McDonalds, the world’s largest fast food chain, has created two menu items that control the hearts and minds of America.  They release them every so often and they tend to really draw in the crowds.  One of them is the McRib which they just released for three weeks last November.

The second is the Shamrock Shake.  The shake is released at select locations around St. Patrick’s Day.  This year there was talk in the blogosphere that the shake would not be returning this year.  This is turning out to be false.  The shake has already been spotted at select locations throughout the country.  McDonald’s has announced that it will be available again for the holiday this year.

For the groupies who need to find one as soon as it is around.  A list of locations is available at shamrockshake.com.  Also at the site one can find the addresses of the stores who will be offering the Shamrock Shake.

Also, for those of you who are concerned, the McRib will be also making a comeback after the summer months for a limited run.

Are you a fan of the Shamrock Shake?  Do cult classic food items get you going?

McDonalds Brings Back Cult Classic Shamrock Shake is a post from: The Inquisitr

A McDonald’s drive-thru line was shut down for 20 minutes this week after a customer cut in line at one of the fast food chains locations in North Carolina.

Evangeline Lucca drove past the order window and demanded to be served at the food pickup window location where employees refused to serve her until she took the proper steps for ordering.

Police officers were soon called onto the scene and the crazy Big Mac lover was introduced to an Officer’s taser when she refused to cooperate. Lucca was then arrested and charged with second-degree trespassing.

That’s not even the worst part of the story, Lucca apparently attempts to cut in front of other drives all the time and this go-around she had her 3-year-old daughter in the vehicle with her. The crazy woman’s daughter was thankfully taken into social worker custody.

Speaking of the strange incident a Sheriff’s spokeswoman revealed:

“She did not want to wait in line. They told her she had to go around and wait like everybody else did and place her order that way, that they weren’t set up at that window to take her order or take her money. She wasn’t having any of that. When we arrived, she really got mad.”

Perhaps when we joke around about McDonald’s and its “crack fries” we are really onto something because there are a lot of people who go crazy over the company’s food, throwing fits over McNugget supply, hot coffee and other random issues.

Do you think Evangeline deserved to be taken down with a taser?

Lady Cuts In McDonald’s Drive-Thru Line Then Gets Tasered is a post from: The Inquisitr

No, not the pink goo in the viral Chicken McNuggets pic, but the controversial McDonald’s “pink slime” that goes into making their ubiquitous hamburger patties.

It’s not officially called pink slime, because, ew, then who would eat it? But as we know, words often win over hearts and minds, and after Jamie Oliver dubbed the extra bits of cow laying around (treated with chemicals to kill bacteria and added to burgers to beef them up) pink slime, McDonald’s announced that it would no longer be using the filler to stretch meat bits out- kind of like meatloaf, but with chemicals instead of breadcrumbs. Super ew.

So, you may not like the idea of ingesting the dirtiest parts of a cow, soaked in ammonia to keep it from making you sick because it’s so potentially dirty. But the government has repeatedly denied McDonald’s pink slime is a danger to people who eat food. The Huffington Post explains:

The USDA, for its part, approved of the ammoniated beef trimmings. In 2007, when it mandated increased testing for most ground beef, it specifically exempted “pink slime,” even though the ammoniated beef comes from the parts of the cow most likely to harbor pathogens. The USDA argued that the beef’s ammonia treatment would kill any bacteria lingering in the beef… And there’s some evidence that the USDA wasn’t wrong to call “pink slime” safe. Indeed, a Jan. 9 editorial in Food Safety News argued that the public backlash against pink slime had more to do with fear-mongering on the part of figures like Oliver than with any rational assessment of the product itself.

Despite the government’s failure to strike McDonald’s pink slime from the food supply, the company actually stepped up and removed it under public pressure- which is kind of a win for opponents like Jamie Oliver, who kicked off the pink slime outcry. Do you think things like ammoniated beef should allowed in food products?

McDonald’s Pink Slime is Off the Menu is a post from: The Inquisitr

British celebrity chef and food activist Jamie Oliver has been fighting fast food conglomerate McDonalds for months over what he calls “pink slime”, and as it turns out, he’s won! You won’t be finding Oliver’s least favorite brand of mystery meat under the golden arches ever again.

