A McDonald's Wedding (almost)

Friends of The McChronicles, Beth and Greg, recently celebrated their wedding. It was pretty much your typical protocol up until the junior bridesmaid announced that she was hungry.You guessed it! On their way from the ceremony to the reception, the entire wedding party swooped into the North Utica, NY McDonald's for a little nutrition.This store features a rockin' '50s theme, complete with neon lights and a juke box. What a cool place for a post-nuptial...

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Taipei McDonald's Cleans Up (side down)

Chinese New Year is a time for renewal. People clean their homes and businesses in preparation of a fresh start. The Taipei, Taiwan McDonald's is no exception.Flickr member Katong posted this image of upside down arches recently. He explains on his posting:"Two days before Chinese New Year in Taipei, Taiwan. Part of the New Year ritual is a spring cleaning before the first day of New Year. Everything gets cleaned, including signboards! The crew cleaning...

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A McDonald's Valentine's Day Proposal

According to an excellent report by our friends over at A Hamburger Today (such great writers):"For the 16th year, White Castle will turn hundreds of restaurants into love dens. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on a night you'll likely forget in a week, go to White Castle and be seated by a well-dressed hostess at a table, complete with candlelight and tablecloth. At this point, you can feel free to stuff your faces. Even better, you could...

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Multiple Arch Cards

The McChronicles combined two McDonald's Arch Cards today. It went off without a hitch.First we asked the crew person if this was possible (we'd heard it was - wanted to see if they were confident of the fact). They were 90% sure it would work. We gave them one of those free $1 cards from Christmas - it worked - then our regular Arch Card. We all watched with expectation until it, too, worked its magic.The receipt told us that card #1 was empty and...

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Washington Mills McDonald's Funky PlayPlace

OK, it's not really an official PlayPlace, it's more like a Kids Arcade. But it is kind of cool.The Washington Mills, NY McDonald's used to feature a real fenced-in pit that contained playground-type fun, including cool balls to whip around. It was surrounded by railings that protected parents from the antics occurring below. Today the pit is filled in but the kid-friendly attitude remains - now in the form of an arcade.Store #: 2454Time: 12:24LineWait:...

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McChronicles Views Official McDonald's Blog

"Open For Discussion" is the title of McDonald's official blog. We don't know when it launched but (as of this posting) it appears to have only one posting.The description for the blog is: Perspectives on McDonald’s aspirations, activities, and challenges as we work to make a difference on corporate social responsibility issues that matter.So, they have taken an interesting path for their first known public blog venture.It's a very professional blog...

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NBC Today Show Losing Weight At McDonald's

NBC's Today Show is running a daily story on how to lose weight. Their expert has guided Al Roker to losing 12 pounds while eating at McDonald's (among other places).Here is a crude screen grab from today's show. Al is chatting from the Times Square McDonald's about the diet with McDonald's ORIGINAL Ronald McDonald, Willard Scott. Go Al!The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.Image: The McChronicl...

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Shapes of Chicken McNuggets

Genius!Quoting from our comment to King Power Cinema, on his Flick'r account, The McChronicles said:"These McNugget images are pure poetry. And the fact that you enlighten us tothe deeper significance borders on magic. Excellent work." Image #1: IllinoisImage #2: Lousiana (sic) Image #3: Arkansas The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.Images: King Power Cin...

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McDonald's Supplies

For the customer, the moment of truth is NOW. Every time we walk into a McDonald's, it's OUR time, OUR experience, and OUR judgment. Actually, isn't it the same for all consumer-based businesses?So, like anyother customer, when The McChronicles dropped into Utica, NY's Mohawk Street McDonald's for a late lunch today, we hoped, expected that all would go well. Alas, it was not so.Store: Mohawk Street, Utica, NYStore #: 5340Time: 13:30On Line Wait:...

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Ramapo Rules!

The McChronicles was whipping south on Interstate 87 (parallels the Hudson River and takes you right into New York City) when we felt the need. You guessed it - McDonald's!Right on cue, the Golden Arches loomed ahead. We pulled in and ... wham! It hit us - this McDonald's is kind of special. No, there wasn't an amazing theme, a cool mural, or a world-class PlayPlace. Instead, the Ramapo, NY store (#12030) offered up a simple, elegant, dignified environment...

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China + McDonald's + Olympics = COOL PLACEMAT

McDonald's has a long tradition supporting and being involved with the Olympics. And, as we all know, China is hosting the upcoming summer games. This makes for a great opportunity to build the fervor by reminding Chinese customers (the world's hosts in 2008) of just how strong the McDonald's/Olympics relationship is.The McChronicles was served up a juicy hot McDonald's meal on top of this informative placemat last week. The information goes back...

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China's NEWEST McDonald's Drive-Thru Rocks!

The McChronicles recently reported on the opening of China's first drive-thru McDonald's. To quote ourselves, "This is a big deal." So, we ran right over to China to check it out.While in China The McChronicles uncovered China's second and NEWEST McDonald's drive-thru. This little secret is in Shanghai's Wai Gao Qiao commercial zone. According to our sources, the brand new store opened very recently. It sure sparkles like brand new - we spotted it...

