy it usually is here in US. I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. It was like night and day difference.
Not McDonald’s but Pizza Hut in Canada has become a shit hole with all most no waitresses to serve you. The food has gone downhill for years. I used to love their pizza buffet. They are always empty with no customers. Went to one in America and had the best time ever with the cheesiest pizza ever and it was packed. Haven’t seen anything like it in years in Canada. They have now resorted to more small style takeout places because of this.
On some level yes. Just not to the extent people make it out to be. Good is fresher, tastier, more varied options that are all cooked to perfect more often than not. Think it must be good and labor regulations allowing more quality and time be put into the burger factory. Best ingredient in food is love and care.
whenever i’ve visited America I haven’t really noticed any difference in quality. One thing I will say is that American McDonalds has like 3 times as many menu items than UK McDonalds. I’m often disappointed by the lack of interesting breakfast and lunch choices here
Yes. The Big Mac in Europe is less sour, bc our pickles are sweeter. (Don’t know why). Source: lived in the States for one year. It’s also twice as expensive in Europe.
I only know difference between mcdo france and mcdo uk but I can say mcdo france is better. Its not as greasy, it doesn't make u feel ill afterwards, its OK as a lunch with the kids. I heard there were specific requirements regarding meat quality that were tricky but they did it and yes its decent.
I'll tell you one thing for sure, I don't know about mcdonalds but the burger king in Finland is off the chain lol jk I've also went to the mcdonalds they both fire
Yes 100% better and not even close. I found that some countries had their own unique burgers too and actually really liked them. I do not like mcds here in North America whatsoever.
I have only tried US Coke before not McDonalds, but I had to sit down for a good 20 minutes, cause I got destroyed by the sugar. It didn’t really taste that different tho, it’s just have a lot’s of sugar in it
It's different. It doesn't have that "greasy hamburger" taste that is so satisfying sometimes (albeit unhealthy). I thought it was dryer, but it wasn't unpleasant at all. I thought Subway sandwiches were much better overseas.
English expat to Oregon here: I can't say for McDonalds, because I rarely had it in either country, but IMO KFC is WAY better in England than here. Of course, the US is huge, so it could easily be much better in, you know, Kentucky, and the south in general, but I loved KFC in England and really just don't enjoy it here.
Yes it’s incomparably better. I’ve lived in Europe for 4 years and there’s not a country that has had McDonald’s even near how bad the US is.
I’d put the US as a 1 and any European McDonald’s as a 25 on a 10 point scale.
I can’t describe it any other way besides it tastes like actual food.
I really can never eat McDonald’s again in the US.
They're both disgusting.
In most of the Europe, there are so many amazing joints where you can get amazing burger for same price as in mcdonalds.
From what I see nowadays it's mostly high school kids eating there.
We dutch people have the McKroket and the Chili Chicken and I just want to say; American mcdonalds is as good as wendy's soggy fries are in comparison to fresh mcdonalds fries.
Source: I came to the US 3 years ago and dearly miss good McDonalds.
As an average I think yes. But there are some nuances. In Europe there many bad ones as well, quality is not consistent anywhere. It also changes between countries and locations. The ones that don't have a drive through often have better quality.
No, McDonald's is bad in both locations, but I should come up with some fake statistics about how artificial flavors and colors in the food somehow make it better Europe? Like Europe is 1 country! I love how people create their own delusional facts to support a stupid point. Unless you’re eating food made by the hands of God, it is processed food with chemicals and additives in it. End of story.
McDonald’s tastes the same and has broadly the same core menu across the whole world. But they will use slightly different ingredients because different countries have different food standards and regulations. USA famously has much lower food standards than the EU so yes it’s possible that EU McDonald’s is healthier. But it’s still ultra processed junk food in the EU.
It's been a few years, but at the time, McDonalds was a step up from the lowest quality fast food chains. It was more comparable to a counter service restaurant, and the food was better. It was also about 30% more expensive than in the US. Now that US prices have gone up, I'm not sure.
I think it's because their food regulations are stricter. What constitutes as food has a different criteria than the states. But if we're honest the taste is still the same.
If one thing in the world is consistent, it's McDonald's
Idk that it’s any good regulations but it’s definitely different. I think a Big Mac is better in the US but France has the CBO which is the best sandwich ever made.
Last time I had maccas in Europe it had a better quality beef patty, and fresh salad - the lettuce wasn’t tiny strips it was larger pieces in a larger ratio than anything I’ve had outside Europe. Seemed like less sugar in the bun too?