Wait, rewind. What is “pink slime” anyway? Pink slime, careful reader, is beef trimmings from strange parts of a cow that are treated with ammonium hydroxide to be made relatively safe and edible. It is used in 70% of ground beef, and is probably the basis upon which we understand the concept of “mystery meat”.

Wondering why we pay for this crap? Probably because the USDA approved “pink slime” in 2007, after which the New York Times and the documentary Food Inc. blew the whistle on it, raising serious doubts about its safety. On the other side of the aisle, Food Safety News has said that the public backlash against “pink slime” was unfair, but the Times linked the beef to dozens of cases of E. coli and salmonella, which is, in my opinion, a pretty sound “shut up”.

McDonalds has announced last week that it will stop using the controversial beef. Jamie Oliver, of course, is understandably incensed by the announcement. According to Oliver: “We’re taking a product that would be sold in its cheaper form for dogs and after this process, we can give it to humans,” Oliver said, adding that he’s “thrilled” by McD’s decision.

So what do you think? Did Jamie Oliver lead a good campaign here or what? Will McDonalds burgers start tasting a little different (read: better)?

McDonald’s Stops Using ‘Pink Slime’, Thanks to Jamie Oliver is a post from: The Inquisitr

17-year-old Stacey Irvine loves McDonalds Chicken McNuggets, so much so that it’s almost all she has eaten for the last 15 years and that fact may have led her to be hospitalized this week.

According to Daily Mail the teenager ”has eaten almost nothing else apart from chicken nuggets for 15 years.”

If that isn’t bad enough a source close to the girl says:

“Shocked doctors learned of her habit when [she] collapsed and was taken to hospital after struggling to breathe.  Miss Irvine, who has never eaten fruit or vegetables, had swollen veins in her tongue and was found to have anaemia….  But, despite being warned that she could die if she sticks to her nugget addiction, she still can’t resist the fast food.”

Apparently it’s not just McDonald’s McNuggets as Stacey says KFC and even supermarket brands are also fine by her although she prefers her chicken nuggets to be cooked by employees of the golden arches.

In the meantime her mom says she has taken her daughter to a specialist to no avail. As her mom tells the Metro:

“She’s been told in no uncertain terms that she’ll die if she carries on like this. But she says she can’t eat anything else.”

Let’s give this one a few more years and then check back in on this post to read her obituary.

And what’s up with crazy McDonald’s people these days, remember the Naked McDonald’s Drive-Thru Couple? Perhaps someone should start a “People of McDonald’s” website.

Would you be willing to eat one single food for the rest of your life if given the choice?

17-Year-Old McDonald’s Chicken McNugget Girl Rushed To Hospital is a post from: The Inquisitr

While the recession has been a bit rougher on luxury goods and services, McDonald’s had a great fourth quarter in 2011, the company disclosed in a statement today.

Sales jumped an impressive 11% in Q4, and the company credits aggressive value item pricing as well as some limited edition items, like the McRib, for the quarter’s success. And while the company has experienced gains over last year, it is not taking the successes in stride- in a call with investors, McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner noted that the overall climate is still competitive as cash-strapped consumers seek out cheaper dining options:

“The global economy remains challenging with the recovery predicted to be slow. Our industry still faces significant headwinds including flat the slow growth, low consumer confidence and volatile commodity prices.”

The gains are a bit more impressive when contrasted with increases in goods costs approaching 5% in 2011. And for 2012, the company predicts similar ingredients cost upticks, mostly in the first and second quarters of the year. In concert with this morning’s investor call, the company put out a press release discussing not only their Q4 results, but their strategies to maintain momentum going forward in 2012. In the release, Skinner disclosed expansion plans to fortify growth:

“As we begin 2012, we are intensifying our efforts toward the global priorities that represent our greatest opportunities under the Plan to Win – optimizing and evolving our menu, modernizing the customer experience and broadening accessibility to our Brand. In 2012, we plan to invest about $2.9 billion of capital – roughly half dedicated to opening more than 1,300 new McDonald’s restaurants and the other half allocated to investing in our existing locations, including the re-imaging of over 2,400 restaurants. I am confident that the investments we are making today will yield long-term value for our shareholders.”

Despite the company’s news of better than expected performance in Q4, shares were down 1.5% immediately following the call.