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McDonald's Hamster Ad

On behalf of all the NFL fans who were watching today's playoff game preview, NFL on CBS, The McChronicles has to ask, "What the heck was that??!?!??!?" The Hamster Ad features a huge hamster chatting with a silent Ronald McDonald statue outside a football stadium. The hamster is sharing his plan for breaking into the NFL.When the Hamster Ad is analyzed along with the other McDonald's ads aired during the pregame show (eg. the hors d'oeuvres Ad for...

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McShawarma Ad: A Fun Takeoff from Israel

Our good friends in Israel are enjoying this playful McDonald's McShawarma ad (on the OneJerusalem.com blog) which is an obvious (and well-crafted) takeoff on the memorable scene from Pulp Fiction.In the video, note the zipper wrapper, just like the new FAN-tastic sandwiches in Taiwan and Singapore. Also note the global, "I'm Lovin' It" jingle at the end.The McChronicles had to look at this clip three times to confirm that this WASN'T Samuel L. Jackson....

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Interview: Shenzhen's Jean Si

The McChronicles was fortunate enough to catch one of the most inspiring McDonald's store managers in action. Here's how it went.After a long day of visiting McDonald's restaurants in the Shenzhen China area, we started feeling hungry. While walking down a busy street we spotted a brightly-glowing set of Golden Arches. With a quick bound up one flight of stairs (typical in most big-city McDonald's) we entered one of the brightest, cleanest, warmest-feeling...

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In-Store Videos: Singapore

Singapore's Tanglin Mall McDonald's (a very raucous and noisy store - see earlier post) offers up in-store videos on various topics. Periodically a McDonald's ad pops up.The McChronicles managed to grab this excerpt for your review. It is promoting the new FAN-tastic sandwiches (also previously posted about).These in-store videos can be great when they offer up real value. The McChronicles suggests topics such as local information, news, and the latest McDonald's stuff - including the good deeds done by the company. We don't think they get enough...

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Hong Kong International Airport's McCafe

The McChronicles needed dinner while in Hong Kong's International Airport. Naturally we dropped into the spotless McCafe.The service was quick and smooth. The food was great. One of our team commented that the fries were exactly like they are everywhere else. Perfect.We really enjoyed the atmosphere of this beautiful airport. McDonald's did a great job of combining a typical restaurant feel with an open-air airport view.The McChronicles; A blog about,...

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McDonald's Political Cartoon

The McChronicles typically stays out of the political arena, but we thought this inclusion of McDonald's by the super-successful satirist Tom Toles was funny and poignant. McDonald's is so big that the politicos use them as a metaphor for all problems.The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.Image: by Tom Toles. Copyright 2006 The Washingtom Post, Universal Press Syndicate. From news.yahoo....

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The Cost of Lovin' It

An interesting bit of data appeared in the Weekend Journal (Wall Street Journal) Singapore, on 6-8 January 2006. It compared the relative costs of a medium McDonald's french fry order in several European and Asian countries (all in local and in US currencies). Prices range from US$0.38 (Philippines) to US$2.21 (Rome, Italy).The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.Image: Weekend Jour...

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Singapore Tanglin Mall McDonald's

The McChronicles dropped into the convenient Tanglin Mall McDonald's (corner of Holland & Tanglin). We grabbed a McFlurry and checked things out.Line Wait: 0 secondsOrder Wait: 30 secondsService: QuickQuality: crystalline, odd vanilla flavorThis store has all the usual McDonald's stuff, but it just doesn't feel like a McDonald's. The outer walls are all glass (allowing a view to the street and into the mall). The inner plaster walls are painted...

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McDonald's Open 24/7 In Singapore

It seems like everywhere The McChronicles turns in Singapore, we experience ads telling us that McDonald's is open 24/7. McDonald's is really making this point quite clear across the island.Here is a shot of elevator doors in a shopping complex. This ad also promotes the fact that McDonald's delivers throughout Singapore. The McChronicles has experienced McDonald's deliveries several times. Today we were reminded of one major reason that we dislike...

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Singapore Queensway Ridout Japanese Tea Garden McDonald's

Several years ago McDonald's transformed a quaint Japanese tea garden setting on the Queensway into a very unique restaurant location. Yesterday one of The McChronicles' best friends, Ivy, took us there for a bite.Located behind a winding stream filled with turtles and fish is a canopied veranda that surrounds a McDonald's. It is a bit difficult to see from the road as the building is covered in beautiful greenscape. This is a relaxing setting in...

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McDonald's Promotes FAN-tastic New Rice Sandwiches Heavily In Singapore

The McChronicles spent a long day checking out the various McDonald's-related activities in Singapore recently. After we noticed the strong promotional activities in-store for the new Fan-tastic sandwiches, we returned to our hotel to experience even more promotional efforts.First, we noticed the overleaf ad on top of The Straits Times. When we pulled that off the paper, there was an ad built right into the front page!After checking up on the news...

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Singapore McDonald's Introduces Two FAN-tastic Sandwiches

The Singapore McDonald's are now offering two new sandwiches that are essentially fried chicken or beef within soft, juicy, rice-cake-like buns. Since the buns are soft and a bit sticky, the sandwich is presented in a unique container (see images below) that contains a built-in liner which enables the customer to handle the sandwich without it falling apart, and without getting their hands all messy.The McChronicles loves the container, and we think...

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