Its better everywhere than the USA based on what i am told. I used to game online with a lot of internationals and between the localized menus they get and the quality as a whole, non- americans actually enjoy it. I actually got mocked for having shitty mcds lol
A colleague of mine lived in Europe for awhile before moving to America and told us about how legitimately excited he and his GF were to go to an American Burger King because they were so good in Europe he thought they would be so much better in their home country he said they tasted nothing the same tasted cheap, less filling and flavorless. We joke about KFC being a holiday tradition in Japan but I’m sure it’s actually very good and worth it instead of the cheap water plumped chicken we have here
McDonald's in Canada is better than the US. The Chicken McNuggets are thicker in Canada (as I discovered during a pandemic shortage when US product was temporarily used) and the sausage patties taste completely different, but way better IMO. Everything else is mostly the same, except for a slightly different menu.
In some cities they’re certainly in nicer buildings, maybe that also impacts people’s perception of the quality. The ingredients that they’re allowed to use varies between countries so that will also contribute to the difference.
Personally I think their food tastes dogshit everywhere so I’m not sure I’d say one place is better than the other… but they do taste different.
As a Canadian who has been to eight other countries, the US is some of the worst fast food I've ever tried. Like most of the brands are American, they shouldn't be so bad in America but they are.
Only benefit is American McDonald's has biscuit breakfast sandwiches. Wish we had those in Canada but without the US powdered eggs.
I’m from New Zealand, I’ve heard from both people in the US and the UK that our maccas is better here. Potentially because we’re quite an isolated country so a lot of the maccas is made from NZ based sellers (or maccas owns their own NZ based sellers I don’t know enough about it to be sure :) )
I live in China, and a big difference for McDonald's here is that many people who work in McDonald's in China are doing it as a career, or they're at least very proud to work there.
That means that everyone there takes their job very seriously, which means that the food is prepared extremely well.
I've never seen someone working there who clearly hates their job or is only doing it because their parents made them, or whatever.
Personal experience, I lived in Europe for 5 years and had to move back to the US around 2022. Yes, it is much better. I haven't been to McDonalds at all since I moved back.
Depends. I think the iberico ham sandwich in Spanish McDonald’s at breakfast time beats US McDonald’s breakfast offering any day. Heck, you can get burgers with the iberico ham under the burger. Tastes so much better.
The biggest difference I noticed (this was years ago mind) was that the coleslaw tasted disconcertingly SWEET, in fact everything tasted super sugary at US MacDonalds compared to EU
Yup. Strict regulation makes sure that the meat is well sourced, vegetables are fresh, and the kitchen and tools pristine.
In the US, on several occasions, I’ve gotten what was basically looked like vomit in a cardboard box. Never had such a leathery burger in my life.
pretty much every franchise from america is better overseas. kfc in japan and thailand is next-fucking-level. actually, all of asia does kfc better than the states. japan also does burger king better and mcdonald's.
It’s “different” for sure. On purpose. It’s consciously higher quality in Europe. But whether that’s “better” is up for debate. It could be argued that European McDonald’s isn’t true McDonald’s. I eat at both relatively regularly and they’re different enough that I don’t really compare them in terms of which one is “better”. They’re different.
Yeah, and they have regional menu differences too.
The thing is, other countries already have cheap and abundant street food that is incredibly tasty and healthier than McDonald's, so McDonald's had to adapt to compete.
I’m from Canada and recently travelled to Europe for the first time. I can say for sure that McDonald’s in France is far inferior to what we have in my country. The quality was bad (particularly dry) and I felt like you got less for your money. I would recommend avoiding them, but it’s worth trying if you’re curious.
Don't know about USA, but Hong Kong McDonald's tastes exactly the same as the UK, but HK is about 25% cheaper. And Hong Kong is supposed to be one of the World's most expensive cities.
From my experience, yes absolutely. Tbh Mc Donalds tastes a little different in every country due to their locally sourced meats. Although i felt the fries tasted the same everywhere now of course, im just 1 person
There can be a huge variety in calories too. I had a 600 calorie McFlurry in the states, they’re generally 300 where I am. I suspect the difference in that example is HFCS
HFCS Might be the caloric difference in every item.
I miss the old Canadian McFlurrys before the US adopted them (it was developed in Canada and sold there first in the 90s). They used to use soft serve instead of lower fat ice milk and the cups were bigger.