McDonald’s Profit Up 11% in Q4, More Stores to Open is a post from: The Inquisitr

What food represents America more than a McDonald’s Burger? The fast food chain has re-released its “Big America” burgers, which include the Grand Canyon Burger, the Las Vegas Burger, the Broadway Burger, and the Beverly Hills Burger, in Japan for the third time.

The “Big American” burgers are provoking to responses from critics and McDonald’s enthusiasts. A beef patty filled with steak and topped with egg,  cheese,  onions, steak sauce on three buns doesn’t represent my area of the country, AND, where can I get one of these burgers?

For the moment, the “Big American” burgers are not currently available in the states.

The Huffington Post reports that Japanese people will be able to try four burgers from the Big American series. The burgers will be released one at a time, starting with the Las Vegas burger in January.

Burger Business writes:

“The Las Vegas Burger is touted as “reminiscent of a fine dinner in Las Vegas.” Well, only if you’re dining at McDonald’s. But perhaps the description refers to its “impressive cream cheese sauce” or that, in Sin City’s spirit of excess, the burger patty is topped with sliced beef.”

The Grand Canyon Burger includes three buns, a steak stuffed beef patty, egg, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, crispy onions, and steak sauce.

The Broadway burger tries to trick you that it’s healthy with its inclusion of vegetables. But the pastrami bacon, mustard sauce, and cream cheese sauce say otherwise.

The Beverly Hills Burger is the most basic Big America burger with lettuce, onions, avocado and Caesar salad sauce.

Do you think the Big American Burgers represent the food tastes of Americans? Are you upset that you won’t be able to try a pastrami bacon burger in the United States?

Big America Burgers Head to Japan McDonald’s is a post from: The Inquisitr

A bit of shenanigans was pulled on Wednesday morning at a Galesburg, IL McDonald’s when a boyfriend and girlfriend put the “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” policy to the test, passing through the drive-thru with no clothes on as they ordered food.

Paul Kosur, 19, and his girlfriend Megan Guitierrez, 21, were arrested at 2 a.m. on Wednesay when police arrived in the parking lot where they were still naked.

According to reports Mr. Kosur was “crouched over in the driver’s seat trying to pull on a pair of pants” while Guitierrez was covering herself with a blanket.

According to police Paul only had a pair of pants in the car while Guitierrez only had a coat.

The Inquisitr caught up with Paul Kosur who said of the prank:

“The news blew the story completely out of proportion, unforutately a simple game of truth and dare can lead to serious consequences.”

The couple were charged with Public Indecent and eventually released from Knox County jail after being issued notices to appear in court.

Here’s the mugshots of the couple, looks like Paul still hadn’t found his shirt and Megan was left in her jacket:

Couple Arrested After Driving Through McDonald’s Drive-Thru Naked [Exclusive Response] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Stop what you’re doing right now. Earth shattering news is coming your way. Burger King, the second largest fast food chain in the country, is changing its french fry recipe. Yes, Burger King’s fries will now be thicker, crispier, and hotter.

Reuters reports that the last time Burger King changed its fries was in 1998. Rising competition from new chains like Five Guys and In-And-Out Burger has pressured Burger King to revise their fries again.

Leo Leon, vice president of Burger King innovation, said:

“We’re always trying to have the best menu possible. French fries are a big seller for us and we want to make sure we’re always improving.”

Burger King’s new fries will be available at  7,000 restaurants in North America by December 5. The price for fries will remain the same.

Last year, Wendy’s gave its fries an upgrade as well. It seems that McDonald’s, who often wins best fries in customer surveys, is the only fast food restaurant to figure out the potato game.

But Burger King is confident that it’s new fries, which will be about as thick as a pencil and will contain 20 percent less sodium, will help Burger King boost its business.

According to Reuters, the smallest $1 portion of fries contains 330 mg of sodium and 240 calories. Burger King says that its new fries are cooked in trans fat-free vegetable oil.

If you want to try the new fries, but don’t want to pay the $1, you can get a free order on December 16th.

Burger King Fries Changing for First Time in 13-Years is a post from: The Inquisitr

On Wednesday morning a new law will go into effect in San Francisco that bans the inclusion of toys with children’s meals if they don’t meet city defined nutritional guidelines and now it appears that McDonald’s franchise owners have found a way to avoid the ban and still provide a toy for children.

According to the company they will begin selling Happy Meals without toys and then sell the toys as an “add-on” for just 10 cents.

