Everything you wanted to know about McDonald's

You're probably sitting there, sipping coffee, feet up on the ottoman, asking yourself, "Why an issue about McDonald's?" That's an excellent question. Allow us to share our reasoning with you:

1. We're still mad at Burger King. If you've been to the fast food chain in the last month or two, you may have noticed that they've super-sized their menu options. If you order a medium value meal, they hand you a behemoth 32 oz. soda and a pail of French fries. What used to constitute a medium is now considered a small.

Wendy's started doing the same thing a while back, and we didn't like it then, either. Plus, the cashiers generally ask if you want a medium-sized value meal, which you're probably thinking is exactly what you want. That's the standard, right? Nope. Now you're stuck with a huge bucket of soda that doesn't fit in your cup holder - 32 oz. cups actually pull the cup holder lining right out in my car - and enough fries to feed the whole family.

Here's a scary thought: McDonald's, the company that started this whole super-sizing thing in the first place, now offers the smallest portions for a regular-sized value meal. When did that happen????

2. There's only one Wendy's. And while we like Wendy's and its many alternatives to French fries (for days you feel like eating "healthy"), it would be difficult to do a side-by-side comparison.

3. McDonald's French fries are the bomb. That is the first and last time I will ever use that phrase. I promise. But they are good.

4. We eat there a lot. When your office is out on Sewalls Fall Road, you don't exactly have the plethora of eateries you would find on Loudon Road or Main Street. We've got a handful of sub and pizza shops and the ubiquitous McDonald's. With $1 menu selections such as four-piece McNuggets, McDoubles and hot fudge sundaes, can you blame us for frequenting this fast food establishment?

And so, the McDonald's issue was born. We visited the three restaurants in town, on South Main Street, Loudon Road and Fisherville Road, and made notes on things like the speed of service, temperature of the food and restaurant cleanliness. We even went so far as to check out the bathrooms. Yes, that is how informed we want you to be.

The experiment, overall, resulted in McDonald's overkill, partially because we were still recovering from October's Monopoly game (by the way - we got game pieces almost every day and only have unused Coke points to show for our efforts).

We'll probably take a break from McDonald's for now (hello, Subway!), but we'll be back. We can't seem to stay away.

Location numero uno: 117 Loudon Road
Ah, Loudon Road McDonald’s, how we love your modern interior. Especially the giant peach mural, made even more awesome by the lack of peaches in your menu selection. Okay, seriously, this is a nice McDonald’s, as fast food restaurants go. On a recent visit, around noon, we made it through the drive-through in about two minutes – speedy! Although I’m personally not a fan of the two-lane ordering system. I just don’t see the point in creating merging traffic at the payment window. How does that speed things up?

This particular location was renovated recently, hence the fancy interior. There is a high-top table with stools, booths with a handy arm rest and a nice, airy layout. As an added bonus, the temperature was quite comfortable – cozy, even.

We were surprised by the cleanliness of this location, too, given all the slush and general yuckiness that gets trekked in this time of year. While we were eating, an employee was mopping the floor, so diligence in floor care probably has something to do with it. The same employee even offered to clear our table for us. “Trying to keep busy,” she told us. It was a slow day, apparently.

Cassie handled the ordering process inside – she was pleased to note that another employee was called over to help take orders when the line got a little long.

And the restrooms? They’re in good shape, given the renovation.

We have to give this location five stars. I mean, they have a flat-screen TV! And a peach wall!!

Location two: 90 S. Main St.
We hate to bash this McDonald’s location after Tommy Symmes professed his love for it, but we’d be remiss in telling you this was the greatest McDonald’s on the planet. We suspect this restaurant sees a lot of traffic, which would explain the less-than-stellar interior. While it was busy the day we visited, it was hard not to notice the dirty floors and tables that hadn’t been wiped off after several sittings.

The drive-through line was pretty long when we stopped by around 12:30, so we skipped it and just went inside. Cassie ordered a coffee, and evidently there was an issue ringing up the item. A manager came over to correct the problem, and the cashier blamed Cassie for not being specific when she ordered. I should point out that Cassie was standing right there when this conversation between the manager and cashier took place. Cassie was not impressed.

The seating area was pretty crowded, but we managed to find a table in the corner, next to a toddler and a woman we assumed was his grandmother. The toddler felt the need to stand up and stomp his feet on the booth, loudly. Gram told him to stop, but it sounded more like a suggestion than a command, so the recalcitrant toddler kept stomping, much to our annoyance. Okay, so it’s McDonald’s, but can’t you try to be a little bit respectful of the people around you? That’s not a knock against the restaurant, just a service announcement.

The bathrooms were about as impressive as the restaurant interior, which is not saying much. South Main McDonald’s, we can only give you two stars and hope that a renovation is in your near future.

Numéro trois: 111 Fisherville Road
This McDonald’s location is the usual haunt of The Insiders. It’s close, and the staff is really nice. They don’t judge us when we come in more than once a day, which counts for a lot in our book.

The decor is less modern and more classy as McDonald’s architecture goes. You’ll see columns, a fancy scroll design on the ceiling and an unpretentious chandelier. This location is probably saved the high-volume traffic the Main Street locations sees given its location on the outskirts of Concord, but we get the sense that the employees go out of their way to make the restaurant clean and inviting, no matter how busy they get.

A month or so ago, when McDonald’s was offering totally awesome Madagascar toys in its Happy Meals, I asked if I could buy one of the penguins. (It says, “Smile and wave boys,” and “Progress report!” when you bang it on any surface or knock it off the desk. Very fun.) The person taking my order spent several minutes hunting through a box for the penguin I so desperately wanted.

And our last item of review, the bathrooms: We checked and they were found perfectly adequate. Nice job, Fisherville McDonald’s! We give you five stars.