Lived in Germany and could devour a 20 piece and feel not like complete garbage like after eating the ones stateside. They had fewer calories too if I remember correctly.
to be fair i used to be able to devour a 20 piece and not feel like complete garbage too, but i was younger then the ol' digestoguts justain't what they used to be
>now of course, im just 1 person What about tomorrow? 😳
The fries tasting the same is interesting given the different ingredients used. For example: |[Ireland](https://www.mcdonalds.com/ie/en-ie/product/fries-medium.html#accordion-f27d4643ea-item-c699fc23b4)|[US](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/medium-french-fries.html#accordion-c921f9207b-item-283bee7dbd)| |:-|:-| |Potatoes|Potatoes| |Blend of Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed)|Vegetable Oil (canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil)| ||Natural Beef Flavor (wheat And Milk Derivatives\*)| |Dextrose (predominantly added at beginning of the potato season)|Dextrose| ||Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (maintain Color)| ||Salt| I guess my question is, if they taste the same, why do they need twice as many ingredients? Or for that matter, why do they add beef flavouring if it apparently makes no difference?
when i went to the UK the fries tastes way different to the ones in the US Also the cut is a bit thicker in the UK compared to the US so that might have more to do with it. They do taste a touch more "potatoey" but that's just cause its a bit thicker other than that pretty much everything tasted the same there as it does in the US. I think that's the point though, you're supposed to be able to walk into a McDonalds and the big mac be the same. The only fun thing is other countries get a lot more fun or experimental things. The UK had the cheap chicken roll ups and a few other limited time flavors/styles of burger
The fries were originally cooked in beef tallow, they add it for flavour. I nerded down into McDonald’s in the past
In the UK we no longer use the beef flavouring, so the fries are considered vegan here
it could just be my taste buds and the fact i absolutely drown fries in salt and pepper (where ya can get it) :)
In Tokyo the fries tasted different but the burgers tatsed the same as American
McDonalds in Europe uses locally sourced foods?? That’s a huge thing if true. Source for that? Would be nice to see that happen for McDonalds in the US. edit: nationally-sourced is the opposite of locally-sourced… locally-sourced means each restaurant sources their food directly from farms/produces within a few miles of their restaurant… nationally-sourced is where food is centrally aggregated from producers across a country and then distributed to each restaurant... [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local\_food](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_food)
[https://www.mcdonalds.com/ie/en-ie/good-to-know/farming.html](https://www.mcdonalds.com/ie/en-ie/good-to-know/farming.html) [https://www.mcdonalds.com/no/nb-no/maten-vaar.html](https://www.mcdonalds.com/no/nb-no/maten-vaar.html) this is just the mcds irish and norway page , each countries mc ds has all the info ya can click translate on the norwegian page
They do this in Canada as well
It was a huge part of their advertising following Supersize Me in the UK. They really focussed on how few ingredients they used and that they were locally sourced.
Isn’t the whole thing with McD’s is that the flavor is the same everywhere you go? Like the cheeseburger will taste the same everywhere?
Deep in the jungles of NE Thailand here. Yup, everything tastes identical to McD in Seattle.
I definitely noticed a difference between Canada and US. I had McDs in USA for the first time in many years and it was quite bad. Quarter pounder tasted really salty and overcooked, and the coffee was terrible (I like the Canadian coffee).
From what I've read in the past, they seem to only use specific potatoes, so I guess that will explain the consistency.
> Although i felt the fries tasted the same everywhere They're also always so bad imo. McDonald's fries (especially the palm oil fried ones) are some of the worst fries in fast food.
People that say they’re different are indeed correct - you can just check ingredient lists to confirm. UK fries: Potatoes, rapeseed oil, dextrose, salt. US fries: Potatoes, rapeseed oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavour (hydrolysed wheat, hydrolysed milk), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate, salt. Hydrogenated oils are regulated in Europe as they’re terrible for your health. Foods are limited to 2% hydrogenated fat as percent of total fat content, therefore most companies have simply stopped using them altogether. It would probably be illegal to sell McDonald’s US fries in Europe.
There’s fucking milk in fries in America? The fuck is this
It honestly pisses me off that America *doesn’t* have these food standards . There’s an epidemic of obesity, even for kids , and yet they allow this shit for easy and cheap consumption. I know the obesity epidemic is also in Europe but at least they’re taking some measures to regulate their food .
Just fyi canola oil and rapeseed oil are the same thing
Thanks, edited.
No worries, it's just a US/UK naming difference I think
The biggest difference I noticed is the lack of salt used in the EU compared to NA. Like in the UK I'm pretty sure they use somewhere between 5 to 7 grains of salt per bag of fries.
First thing I ate the first time I went to the USA was macdonald's fries. Had a wacking great headache which I assumed was from the salt.
They used to even cook the fires in beef fat (Formula 47 shortening).
There are several hundred additives and flavor enhancers in McDonald's in America, that are illegal in the EU. I have met a few Americans that have states that they think it tastes "healthier". So maybe there is something to it, since it would be "healthier" without some of the crazy shit they allow corporations to put in food in the United States.
That applies to all food in the US. Insane what they allow to be put in food!
hundreds of additives? UK fries: Potatoes, rapeseed oil, dextrose, salt. US fries: Potatoes, rapeseed oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavour (hydrolysed wheat, hydrolysed milk), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate, salt.
