Cazenovia McDonald's Looks Abandoned

Apologies for these poor quality images (taken with The McChronicles' low-qual phone cam). The intent is to depict the sorry state of affairs at the Cazenovia, NY McDonald's.

Top image: an entire section of the front (main view) roof is all ripped up and torn off.



Middle image: the posters droop off the windows as if no one maintains the interior.



Bottom image: the landscaping is so overgrown that it looks like no one has cared for it in a year.



So, is the Cazenovia,NY McDonald's abandoned? Nope, it is just so poorly cared for that it is an embarrassment.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images: The McChronicles (sorry about the quality).

Richfield Springs, NY McDonald's: The McChronicles Has A Bad Experience

The McChronicles drove across Upstate New York to visit "the birthplace of baseball", Cooperstown, NY. On the way we dropped into the McDonald's at the intersection of NYS Rts 20 & 28 in Richfield Springs, NY.

This store is the kind that is tacked onto a convenience store/gas station. The McChronicles has posted about this set-up before (we feel it is a bit "below-brand", yet we'd rather have the opportunity to eat at McDonald's vs. forego it). Overall we give the concept a thumbs-up. We dropped in all excited to have the luxury of a McDonald's way out in the middle of nowhere - and then it hit us. This place was really batting below average.

First were the flies. WAAAAY too many (coming in from the back door, the main entrance, and the convenience store). Flies NEVER make customers happy. Minimizing flies in a restaurant should be a top priority for EVERY restaurant.

Then we encountered the always-impressive condiment/straw/Sunday paper insert "heap" on the counter. People hate putting things in their mouths that have been pawed over by strangers and that are displayed in obviously careless disarray. Additionally, the first impression should be a nice one. It is set up to be a nice one. It's actually kind of hard to mess this up. But they did.

Finally, we were less than inspired by the semi-swept-up debris, broom-in the-food scenario in the food prep area.

The management of this store needs to get some "religion". Customers may have to accept this low-level treatment when the nearest diner is a country mile away and they're hankerin' for a quick cup of Joe at Flossies Diner, but no one should experience this at a McDonald's. Especially after so much money has been spent to provide us all with a pleasing experience.

Store Manager Dean Colby (so proudly displayed on the store's door), where's the pride? The hygiene? The respect for the McDonald's brand? The respect for the customer? The McChronicles is betting that your crew just had a bad day. We know that you're one small step from delighting the customer in every way. Please take that step, make this little diamond in the rough something to be proud of. We'll be back and we're sure we'll be impressed next time.

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

McDone-Media

The McChronicles enjoys perusing a seemingly factual and fair website focusing on ... McDonald's. It is called McDone Media and is said to be written by, "Elke, a European girl who is fascinated by the success of McDonald's. "

Here's what you will find on McDone Media:

• The latest news and press releases regarding McDonald's
• Popular info (including "The Freaky Universe of McDonald's")
• a reader poll
• McDonald's facts (on every page)
• more

On the site Elke says she started this website, "because I'm interested in the company, their image and products. At first I just took pictures of every McDonald's restaurant I came across, which I then posted on the internet. But I soon got this idea for a big McDonald's website that could inform everyone (whether you like the Golden Arches or not). So that's how McDone Media came to be... "

Good work, Elke. For those who are interested, your site is very informative and professional. We like it so much we're adding it to our blogroll.

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

Image: screen grab from McDone-Media

The Guardian Article

The McChronicles has received yet another mention, this time in the UK's esteemed Guardian website. The Guardian article, titled COMPANIES WAKE UP TO BLOGS' BARKING, discusses how several major corporations are addressing the activities in the blogosphere.

We were a bit confused by the section that mentioned our work - and think that the author took a cheap shot at McDonald's while misrepresenting our efforts a wee bit. Here is what they published:

"McChronicles aims to "discuss the brand experience of the world's largest fast
food chain from the customer point of view". Postings can be as bland as the
food, describing in detail the likes of a restaurant in New York state ("we
noticed an almost Victorian musical instrument theme"). A video clip shows "most
illest, futuristic sandwich ever". It isn't slavish in its support, though:
Detroit airport was apparently a disappointment."

What we don't understand:

• if our descriptions are "detailed" and (assummedly) interesting, then they are not "bland". That's not to say that all our postings are gems. We admit to varying degrees of literary quality. It just felt like the example was the wrong one to select.
• if a restaurant interior has a nice Victorian musical instrument theme, then it is not "bland".
• when we deliver ours, and others', videos online, then we are not "bland".
• SO ... why did they bring up the word "bland"? It just feels like a cheap shot at McDonald's, and it feels like we were used, to some degree, to deliver it. We cry, "MINOR FOUL!"

