McDonald's Happy Meals To Be Upgraded

According to a McDonald's press release:

"McDonald’s will automatically include produce or a low-fat dairy option in every Happy Meal®. By the end of Q1 2012".

This is part of a progressive plan to upgrade the quality of the options presented at McDonald's. The press release also states:

"The impact will be an estimated 20 percent reduction in calories of the most popular Happy Meals, also reducing fat in those meals."

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McDonald's Secret Menu: revealed on NPR

The McChronicles just read an interesting article on npr.org regarding a secret McDonald's menu, known only to insiders. This article focused on only one of many alleged secret menu items.

With a little digging, The McChronicles uncovered a list of secret items from several fast food proprietors.
This image, from this site, depicts (from left to right): Monster Mac(8 beef patties!), Grilled Cheese, McGangBang(a double cheeseburger with a chicken patty in between the two beef patties).

Other interesting secret menu item names include (follow the link, above, to see more):

• McLeprichon (sic)
  
• McKinley Mac
• Pie McFlurry
  

The questions are:

To McDonald's crew: are these "real" secret menu items, or are they just things customers have made up - calling them secret menu items?

To customers: are you familiar with any of these items (listed at the 2nd link above)? And do you know of any others?

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.

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McDonald's Shamrock Shakes: An Annual Treat

OK Shamrock Shake fans, share your favorite Shamrock Shake memories or thoughts.

Comments away!!!!


Image: RareAndBeautifulTreasures.com

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The Mc10:35

According to info posted on The Consumerist website, there is, "a McDonald's secret menu item that can only be ordered during the changeover from breakfast to the standard menu. The Mc10:35 is the unholy but oh-so-hot union between the McDouble and Egg McMuffin."

Named "Mc10:35" because that is the only time it can be crafted, the sandwich is NOT a McDonald's offering, but a fastfood mashup of two existing products. It reportedly is sweeping the San Francisco area.

Sounds tasty! Let us know (comment) if you've tried this.

Image: The Consumerist website.

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It's Lent: Time for McDonald's Filet-O-Fish

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich was made for the Lenten season. And, as we are in the middle of Lent, McDonald's is running a "two for $3" special in the USA.

The McChronicles recently grabbed two F-O-F sandwiches and truly enjoyed them, though they tasted a bit salty.

We'd like to hear from you on this annual event, and on this perennial favorite sandwich. Please comment.

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Mac Snack Wrap Delights

The McChronicles was delighted when the McDonald's Corporation offered some free coupons for the Mac Snack Wrap. Of course, we used this opportunity to learn what people had to say about this new product.

Step 1: The McChronicles invited over a dozen people to experience the Mac Snack Wrap at the New Hartford, NY McDonald's. We had students, office staff, engineers, internet specialists, and more on hand. Ages ranged from early twenties to mid-fifties.
Step 2: Everyone arrived, ordered their sandwiches, and began eating.
Step 3: the feedback.

Okay, back to step 2. As we know, this sandwich is intended to be a snack. The assumption is that, if a person wanted a meal, they'd order a full Big Mac; if a person wanted a snack, they'd order the Mac Snack Wrap. The McChronicles wanted to be sure that everyone had a complete experience (and it was lunch time) so all volunteers enjoyed two Mac Snack Wraps.

The results: Unanimous pleasure with the sandwich!

The McChronicles was expecting some push back, for several small reasons. But we received none. The McChronicles feels that the bread gets a little excessive at the end of the sandwich, but no one commented on that at all.

Everyone enjoyed the special sauce - and the balance of ingredients.

Perhaps because it was lunch time (and no one was "snacking"), everyone wanted something else, in addition to one wrap. This sandwich truly is a snack or a very light meal.

The main praise went to the portability of the sandwich. Once the discussion began, everyone mentioned that eating a Big Mac in a car is a no-no. The sandwich is simply too unwieldy - and a mess is nearly guaranteed. Everyone felt that this sandwich could easily be eaten while on the move - with little risk of a disaster.

The verdict: McDonald's Mac Snack Wrap is a hit! Be sure to try one and to share your opinion with The McChronicles.

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McDonald's Bottle Deposit

The McChronicles was perusing a McDonald's receipt while enjoying the new Mac Snack Wrap this week. In the process, we noticed we had paid a 5-cent deposit on our water bottle.

OK - that had slipped by us. We wondered WHEN it was instituted, how we had missed it, etc.

Then, when we were leaving, we wondered what to do with the bottle.

Habit had us simply dropping it into the trash. But, we knew that was the wrong maneuver (sidenote: our community has a very strong recycling program that sorts the stream in a recycling center). We didn't want to be throwing away money.

So, where to put the bottle? A quick scan revealed that there was no redemption center in the McDonald's. So, the only option was to bring the bottle home and put it in our redemption bin (to be brought to a redemption center at a later date).

We wondered how many people actually know they have paid a deposit, and how many people will overcome their habit of tossing the bottle into the trash, and how many people will eventually get the bottle where it belongs.

We mused that it would be very convenient if the McDonald's had an automated redemption machine (like the machines found at WalMart and other places) where we could deposit the bottle and collect a receipt for our 5 cents.

Of course, that creates headaches for the store - they don't exactly have tons of extra space available, nor were they designed for this.

Ultimately, we wonder if bottled water should even be offered. The McChronicles gets it when it comes to bottled water (we "get it" that it's not a clear and simple issue). Bottled water is convenient, trustworthy, portable, and safe (minimized spillage). We also know that tap water is a perfectly good alternative, assuming it is handled cleanly. But we wonder if a cup is any better than a bottle when it comes to recyclability, trash, sustainability, etc. There are pluses and minuses for both positions. We "get it" that there is no simple answer.

At a recent McDonald's "McGreen" event, "Water coolers were available as an alternative to bottled water, reducing bottled water consumption by 25 percent," according to a report by Nancy Mann Jackson. Maybe a water cooler-type of service is the answer?

It is extremely clear that McDonald's is one of the world's leading companies with regard to corporate responsibility and sustainability. As a customer, The McChronicles hopes that McDonald's can show us the way to a better place on this important and confusing issue.

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