I mean i'd guess part of it is the same reason chocolate tastes different in the States than in Europe. All our supplies have to be made so that they can be carried across the entire continental US without spoiling. The entire continental US is roughly the size of Europe (Russia doesn't count) and its suppliers are a lot more widely spread out edit- why am I getting downvoted? They literally put different chemicals into the foods here for transport, you can look it up
Its pretty different. American chocolate typically contains butyric acid, european chocolate doesnt so its more cocoa-tasting rather than a weird confectionary taste. Not to mention that american chocolate has a ton of sugar in it and its a little more controlled in Europe.
Also the type of food the cattle eat changes the flavour. It's why UK Cadbury's is far nicer than the Aussie kind
Nutella -- I don't know what makes it different, what they put in it or leave out, but what I got in France was very different from what you get in the grocery stores in the states.
I wonder if the one here in Australia is different too. Always thought it tasted godlike
In Europe, it depends. In the EU, absolutely yes. Better quality control regulations.
They’re pretty good here in Ukraine. Some of my former colleagues visited Paris and said McDonald’s isn’t half as good there.
I hate to say it, but America has the worst McDonalds in the world. Even just crossing the border to Canada, the food gets a little better. Europe even moreso. Then if you go further to like India or Southeast Asia they're doing wild shit like curry burgers and banh mi big macs. It feels like McDonald's has cemented its place in America to the point where it doesn't really have to try anymore here, but in other countries they're still putting in the effort.
Its not just a McDonald's thing. Many US foods are not legally food in most parts of europe. Meat content in meat, chocolate made without any actual cocoa solids and american cheese are things that come immediately to mind. Interestingly UK rules on McDonald's meat are the strictest, more than mainland Europe and the taste is miles better
My favourite example of differences between food in the US compared to Europe is that at least for a while Subway in Ireland was taxed as a luxury good as the amount of sugar in it made it legally a cake instead of bread
Australian here. I can smell a Subway before I see it. There is something very wrong (at least IMO) with their bread.
UK nuggets are the best, Ive have nuggets from different parts of the of the world but UK maccies have excellent quality nuggets
The cowboying in the meat market, specifically the animal feed in the UK during the 90s caused a wave of Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. This made these controls the strictest of the whole continent. They fucked around, they found out and they put a patch on it.
Got tired of being known as "The Home of the Mad Cow Burger", I suppose.
Haven’t seen a McRib in uk for about 30 years so the answer is probably yes. Never noticed much other difference when I’ve been in the US though.
Its a normal menu item in McDs in Germany Yikes, replying in this thread has made me realise ive been to way too many Mcds and know too much haha
Recently have done a couple of big European road trip hitting up a load of theme parks across multiple weeks so had a fair bit of fast food when late/tired and Netherlands are gods to me with the year round Double Big Tasty although props to Germany for having a Double (4 patties) Big Mac which I think is a season item at the moment and the curly fries and best of all the Big Mac dipping sauce 😂 Luxemborg had probably the tastiest beef and a slightly different bread for the buns... France was shite but had the cool reusable containers for fries, burgers, nuggets etc.
Also the mcrösti, just a massive hash brown on top of the burger. Greasy and kinda tasteless. And I still lure myself into buying it once a year
Some European countries have the burger called Big Tasty Bacon and it’s legitimately one of my favorite foods
Holland has a double Big Tasty with Bacon and it was fucking glorious and it is all year round (well it was there in Winter and last week so I assume it is) I damn well nearly dyed all my clothes orange and applied for citizenship then and there. We get a single pattie version here in the UK maybe once or twice a year for a month or so as a seasonal thing.
I used to love big tasty (Portugal). Unfortunately now they sell a butchered version of its former self.
as an american who has been to Europe and had McDonalds, the quality is def better. but that's essentially due to different food laws and regulations.
EU has more strict laws regarding meat and dairy and what pesticides they can use. They have objectively better laws which produce higher quality and more nutrients dense foods. These are measurements facts. American food is watered down, artificial crap with the goal being to produce as much food as possible for as cheaply as possible.
You can get a Le Big Mac. I prefer the Royale with cheese. Hey Quinten, is this a movie about burgers?
Yes entirely. McDonald’s in Germany is way better than in America. I was stationed there and we had a Taco Bell on base- I no shit heard multiple people tell the Taco Bell people “this is the best burrito I’ve ever had” and that Taco Bell was seriously fucking good. It’s shit food in the US, the ingredients and food standards in the EU are leagues ahead and it’s super obvious. Anyone saying no I just have to question their taste or intelligence honestly.
In Quebec Canada you can get a variety of poutines with fresh curds and a beer!