What we did like:

• it was mentioned that The McChronicles is not "slavish in its support". TRUE. We aim to "chronicle the McDonald's experience from the consumers' point of view". We are not a shil for McDonald's, nor are we a self-appointed policing service, nor a hate site. We aim to be honest, fair, and professional at all times.
• this section was very fair. And well-written:

"Then there is McChronicles, which offers detailed accounts of visits to
branches of McDonalds - recently describing a fly infestation and missing
lavatory doorknob at the Clinton, New York, outlet of the fast-food chain."

All in all, we truly appreciate the mention in the article - an article that presented both good and poor examples of how major companies are affected by their own, and by outside, blogging activities. We really appreciated the extra goodies that appeared at the end. Check them out for links to:

• Guardian weblog links
• A handful of online general weblog resources
• Links to several weblog software reviews

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

Wai Gao WOW!

China's Wai Gao Qiao free trade zone is the home of McDonald's 2nd drive-thru in the country. It opened on 12 January 2006 (The McChronicles is proud to have covered that event) and has been providing great service ever since.

We stopped back in to see how they were doing now that they have had time to settle into their groove. We are very pleased to report that this store is exemplifying a great commitment to, and success with, the principles of Quality, Service, and Cleanliness (QSC). We found the store to be VERY clean and the service to be excellent.

One big reason for this success is store Manager Steven HOU Yan Ping.

The McChronicles interviewed Steven on the progress of this store, his view of McDonald's in the community, and his future. Here is what he had to say (all translated - not Steven's exact words. Any errors are totally attributable to The McChronicles' linguistic limitations):

Describe the typical Wai Gao Qiao Drive-Thru customer:
We serve a lot of local office workers and taxi drivers in this industrial zone. 90% of our business comes directly from the free trade zone. Many times one person will drop in and purchase lunch for everyone in the office. We also serve a high number of international travelers, especially at lunch time. Since this is a business zone, we serve most people at lunch time. Our night business serves night shift workers.

Do you deliver?:
We have no formal delvery program, but we do deliver large orders to nearby locations.

What are the challenges you face in this industrial setting?:
The business challenges are minimal because McDonald's corporate gives us so much support. My personal challenges are two-fold:

1. executing the process of converting a new staff member who, initially, may have absolutely NO knowledge of, or exposure to, the McDonald's brand, into a very productive member of the team.
2. providing GREAT customer service.

What do customers like about this store?:
They really like the value, the service speed, the free internet, the food quality ... 'QSC'! (laughing). Our 'Made For You' program is very helpful when it comes to customer satisfaction. I really like being able to provide our customer products that are made-fresh and delivered fast.

Tell us about the upcoming Olympics in China, and the McDonald's sponsorship:
Just like when the world's McDonald's sent crew members to work at the France Olympics, we will be doing the same in China. This store hopes to send crew to the China Olympics. I would love to be selected for involvement.

The McChronicles can vouch for Steven's sincerity and authenticity. This guy is the real deal. He truly is lovin' it as a McDonald's Manager. We would love to see him selected for the Olympics crew program. Good luck, Steven. Thanks for the interview, and for such a great store experience.

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

Old Shanghai

The restaurant on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai, China is a typical, nondescript McDonald's. It has many of the "standard" features that we have all become accustomed to, including the faux "wood grain" tile floor.

The McChronicles dove into this haven during a particularly hot (38C, 100F) day. We needed the air conditioning as well as the icy-cold refreshment during our stroll down the pedestrian mall.

What struck our fancy was the theme. This store is adorned with several photos of Shanghai in the "old days".

If you're ever in the neighborhood, do pay this McDonald's a visit. Especially if you're in need of refuge from the intense summer heat.

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

Connecting With Customers

McDonald's held their Q2 2006 Earnings Conference Call last week - read a transcript. In this open discussion with the investment world, James A. Skinner, Vice Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer of McDonald's said (among many, many other interesting things):

"We are connecting with customers on their terms, whether it is through
internet blogs, text-messaging, or conventional advertising."

The McChronicles is aware of several consumer-written blogs about the company (and we guess that there are a ton more that we don't know about), but we are aware of only two corporate McDonald's blogs. They are:

• Open For Discussion: McDonald's Corporate Responsibility Blog, written by Bob Langert, Vice President for Corporate Citizenship and Issues Management at McDonald's.
• The McDonald's You Don't Know, written by Steve Wilson, Senior Director of Web Communications at McDonald's (a guy we think we'd enjoy meeting).