The company had originally planned to offer toys without a Happy Meal purchase for $2.18 but then decided that selling unhealthy meals to children was more important, at which time they changed to the $.10 add-on option.

At least one good thing will come from the company’s new plan, they will donate that extra 10 cents to Ronald McDonald House charities.

Since prices are likely to remain unchanged McDonald’s doesn’t lose anything in the deal and could in fact earn more money from the ban by claiming the extra $.10 charge as a charity write-off for tax purposes.

Do you think city officials need to work harder to enforce their rules or should parents be able to feed their children whatever they want without fear of penalty based on their food choices?

[Image via paul prescott / Shutterstock.com]

McDonald’s Finds Way To Skip San Francisco Happy Meal Ban, Make Kids Fatter is a post from: The Inquisitr

That McRib you like to run out and scarf down the minute it arrives for a limited time at McDonald’s has a dark and sad side. The Humane Society this week filed a complaint against McDonald’s meat supplier Smithfield Foods who they say have misled consumers about the treatment of their animals.

McDonald’s has recently given Smithfield a “supplier sustainability” award and the company calls their pigs living conditions “ideal” while claiming to be “100% committed” to their care however an undercover investigation by the Humane Society has found just the opposite to be true.

James McWilliams at the Atlantic offered some scary details about the company’s living conditions for pigs:

• Gestration crates were so small pigs couldn’t move.
• Some Crates were covered in blood as pigs chewed the bars.
• Pigs are routinely castrated without anesthesia.
• No Veterinarians were witnessed on site at any time.

According to a humane society representative:

“It doesn’t take a veterinarian to know that locking a 500-pound animal in a cage so cramped she can’t even turn around for months on end isn’t exactly ‘ideal.”

In the meantime rather than heeding the advice of their own animal welfare advisors and removing gestation crates from their supply chain McDonald’s is handing out awards to the very company’s that use them.

If that isn’t enough to gross you out the McRib is typically made from the parts of the pig that are left over from regular production, hence the fact it’s only made available for a “limited time.”

[Image via Bull's-Eye Arts / Shutterstock.com]

McRib Pigs Live In Horrendous Conditions, Complaint Filed By Humane Society is a post from: The Inquisitr

McDonald’s executives have launched a new TV station that they hope will draw in more customers and engage them when eating their breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Currently being testing in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas the new TV station features entertainment news, advertising, and informative pieces centering around local moms and athletes.

According to one executive responsible for the project the company hopes McTV will “catch and engage the customer, and then enhance their experience.”

Thanks to the company’s large footprint they are already expected to reach 18 million to 20 million people in the three testing areas alone, one of the largest audiences for daytime TV while that number would grow exponentially if the program is a success and ends up launching into other markets throughout the United States and possibly worldwide.

The next step will be for McDonald’s to expand their TV station to 800 California restaurants before attempting to go national.

One analyst tells the Los Angeles Times:

“The television didn’t move” and now companies “can tap into anyone’s consumer behavior at every of the day and brand their message.”

Would you sit down and watch TV at McDonald’s if a fast food location near you offered decent programming?

McDonald’s Restaurant Chain Launching Own TV Station is a post from: The Inquisitr

A New York City McDonald’s cashier, Rayon McIntosh, was caught on tape attacking two unruly customers with some sort of a metal rod yesterday morning.

McIntosh, who was reportedly previously convicted of manslaughter, is now facing two counts of felony assault charges and one count of criminal possession of a weapon. The two women who McIntosh beat with the metal rod were also hit with menacing and disorderly conduct charges for allegedly initiating the confrontation.

The video shows the two women yelling at McIntosh from across the counter about their order. After a few remarks were exchanged, the women jumped the counter and slapped McIntosh, who proceeded to hit them with the metal rod.

The two women allege that as a result of the beating, one woman received a fractured skull requiring surgery and a broken arm, while the other claims suffering “substantial pain and laceration.”

The owner of the McDonald’s, Carmen Paulino, said she was “extremely disappointed” by McIntosh’s actions.

“The actions of this individual are unacceptable and not characteristic of my employees,” she said. “This individual no longer works for my organization.”

You can check out the harrowing (NSFW) video for yourself below.