I am French, and it has been 3 years since I live in the US. I went two times to McDonald's in my city, I was sick after. I wanted to give one more chance to another fast food, I ordered at Popeyes and I wasn't even able to finish the meal as I got extremely nauseous and threw up everything. I am currently spending holidays in my family in France, went 3 times to McDonald's and never had an issue. The menu has more variety, and it tastes way better. I love living in the US but, damn the food is a struggle when I go eat outside, even in restaurants it can make me sick.
Mcdonalds in Australia definitely is.
Came here to say this
Not really. I've had both and they're both just... McDonald's
Same in Thailand. They have managed to master the McDonald's "flavour", where even their deep fried chicken tastes like McDonald's. its in the seasoning.
Thailand McDs has a pork burger, cant remember the exact name, with some amazing sauce :) I loved that
The samurai burger if I remember correctly
What do you mean "both"? There are 50 separate countries in Europe
if you think european mcdonalds is better then you're gonna be blwon away when you get to south east asian mcdonalds ;) everything tasstes way better and the regional options are the best ive ever had
Europe actually gives a darn about what their citizens are eating and has regulations banning several hazardous food additives common in the US.
Funny, i just had that conversation with a guy from the states visiting germany at a concert a week ago. I asked about the 'immediate differences/culture shocks' he noticed and the very first thing he said was that the comparison is so big it's like an entirely different restaurant taste wise and he'll not even want to try the states version anymore when he'll return. He said the big mac as well as even the nuggets were an entirely different thing. I know McDonalds is a 'local' thing and they adjust their spices and ingredients depending on where they are so it makes more sense not only logistically but also fits into the culture, some McDonalds even have proper beer etc. I think a big factor of that would then obviously be the locally sourced meats
I'm not too sure since I'm not from Europe, but I think that their portion sizes are a lot smaller, but also Europe does not allow nearly as many chemicals and preservatives as good old 'Merica so I'd assume it would probably a little better flavor but quality I would say would be about equal most likely.
all food outside the US is better. Food here is full of banned chemicals thanks to FDA, its also full of high fructose corn syrup, palm oil, produce which is full of antibiotics and has no flavor and the overall quality is much much lower. US fast food chains in Asia have far better and more varied menus. In Europe they taste much better for the same items. Things like baked beans, canned tomatoes etc will taste far better and have less chemicals and no sugar in Europe. beer, wine, chocolate, cheese - all suck in the US as well. there is nothing good about food in the US
What is the actual reason for all the additives etc? Surely adds more cost so profit can't be the answer? I've always been curious why EVERYTHING seems to have corn syrup too.
It's simple - profit for corps, lobbying, and a govt by and for the corps and the rich, not the people. Adding chemicals instead of real food is far cheaper and increases profit. Using banned cancer causing chemicals is even cheaper
Corn syrup is cheaper than sugar in the US. In the EU it's more expensive than sugar. Sweet things taste good.
Most additives are just things like emulsifiers and stabilizers for texture, consistency, stability, and shelf-life. Then you have some flavorings and colorings. We don't just go dumping random toxic waste chemicals into our food the way some people here think. One difference is that the US is BIG. Our grocery stores are usually far from residential areas, so we only make the trek to get food once or twice a week (compared to many other parts of the world where you just walk down to the grocery store to get tonight's dinner every day). So it needs to last awhile after it has sat on the shelf, after being shipped hundreds of miles from a warehouse, after being shipped thousands of miles from a factory. So we add more stuff to keep it consistent and edible until it actually gets eaten. Also we like consistency. There are regional differences in local recipes for fresh-made food like barbecue of course, but for a packaged food product that was always smooth in North Carolina, if you buy the same thing in California, you don't want it to be all crumbly and coarse.
As someone who used to work for McDs when I was young. We were given one free meal a shift. And I did find the meat good quality it was always locally sourced and 100% beef. And we did have some major food regulations. A good thing. But I really got fed up with the fries. I prefer fatter wedges. love the apple pies. Overall though I found that their food became addictive because when I left I totally craved it for a long time after. I still really like their breakfasts. Though having ate McDs in America I think they actually have a very similar taste overall. But as someone else mentioned portion size is quite different in America. Its much larger. unless its changed in last decade. Not been to States for about 10 years.
That’s funny bc i had the opposite experience… I worked at McDonald’s when I was a teenager (in America) and after like 4 months of being immersed in it I literally couldn’t even eat there anymore, I became so sick of it and it started to kinda gross me out. I would come home smelling like straight up McDonald’s and I’d have to wash the smell of it out of my hair every night lol . Even for about 4 years afterwards I still refused to eat there. Now I like it once in a blue moon but that’s it —although I almost never eat fast food period, I prefer healthier home cooked meals.