Bob's work is a bit dry, sparse, and defensive, while Steve's site seems more relaxed, fun, varied, interesting, etc. This makes total sense when the goal/purpose of each blog is understood. Both are well-written & passionate, and each has a clear, specific point. Neither is updated too frequently.

Anyway, if you know of a corporate McDonald's blog that we're missing, please do COMMENT and bring it to our attention (we LOVE this stuff).

Thanks!

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

“The Most Illest, Futuristic Sandwich Ever”

CasimirN and the people from DallasPenn.com have delivered up an interesting video on the Big Mac - ahem - "The Ghetto Big Mac", aka "The most futuristic, illest sandwich ever". View the Ghetto Big Mac video.

Lest anyone take this thing too seriously, allow us to quote CasimirN:

...it's not meant to convert anyone. It's mostly intended to be funny and
celebrate the very human - borderline impractical - innovating enacted one night
by one hungry dude.

The video instructs us on how to score a Big Mac ($3.39 according to this piece) for $1.00. It takes a little work, a little time, a little manipulation, and a little bit of getting over the mess, but it seems to work.

Hey, the point is to have fun, not to save a buck, so check it out and enjoy the attitude.

Thanks to pylbug (self-proclaimed "Brand mechanic, trend bucker, agent of change ") for the tip.

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: CasimirN's YouTube video - screen grab.

All Wrapped Up

It's no secret, The McChronicles LOVES McDonald's new Snack Wrap. So it was no wonder that we dropped in for a Snack Wrap lunch this afternoon.

It was raining cats & dogs and the drive thru was quite busy - as is usual when no one wants to get out of their car. We braved the rain, ran through the puddles, and entered the dining room ... only to find a long queue. We quickly discovered that there were 8 customers ahead of us, already waited on. It was a massive McShuffle. So, there we stood. And more customers were coming in.

It turned out that many people were buying the Snack Wrap - and that there was a problem. Finally a manager announced that the Snack Wrap is made with Chicken Select pieces, and that they had just had a run on these items. It seems that it would take a while to replenish the stocks.

We waited ten minutes to get served!

The McChronicles has made note of the fact that certain chicken items require special (long) preparation. This represents a bottleneck and a problem - for everyone on both sides of the counter. The crowd didn't seem to mind too much, but this issue could be a real problem for a popular new product.

Secondly, The McChronicles' sense of taste hints that the Snack Wrap may be a bit high on the calories. We reviewed the in-store nutritional info and found no data. Perhaps the info hasn't yet been updated. Next, we noticed that our tray liner was a full-page ad for the Snack Wrap - and on the flip side was a big nutritional info table. Figuring that, since they had had time to get the ad on side 1, they must have had time to get the nutritional info on side 2. Nope.

So, we went online and found nothing on the product - even after a product-specific search.

With all the hubbub over nutrition, McDonald's HAS to know the scoop on this product. We wish they'd let us know, too.

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McDonald's website.

"This Is THE BEST McDonald's I've Ever Been In"

...those were the words that were ringing in The McChronicles' ears as we toured the Cortland, NY McDonald's (store #5365).

As we approached the store the exterior seemed almost nondescript. Yes, the store has a nice outdoor "al fresco" dining area, and yes, it is tidy.

But, when we walked through the doors it was obvious that something very special happens here. First off, the place is very clean and tidy. No litter, no brooms, no mop pails, no dust pans laying around. Secondly, this place is more like a boutique ice cream shoppe than a McDonald's. As you enter, you walk right toward an ice cream/coffee station that is simply enthralling - complete with a quaint blackboard full of specials and a counter person brimming with personality.

Then, as we looked around, we noted an almost Victorian musical instrument theme. This McDonald's features numerous musical instruments hanging on the walls ... and a BABY GRAND player piano in the extremely-well appointed dining room (this place has several beautiful floral displays throughout).

Slightly confusing, but equally as elegant and impressive, is the second dining area's "original McDonald's" theme. This section features photos of behind-the-scenes shots of '60s-era McDonald's crew frying burgers, customers lining up outdoors, etc. Very interesting.

Even the rest room was beautiful!

The McChronicles interviewed a manager who shared that this store is privately-owned by a person with a strong vision and a ton of pride. We were told that the owner petitioned to corporate, got permission to execute on a vision, and created this masterpiece. Thank goodness they did.

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

Would You Like FLIES With That?

Yuk!

What has happened to the Clinton, NY McDonald's?

The McChronicles dropped in for lunch to discover that the place was full of flies. That's extremely unappetizing and unhealthy.

In addition, the place seems to be falling into disrepair. We noted that the bathroom doorknob was missing. Good thing we didn't need to get in there!

This store is known for its neatness and friendliness. Looks like it is time to spruce up a bit.

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

Snack Wrap: Awesome!

McDonald's new Snack Wrap is great.

First reaction: it is like a small, tightly-wrapped soft shell taco. Unlike a taco, the Snack Wrap is neat, tidy, and not dripping.

Taste: The McChronicles was a bit surprised (in this day and age of McDonald's strong emphasis on a healthy choice) to find the new wrap chock full of cheese, packed with fried chicken, and well-laden with a ranch dressing. It is noticeably rich and moist - making us feel that it may be a bit unhealthy (it could be very healthy - we did NOT check the dietary stats). It really tastes great and is easy to manage & eat.

Verdict: McDonald's Snack Wrap is a real winner. Everyone that was interviewed by The McChronicles likes it.

Recommendations:

1) reduce the last one-inch section that contains 6 layers of tortilla (too much bread). Don't ask us how - it all seems necessary to keep things tidy. We're stumped and willing to accept it "as is".

2) create a new "Snack Wrap Value Meal" giving us two wraps, fries, and a drink. The McChronicles would gobble them up!

Good job McDonald's.

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

Images: The McChronicles.

A Great Ice Cream Stop

Several friends were gathered for some hot summer fun. It was getting late and we all were preparing to go home. The suggestion arose that we stop for ice cream before heading our separate ways. It was unanimous, we would drop by a McDonald's.

After thinking this over for a minute it became clear why everyone was in agreement:

• McDonald's represents LITTLE RISK. Everyone knows what to expect. This is especially important when a person is in a strange location, or, in this case, when kids are present.
• McDonald's is convenient - and on main roads.
• McDonald's offers good (not awesome, not bad) food.
• McDonald's has fair to very good prices and value for the money.

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

Image: jacksonlocal.com

Oneonta, NY McDonald's: Really Bad

The McChronicles was on a jaunt through the Southern Tier of New York State and came upon the McDonald's in Oneonta. The timing was perfect so we dropped in for a late lunch. Expectations were high - only to have them dashed by poor service, insects, and below-par food.

Store: Oneonta, NY
Online Time: 45 seconds (no one was in line ahead of us)
Order Wait: 2 minutes
Service: not rude, but unprofessional
Quality: fries were stale
Cleanliness: store was slightly messy and was full of flies

Our first impression was from the road. The store has the typical big PLAYPLACE building/sign right out front. It felt good going in. As we entered, the restaurant looked fairly OK, but we were immediately surrounded by flies. Not a billion, but a noticeable amount. That always gets our mind running (why are they here? where else are they (on the food)? is it a cleanliness issue? etc.). Upon looking around a bit we noticed that the layout of this store is a little bit funky. The restaurant area is small, and seems to need another table or two. The PLAYPLACE seems plenty large.

The counter person seemed a bit stressed even though we could not detect anything happening. She wasn't rude, but she clearly needs some training on how to speak with people.

We then waited a little too long, only to end up with some of the worst fries we have ever encountered. We know - you're saying, "just take them back, exchange them". Well, people don't like doing that, although The McChronicles HAS done it in the past (and the staff is ALWAYS eager to please). And we were kind of put off by the whole experience up to this point, so, disappointed, we just wanted to eat and get out.

We all felt that the chairs and other items in the dining room seemed just a bit cheap.

Overall, this ranks among the worst McDonald's experiences we have ever had - not for one big reason, but for numerous small reasons.

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

Wicked Cool McDonald's Sundial Billboard

The McChronicles was perusing all things McDonald's when this image was discovered. It appears on danzden's Flickr account and just blows us away.

It is an image of a McDonald's billboard (in the USA - learn more here) that is also a sundial. But not just any sundial. This timekeeper lets us know which McDonald's item we should be eating at the current moment. Just brilliant!!!

McDonald's fans LOVE to see the company doing really cool things. Kudos to everyone involved with this genius ad.

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: danzden on Flickr, protected by a Creative Commons license.

Shaka Shaka Potato

The McChronicles was tipped off to an interesting Japanese activity by Craig Maginness' GOING GLOBAL blog. Bruce links to an interesting review of the Shaka Shaka Potato by Japundit. Interestingly, this "technique" is something The McChronicles has been doing for years. But we've never taken it to this level.