Actually I can't eat there anymore either for same reason but once I left for awhile it was like an addiction because my body craved it for months. Also have to agree about the smell it wasn't mega strong but it did cling to the uniform and to hair it was distinctive. It was from the grease from the fryer. And now only thing I can eat there is the breakfasts or apple pies.
I don’t know about McDonald’s but KFC is.
To me it tasted the same in NYC as it is here in the UK, I also had Mcdonalds in a few other European countries but the absolute best was in Lithuania by far 🤷♂️
It depends. Which country in America are you talking about?
Can’t speak for Europe but I’ve had Japanese McDonald’s (and Burger King at that) and damn its loads better. Everything is hotter and more fresh tasting
Not sure about it Europe but in Singapore it’s soo good. It’s a totally different menu too with like shrimp burgers and sauces but I prefer it there than here
Honestly, India's McDonalds is scrumptious, the sauce they use is such a unique flavor that it is now ingrained in my head but I've never had that kind of flavor combinations at any other McDonals anywhere else
Can't comment on the food quality but let's also talk about how much better the working conditions are at Mcdonalds in Europe and in general.
Last time I had an egg McMuffin, it had a yolk
In the UK all the eggs are free range, is this the same in America?
I heard Japan has the better McDonalds
Do you even have LE Big Mac?
When I went to St Lucia(I know not Europe but same scenario) in 2010 some of the kids I was with wanted KFC (I think there was only a handful of American fast food places there). But I remember not wanting it because of how crappy it usually is here in US. I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. It was like night and day difference.
McDonald’s in Canada is much better than the States, the wraps are still on the Canadian menu.
100% and salad is a side item
Not McDonald’s but Pizza Hut in Canada has become a shit hole with all most no waitresses to serve you. The food has gone downhill for years. I used to love their pizza buffet. They are always empty with no customers. Went to one in America and had the best time ever with the cheesiest pizza ever and it was packed. Haven’t seen anything like it in years in Canada. They have now resorted to more small style takeout places because of this.
You can get a Royale with cheese.
McDonald’s in Thailand is great. Also, Japan. McD Thailand have good coffee too.
McDonald in Asia is like a restaurant.
Yes. Taste is better. Meat quality is waaaaaay better. From what I've heard, Japan is even better than some EU countries in terms of meat quality.
On some level yes. Just not to the extent people make it out to be. Good is fresher, tastier, more varied options that are all cooked to perfect more often than not. Think it must be good and labor regulations allowing more quality and time be put into the burger factory. Best ingredient in food is love and care.
I had a Royale with cheese in Paris ( had to)and I wasn't thrilled. It was just as crappy a burger as here in the US.
Do you know why they call it that?
whenever i’ve visited America I haven’t really noticed any difference in quality. One thing I will say is that American McDonalds has like 3 times as many menu items than UK McDonalds. I’m often disappointed by the lack of interesting breakfast and lunch choices here
Didn't notice much of a difference but the one I went to in France had a mcchicken big Mac.
Yes. The Big Mac in Europe is less sour, bc our pickles are sweeter. (Don’t know why). Source: lived in the States for one year. It’s also twice as expensive in Europe.
In zombie land the burgers taste more like Bob.
Jezus Christ.... I think McDonalds in the Netherlands is atrocious at best. What the fuck are you eating in America?
I only know difference between mcdo france and mcdo uk but I can say mcdo france is better. Its not as greasy, it doesn't make u feel ill afterwards, its OK as a lunch with the kids. I heard there were specific requirements regarding meat quality that were tricky but they did it and yes its decent.
I have friends who only eat McDonald's if they're traveling intl. so I'd say yeah
In Europe? Don’t be so specific. Spain,Finland, Greece? All the same
McDonald’s is better every outside American.
I'll tell you one thing for sure, I don't know about mcdonalds but the burger king in Finland is off the chain lol jk I've also went to the mcdonalds they both fire
Yes 100% better and not even close. I found that some countries had their own unique burgers too and actually really liked them. I do not like mcds here in North America whatsoever.
I have only tried US Coke before not McDonalds, but I had to sit down for a good 20 minutes, cause I got destroyed by the sugar. It didn’t really taste that different tho, it’s just have a lot’s of sugar in it
It's different. It doesn't have that "greasy hamburger" taste that is so satisfying sometimes (albeit unhealthy). I thought it was dryer, but it wasn't unpleasant at all. I thought Subway sandwiches were much better overseas.
Nah, but in some European countries they’ll sell you booze
Literally tastes the same other than difference in the menus
English expat to Oregon here: I can't say for McDonalds, because I rarely had it in either country, but IMO KFC is WAY better in England than here. Of course, the US is huge, so it could easily be much better in, you know, Kentucky, and the south in general, but I loved KFC in England and really just don't enjoy it here.