In a nutshell, Japanese McDonald's seem to have rebranded and expanded the interest in the french fry by promoting a technique for adding spices. Quite simply, a person orders the fries, dumps them into an empty take-out bag, dumps in some spices, shakes the thing, and enjoys. Of course, they gave the whole procedure a cool name, make it sound snazzy, etc. This whole affair is a common occurrence with us when we add more salt to our fries (sometimes we get a batch with little or no salt - yuk!). The concept of providing a variety of different spices sounds great, and reminds us of how other restaurants are enabling product customization via spice addition by the customer. It sounds like a very low cost way to create a cool buzz, and to provide a valued product. The McChronicles likes it!

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Japundit blog.

Seasonal McDonald's

The McChronicles has never heard of a McDonald's that is open only for certain seasons throughout the year - until now.

The Old Forge, NY McDonald's (located in the heart of New York's Adirondack Mountains) is nestled in a community that caters to summertime hikers, boaters, swimmers, and the like ... as well as to skiers and snowmobilers who enjoy the winter. During the off seasons, the village is empty.

Accordingly, their McDonald's is only open during the summer season.

We've thought about this a lot, sometimes taking a negative view of the "undependability" of the schedule, and other times appreciating the fact that, for at least part of the year, this small community gets to enjoy a McDonald's.

In the end, The McChronicles proclaims that this is a good thing. Better some McDonald's than none at all. And we give KUDOS to the management for providing a regionally-appropriate decor theme.

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

Haight-Ashbury McDonald's

The McChronicles was feeling a bit groovy, so it dropped into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, birthplace of the hippie revolution.

Many McDonald's offer a unique theme, suited to the locale or region. We hoped to enjoy a hippie-type theme, or something celebrating the psychedelia that Haight-Ashbury is so famous for.

Imagine our disappointment when, upon entering, we discovered that this store had NO particular theme, and was decorated only in crooked wall sconces and nondescript wallpaper.

Regions with far less (of note) to brag about do a much better job of reflecting their tradition or community than this store does. What should be a landmark is actually a disappointment.

Bummer, man!

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

Motor City McD

The McChronicles passed through the Detroit airport recently. While there we dropped in (twice) to the McDonald's in terminal A.

The McChronicles is well-experienced with airport McDonald's, having sampled them worldwide. Unfortunately, this store doesn't rank too highly in that category. Here's why:

1. Slow service: when the line at the register grew long, this team did a good job of organizing the customers, directing us to the next available register, and McShuffling us while our order was prepared. That's when the trouble started - the orders took a very long time to be delivered. At one point we counted 10 customers waiting for their order (even after the line had emptied).
2. Below-average food quality: this food wasn't "bad", it was just prepared poorly. The hamburger was dry and the meat was overcooked.
3. Unprofessional staff: once again, this wasn't a flagrant foul, but there was a group of crew - who appeared to be off duty - standing on the customer side of the counter, flirting, chatting, etc.

Our guess is that local management needs to be improved. We've had great experiences with airport McDonald's - even during periods of extremely high demand. Crews can handle it when they're managed properly. Heck, we've seen the team at Chicago's O'Hare airport whittle down a crowd of 100 hungry, hurried travellers like it was child's play. Perhaps a little cross-training might help.

This store is in an excellent location, in an attractive airport. We were psyched to find them during our layovers. Everything was adequate, but there is clearly room for improvement.

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

Image: The McChronicles.

Drive Thru Experience Blog

The McChronicles received a comment today from "Anonymous" (again!!!, that dude is everywhere) who made some good observations, and who then informed us that they had started a brand new McDonald's Drive Thru blog. Sounded cool!

So, we swung over to their site to check it out. We were disappointed as it is clearly intended to be a negative site. Their introductory paragraph reads as follows,

"This website is dedicated to all the people from all corners of the world who have ever visited a McDonalds (sic) drive-thru and all they received was a bad taste in their mouth."

Our only hope is that the negative postings that accumulate conclude with some positive thinking that will enable any necessary improvements. That would be a positive thing.

Best of luck.

McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: McDonald'sDriveThru.com screen grab.

McDonald's Photos

If you're interested in seeing what McDonald's restaurants look like in various countries, then check out this site, McDone's Flickr website.

Like a few others, McDone captures images of restaurants and posts them on the web. It is interesting to see the similarities and differences.

McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: McDone's Flickr site.

Upper West Side McDonald's

"Slice" (Flickr name) took these beautiful McDonald's images on Manhattan's Upper West Side (top) and in Chinatown (bottom). And he did so, "With McChronicles in mind"!