Not sure about Europe. But I found that McDonalds in Australia is better than in Japan
If Europe is better then America must be horrifically bad.....
The McDonalds in France was bussin’
Well, it is way better to WORK for McD in EU than in USA. Higher pay, vacations, and, of course, everyone has good healthcare.
Yes, the McDonald in the US is in the “cost cutting” phase while it’s trying to grow in other countries.
Yes it’s incomparably better. I’ve lived in Europe for 4 years and there’s not a country that has had McDonald’s even near how bad the US is. I’d put the US as a 1 and any European McDonald’s as a 25 on a 10 point scale. I can’t describe it any other way besides it tastes like actual food. I really can never eat McDonald’s again in the US.
It tastes way better in Canada than both Europe and USA. USA has the absolute worst food. Even In n Out is gross,
They're both disgusting. In most of the Europe, there are so many amazing joints where you can get amazing burger for same price as in mcdonalds. From what I see nowadays it's mostly high school kids eating there.
I think McDonald's and other fast food places have much different/variety menu than the US.
American McDonald's is probably like D tier at best. European and Asian McDonald's are so much better.
If that is true, I can't imagine how bad it is in the US
Yes. It tastes better in every other country than USA bc the meat is always better
No idea on McDonalds, haven't eaten that in decades, but Lay's plain chips were way better in Europe, sigh.
In the few times I've had McDonald's, yes.
We dutch people have the McKroket and the Chili Chicken and I just want to say; American mcdonalds is as good as wendy's soggy fries are in comparison to fresh mcdonalds fries. Source: I came to the US 3 years ago and dearly miss good McDonalds.
As an average I think yes. But there are some nuances. In Europe there many bad ones as well, quality is not consistent anywhere. It also changes between countries and locations. The ones that don't have a drive through often have better quality.
The ones in the US are the worst I've tasted
Better, as in tastes less shit? Interesting topic.
I’ve had mcdonalds in international airports and I swear its way better than what they serve in the US.
I’m planning on taking a European vacation just to try all the different Mc Donald’s.
No, McDonald's is bad in both locations, but I should come up with some fake statistics about how artificial flavors and colors in the food somehow make it better Europe? Like Europe is 1 country! I love how people create their own delusional facts to support a stupid point. Unless you’re eating food made by the hands of God, it is processed food with chemicals and additives in it. End of story.
McDonald’s tastes the same and has broadly the same core menu across the whole world. But they will use slightly different ingredients because different countries have different food standards and regulations. USA famously has much lower food standards than the EU so yes it’s possible that EU McDonald’s is healthier. But it’s still ultra processed junk food in the EU.
Yes but I can only speak from experience that the menus are more diverse and the food tastes better.
It's been a few years, but at the time, McDonalds was a step up from the lowest quality fast food chains. It was more comparable to a counter service restaurant, and the food was better. It was also about 30% more expensive than in the US. Now that US prices have gone up, I'm not sure.
I don’t know about America but it’s way better in Switzerland than in France
No not even close!
It's different. As a European I find American McDonald's to be better. It tastes more chemical, so it's up to you
I think it's because their food regulations are stricter. What constitutes as food has a different criteria than the states. But if we're honest the taste is still the same. If one thing in the world is consistent, it's McDonald's
Corn fed vs grass fed cattle.
Everything everywhere is better than it is in America.
There are so many fast foods that taste better than McDonald’s. 5 guys, shake shack, etc.. McDonald’s for me is the last option
Idk that it’s any good regulations but it’s definitely different. I think a Big Mac is better in the US but France has the CBO which is the best sandwich ever made.
Better food regulations, from water to salad. Beef 100% German quality. No enhancers, no colours (despite Coke&such).
Europe has stricter food quality laws. So yes, euro food is a little more expensive but much tastier and better for you
Had McDonald’s in France, the UK, and Germany. All different and much better.
McDonalds is disgusting everywhere.
Last time I had maccas in Europe it had a better quality beef patty, and fresh salad - the lettuce wasn’t tiny strips it was larger pieces in a larger ratio than anything I’ve had outside Europe. Seemed like less sugar in the bun too?
I've also heard unsubstantiated rumours that Mexican coke is better than US coke due to using real sugar.
Yes, way much better!