We dig these photos for so many reasons, including:

• unique McDonald's facades
• reference to the rare McVeggie Burger in UWS window
• the colors, lighting, & composition
• a friend shared them with us
• a friend took them with The McChronicles in mind
• the juxtaposition of the apartment building, the Dunkin' Donuts, et al
• the crazy Chinatown excitement is captured nicely

"Slice" (quoting his Flickr profile) is Adam Kuban, "Editor & Publisher of both Slice, America's Favorite Pizza Weblog, and A Hamburger Today, a burger blog. Also blogs on food in general at Bite by Byte."

The McChronicles has loved A Hamburger Today as long as there has been a McChronicles. Excellent writing, creativity, fun, passion, and more await you should you venture on over there (and you should).

These images remind us that, while McDonald's derives great utility from a cookie-cutter approach, they also offer up a pretty wide range of unique settings, decor, and experiences. The McChronicles always gets excited when entering a unique McDonald's store.

Thanks for thinking of us Adam. We hope to visit these McDonald's over the summer.

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

Images: Slice (Flickr)

McKroes McPicture Blog

The McChronicles doesn't know much about this topic, but we do know enough to be intrigued.

Okay - here's how it all came together. First we encountered some really interesting images on our Flickr photo bar (left-hand side of this blog) from a cat named McKroes. We went to their Flickr site and found they had a lot of cool images of McDonald's in Europe. So we posted about them.

Then, we heard (from good McChronicles friend Jan-Willem) that McKroes had recently started a blog to accompany their Flickr McDonald's image site. So, we checked out the McKroes McDonald's Picture Blog. According to info on the blog, McKroes is from The Netherlands and they have an obsession with learning of, locating, visiting, photographing, and Flickring McDonald's restaurants. Talk about cool! And we also took notice of their interesting color and layout selection - they look like a sister site to The McChronicles - yup.

The McChronicles has had a small number of encounters with McKroes recently, and we find them to be very friendly. Their maniacal focus on collecting McDonald's images only makes us love them more. The McChronicles encourages EVERYONE to support McKroes efforts. Send them your list of favorite locations, help them reach the store to take the photo, and tell your friends about their blog.

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: McKroes Screen Grab.

McDonald's Ring Tone Offer

One of the coolest fast food people known to The McChronicles is a man named Jan-Willem. He is a multi-store fast food restaurant owner in Europe - and he's up on most everything in the world.

Jan-Willem tipped us off to McDonald's mobile phone ring tone and wallpaper website. Based on our testing, it seems to be free and easy. You simply submit an image to their image library, then receive a free ring tone or wallpaper (limit 1 per phone number). The McChronicles chose the McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" jingle (of course).

In addition to offering up modern ring tones, you can even score a coupon for free fries, right on your mobile device.

But that's not all ... you can even click a link that takes you to an online game called SHARK BAIT. High scores are posted on the site.

This whole site is great for the e-crowd. The McChronicles recommends you take a look.
Thanks Jan-Willem, you're great!

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: McDonald's website screen grab.

Regional McDonald's Website

The McChronicles stumbled upon a peculiar item while dining recently. While in a McDonald's we spotted a card featuring, "The latest and greatest about McDonald's of Central New York and Northern Pennsylvania...".

Actually, the card merely directs attention to a website that features interesting information on ... you guessed it. We found this regional focus quite unusual and interesting.

Upon investigation we found a colorful landing page - so far so good. Our first click sent us to an ad for a Disney film - and left us feeling like we were delivered to "adland" under false pretenses. Not what a loyal and curious consumer hopes for.

But then, we got to the meat of the matter. Turns out that the site truly IS full of regional/local links of interest: our favorite - the Ronald McDonald House of Central New York. There are also cool links for local educators, local McJob opportunities, and much more. This site truly IS a local/regional McDonald's resource. By the time we were done perusing, we liked the site. Not sure if all or even many regions have such a website, but it would be cool if they did.

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Images:
TOP: The McChronicles.
BOTTOM: McDonald's website screen grab.

Cleanliness

The McDonald's customer has been "sold" a clean, sparkling restaurant since the beginning. Whether it is a print ad or a TV commercial - one of the highlights of the McDonald's experience (as promoted) is cleanliness. Rightly so, we say. Cleanliness is a critical part of any dining experience. And this is true whether an order is "for here" or "to take out". The wrappers, bags, napkins, etc. are all a part of the experience.

That said, The McChronicles dropped by the Clinton, NY McDonald's recently for a relaxing lunch. Immediately upon entering the store it hit us ... the place was really clean. The biggest impact came from that long stainless steel counter. Empty except for the cash registers, sparkling, ... CLEAN! No kidding - it really made an impact.

Why? Because, too many times, a McDonald's floor is a bit dirty, there are things stacked and stored on the counters, and there is litter laying around.

We were sold the whole cleanliness thing. We bought it. We want it. We expect it. And it is really nice to receive it. Thanks Clinton.

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

McDonald's Free Fitness DVDs

The McChronicles wheeled into the New Hartford, NY (#825) McDonald's to score a free fitness DVD. The experience was better than expected.

We knew the company is offering a series of 4 DVDs in a program that promotes their new Asian salad. The gig is, buy the salad and water - get the free DVD. According to a company press release,

"The new Go Active!Happy Meal for Adults features any Premium Salad, including the New Asian Salad for a suggested retail price of $4.29 (prices and participation may vary), a Dasani(R) water or medium or larger drink and customizable workout DVDs which are provided in sequence, while supplies last. The Asian Salad is the newest addition to McDonald's menu and the Premium Salad line. "

The crew at the counter offered to let us choose ANY DVD that we wanted. Since people on our team had already scored some DVDs we really liked being able to select the one we needed.

On thing about these salads - it takes extra time to get your order since they heat up the chicken to order. Take our word - it is worth it. We have NEVER encountered a single person who didn't like these premium salads.

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

Image: The McChronicles.

I'm Wearin' It (not)

As usual, our good friends at Fastfoodweblog have tipped us off to something exciting. Seems McDonald's nostalgia has become one of this Spring's fashion "must haves".

According to an article in Pittsburgh's post-gazette.com, "One of the hippest designs showing up on must-have fashion lists for spring doesn't come from Prada or Marc Jacobs. Instead, it is a line of vintage T-shirts emblazoned with a McDonald's logo."

Well, The McChronicles was down with that until we read a bit further and learned that we'd all have to cough up US$55 per shirt. No way!

Of course, we learned that the target audience is high-income, fashion-conscious hipsters (not our crowd). The article quoted Mary Dillon, McDonald's global chief marketing officer, as saying, "It's just trying to find more-authentic ways to connect with this crowd".

A similar article appeared in the Wall Street Journal online. We grabbed this image from their site.

The McChronicles would love to see some retro McDonald's shirts available to the company's core market - people who spend significantly less than $55 on a t-shirt. We'd love that.

UPDATE: After a little online research, The McChronicles uncovered these online options for scoring a McDonald's t-shirt on the cheap:

• 80sTees.com
• Way2Be.com

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The Wall Street Journal online website.

The McDonald's You Don't Know

Squidoo is a website that allows people to make "their own "lenses" on their favorite stuff and ideas". One of the coolest "lenses" is about, you guessed it, McDonald's!

This lens, called The McDonald's You Don't Know, is written by Steve Wilson, McDonald's Senior Director of Web Communications. He introduces the site as follows:

"The golden arches are a global icon and a familiar part of many local landscapes. Most of us have frequented more than a few of the restaurants during our lifetime and with 1.5 million working for brand McDonald's, many of us have worked there too. So it easy to believe that we know all there is to know about McDonald's but that would be just scratching the surface. This lens is dedicated to presenting a comprehensive, positive perspective. It is a work in progress..."

The McChronicles has communicated with Steve (briefly) and he seems like a very good guy. His lens on McDonald's minutia is very interesting in and of itself. We spent quite a while poking around, exploring the many links, and learning some cool stuff. One interesting tidbit: "Astronaut Dr. Leroy Chiao, Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, and many other well-known leaders started working in McDonald's restaurants. "
We were flattered to find a link to The McChronicles. Thank you for that, Steve.

This site is worth a look. Have fun.

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Squidoo Home Page

Appreciation

Flickr is a great photo sharing tool. People use it for many purposes. One cool way that The McChronicles has seen it used is to share and enjoy images of various McDonald's restaurant designs.

The person behind this is named mckroes, and we suggest you check out their interesting collection of McDonald's store images. Most images are of stores in Europe, particularly The Netherlands (a truly beautiful country and people).

mckroes says, "McDonald's isn't all the same. Every McDonald's is unique in it's own way." The McChronicles shares this level of appreciation. Thanks mckroes!

A smaller but more international collection of McDonald's photos appears in francoishavard35's Flickr account. The McChronicles enjoys the comments on this site (not to mention the exotic locations, like Marrakesh and Paris) .

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: mckroes Flickr account.

McDonald's Global Casting Call

McDonald's Senior Director of Web Communications, Mr. Steve Wilson, reminds The McChronicles readers to check out the McDonald's Global Casting Call site. It is an opportunity for you to get your picture on McDonald's bags and cups next year.