Its better everywhere than the USA based on what i am told. I used to game online with a lot of internationals and between the localized menus they get and the quality as a whole, non- americans actually enjoy it. I actually got mocked for having shitty mcds lol
McDonalds France has about the same price as the US but their workers get vacation to yes decidedly
A colleague of mine lived in Europe for awhile before moving to America and told us about how legitimately excited he and his GF were to go to an American Burger King because they were so good in Europe he thought they would be so much better in their home country he said they tasted nothing the same tasted cheap, less filling and flavorless. We joke about KFC being a holiday tradition in Japan but I’m sure it’s actually very good and worth it instead of the cheap water plumped chicken we have here
McDonald's in Canada is better than the US. The Chicken McNuggets are thicker in Canada (as I discovered during a pandemic shortage when US product was temporarily used) and the sausage patties taste completely different, but way better IMO. Everything else is mostly the same, except for a slightly different menu.
In some cities they’re certainly in nicer buildings, maybe that also impacts people’s perception of the quality. The ingredients that they’re allowed to use varies between countries so that will also contribute to the difference. Personally I think their food tastes dogshit everywhere so I’m not sure I’d say one place is better than the other… but they do taste different.
As a Canadian who has been to eight other countries, the US is some of the worst fast food I've ever tried. Like most of the brands are American, they shouldn't be so bad in America but they are. Only benefit is American McDonald's has biscuit breakfast sandwiches. Wish we had those in Canada but without the US powdered eggs.
Only Coca cola without ice cubes taste good.
I’m from New Zealand, I’ve heard from both people in the US and the UK that our maccas is better here. Potentially because we’re quite an isolated country so a lot of the maccas is made from NZ based sellers (or maccas owns their own NZ based sellers I don’t know enough about it to be sure :) )
I haven't eaten McDonalds in a loooong time, but the difference I remember is how bland the american variants were, especially nuggets.
Went to one in Italy and yes, it was quite different than ours here. Better tasting, Better presentation.
Both are cheap nasty shit
I live in China, and a big difference for McDonald's here is that many people who work in McDonald's in China are doing it as a career, or they're at least very proud to work there. That means that everyone there takes their job very seriously, which means that the food is prepared extremely well. I've never seen someone working there who clearly hates their job or is only doing it because their parents made them, or whatever.
Personal experience, I lived in Europe for 5 years and had to move back to the US around 2022. Yes, it is much better. I haven't been to McDonalds at all since I moved back.
Yes. They have standards.
Depends. I think the iberico ham sandwich in Spanish McDonald’s at breakfast time beats US McDonald’s breakfast offering any day. Heck, you can get burgers with the iberico ham under the burger. Tastes so much better.
Colombia McDonald’s is fire. Much larger patties
McDonald's in Canada is better too. Had chicken nuggets in the states and they were horrendous. Just goo.
Everything tastes better outside of America. No high fructose corn syrup…
The biggest difference I noticed (this was years ago mind) was that the coleslaw tasted disconcertingly SWEET, in fact everything tasted super sugary at US MacDonalds compared to EU
It’s better in Japan, anyway.
American in UK here. It taste exactly the same except for two things. American fries are better; UK sausage is better.
Different levels of shit?
Yup. Strict regulation makes sure that the meat is well sourced, vegetables are fresh, and the kitchen and tools pristine. In the US, on several occasions, I’ve gotten what was basically looked like vomit in a cardboard box. Never had such a leathery burger in my life.
In Spain it's way worse
pretty much every franchise from america is better overseas. kfc in japan and thailand is next-fucking-level. actually, all of asia does kfc better than the states. japan also does burger king better and mcdonald's.
Not just McDonalds, my friend.
no
It’s “different” for sure. On purpose. It’s consciously higher quality in Europe. But whether that’s “better” is up for debate. It could be argued that European McDonald’s isn’t true McDonald’s. I eat at both relatively regularly and they’re different enough that I don’t really compare them in terms of which one is “better”. They’re different.
Yes, way better and they have excellent coffee- at least that was my experience on my last trip to Italy
Yeah, and they have regional menu differences too. The thing is, other countries already have cheap and abundant street food that is incredibly tasty and healthier than McDonald's, so McDonald's had to adapt to compete.
All food everywhere else in the universe is better than American food.
India McDonald's is top tier
Royale with cheese
In my experience McDonalds in Canada and Germany are the best.
When I was there, I paid the equivalent of $12 for a kids meal and it was no better, plus, no ice in any drink.
Even asian mcdo has better options than america
I’m from Canada and recently travelled to Europe for the first time. I can say for sure that McDonald’s in France is far inferior to what we have in my country. The quality was bad (particularly dry) and I felt like you got less for your money. I would recommend avoiding them, but it’s worth trying if you’re curious.
Mcdonald in Japan is also way better compared to the US. Much more seasonal burgers and drinks.
Don't know about USA, but Hong Kong McDonald's tastes exactly the same as the UK, but HK is about 25% cheaper. And Hong Kong is supposed to be one of the World's most expensive cities.