Just direct your browser to http://www.mcdglobalcasting.com/ and let the creative juices flow.

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: McDonald's Global Casting logo, from the McDonald's website.

The "Big Mac Index"

Did you know that economists use the local value of a McDonald's Big Mac as a guide for evaluating currency?

The Economist magazine's website reveals the details behind this intriguing fact. The Big Mac Index (a part of "Burgernomics") is explained on the site as follows:

"Burgernomics is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity, the notion that a dollar should buy the same amount in all countries. Thus in the long run, the exchange rate between two countries should move towards the rate that equalises the prices of an identical basket of goods and services in each country. Our "basket" is a McDonald's Big Mac, which is produced in about 120 countries. The Big Mac PPP is the exchange rate that would mean hamburgers cost the same in America as abroad. Comparing actual exchange rates with PPPs indicates whether a currency is under- or overvalued. "

The McChronicles particularly enjoyed the video clip on the topic.

As this table indicates, you can buy a Big Mac in China for only US$1.30 but will have to pay nearly US$5.00 for it in Sweden. These values change daily as currency values fluctuate.

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The Economist Website

McDonald's Videos

Check out the McDonald's clips on Google Video. 118 at this posting.

This feature will likely explode as video on line burgeons.

The McChronicles: A blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: Screen grab from Google.

Fighting Through The Clutter

There is a ton of competition for a person's attention on the streets of China. The McChronicles grabbed this image while walking the streets of Shenzhen in southern China.

In this case, customers are guided as to where and how to cross the extremely busy street so they can get to the store.

The classic McDonald's red and yellow logo colors are extremely similar to the traditional Chinese red and yellow which are used in great abundance throughout the country. This really teases The McChronicles' subconscious as it seems like there might be a McDonald's at every turn. In this case, we were not disappointed.

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

The McChronicles Meets Its Waterloo

The Waterloo, NY McDonald's (store #3481) offers up a convenient, clean, and festive environment in which to eat. Additionally, it features a huge, outdoor Play Place. Parents and kids will really dig that.

Unfortunately, The McChronicles recent visit to this store didn't go too well. Here's why:

• Issue #1: We enquired as to the differences between the three salads. The crew person didn't know or couldn't articulate them. The manager, when asked to join in, did a great job of describing the differences.
• Issue #2: The salad and a Big Mac took several minutes to be delivered. We didn't time this experience (and we know that it always seems longer than the actual time turns out to be), but it seemed to take about 5 minutes. The crew was even complaining to the grill people about it.

When it all arrived the food tasted great, and was prepared perfectly.

This store features the previously-mentioned outdoor Play Place (a curious choice for the climatically-challenged Upstate New York region) and a few large, cheerful, McDonald's-themed murals on the walls. It was fairly clean, bright, and cheerful. The large flat-panel TVs are a nice touch.

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

Images: The McChronicles.

Singapore's Jurong Super Bowl McDonald's: Nice

When a person is out in the industrial west side of Singapore and hankerin' for a McDonald's meal, the Jurong Super Bowl McDonald's is the perfect spot to pick.

The McChronicles likes this store for its convenient location, the polite and capable crew, and for the clean dining room.

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be anything special about this store, but the details begin to grow on you after a while. Speedy, clean, friendly, bright ... just what we all expect and hope for. Not what we always get at McDonald's.

Count on the Jurong Super Bowl store to meet your expectations for a great spot to eat.

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

Chicago's O'Hare Airport International Arrivals McDonald's

The McChronicles remains puzzled as to why McDonald's doesn't spruce up their store that is situated on the traveler's right as they emerge from customs at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

This store ( not a restaurant - a walk-up only) always seems to look like it isn't quite done with construction. Maybe it's the color scheme, or maybe it is due to the airport property that is adjacent to the store front. Whatever it is, The McChronicles feels that this facility reflects poorly on the company's image.

That said, it is AWESOME to know that the minute you emerge from customs after a long flight, you can immediately grab a McDonald's meal. The location is completely awesome. Thanks for that!

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

Singapore's Tanglin Mall: Still Kind of Poor

Singapore's Tanglin Mall McDonald's is a very convenient store - and it exists in a fairly high-scale area. So why does it consistently disappoint?

As The McChronicles has noted in the past, the decor is uninspired, and the interior is very noisy (due to hard walls and glass). Additionally, the crew does little to keep the place sparkling clean. The service seems below average, too.

It wouldn't be too hard to benchmark some of the local stores that do it right. We wonder why they don't.

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