Credit: WSJ, NBC NY

McDonald’s beating: Cashier caught on tape attacking patrons with metal rod [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

After 42 years of making the same burgers, Wendy’s decided to try something new. They brought in a pickle chemist, handed out customer questionnaire, consulted lettuce experts, and finally created the new Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy.

The burger, named after Wendy’s late founder, Dave Thomas, is thicker, cheesier, and juicier than those square things that Wendy’s mockingly called a burgers.

Denny Lynch, a Wendy’s spokesman, said:

“Our food was already good. We wanted it to be better. Isn’t that what long-term brands do? They reinvent themselves.”

Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy will be available today at more than 6,500 Wendy’s restaurants.

And if customers don’t like Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy, maybe they can at least appreciate the effort that Wendy’s went into to create its new burger.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, Wendy’s has been brewing up burger recipes for the last two and a half years. Project Gold Hamburger had burger specialist agonizing over little details like; white or red onions? Plain or seeded buns? Do pickles taste better with crinkles?

Fast food chains have seen a rise in competition in recent years from companies like Five Guys. McDonald’s has adapted by updating its menu, adding the McCafe, and offering free wi-fi. Wendy’s, on the other hand, has stayed pretty much the same over the last few decades.

Gerard Lewis, Wendy’s head of new product development, said:

“We have a lot of catching up to do in some areas. But after we launch this hamburger there will be folks who need to catch up to us.”

Have you tried Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy? Would it make Dave Thomas proud?

Wendy’s Reinvents Its Burger After 40 Years, Unveils Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy is a post from: The Inquisitr

McDonald’s doesn’t make many people think of a healthy lifestyle, but that isn’t stopping one woman from using french fries as fuel as she trains to run a marathon.

Emily Strunk-Helm, a 36-year-old woman from Arizona, is in the middle of an all-McDonald’s training schedule that will culminate in a 26.2 mile run in October. Strunk-Helm started her Mcdonald’s-only diet on September 8th, and will eat nothing but Big Macs, McChickens, and McNuggets for 31 days. She will run the Long Beach Marathon on October 9th.

Strunk-Helm writes on her site, Mcrunnerette.com:

“I will be eating a variety of items at McDonald’s, especially my favorites — Cheeseburgers, Chicken Nuggets and French Fries. While training and raising money for a great cause, I also want to encourage people to get moving and be active.”

Strunk-Helm is hoping that her unusual training method will inspire people to donate to the Ronald McDonald house. Strunk-Helm hopes to raise at least $10,000. According to Shine, she has already raised more than $2000. (You can donate here.)

Strunk-Helm isn’t the only person to run a marathon fueled by McDonald’s. Joe D’Amico, who earned the nickname the McRunner, finished the Los Angeles Marathon in 28th place after eating McDonald’s for 30-days.

Despite her daily exercise, the McRunnerette knows that 30-days of fatty foods may not be the best for her health. She says that she will have a doctor monitor her progress throughout her training and after she finishes the marathon.

What do you think about Emily Strunk-Helm’s quest? Is she encouraging people to be more active? Or is she downplaying the negative effects of eating nothing but McDonald’s?

Woman Trains For Marathon on McDonald’s-Only Diet is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you thought the food at McDonald’s was going to kill you think again, it could be one of the company’s soda fountain machines.

An 80-year-old woman in Georgia was eating at a McDonald’s fast food restaurant when she went to use the bathroom and never returned, she was later found in the bathroom having died from carbon dioxide poisoning.

It turns out that the substance, used to help carbonate beverages in the machines, was accidentally piped through a leaky gas line in the walls between the soda fountain machine and the restroom.

According to the police chief who was investigating the death, “at a high level of concentration, it displaces oxygen” which cuased the elderly woman to die by way of asphyxiation.

All of the gas lines and valves leading to the soda machine have been replaced and nine other visitors to the fast food restaurant were also treated for symptoms caused by leaked carbon dioxide.

I have a feeling we’ll be reading about a McDonald’s lawsuit in the near future, although the police chief doesn’t anticipate criminal charges since the leak appears to be an accident.

In the meantime the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration have opened an investigation into possible workplace safety violations at the McDonald’s location where the accident occurred.

McDonald’s Soda Fountain Kills Customer is a post from: The Inquisitr

An institution of American childhood is changing again, and the Happy Meal you grew up with may look somewhat different from the one your kids will come to know.

The kids’ meals at McDonald’s fast food joints are undergoing a makeover- one that promises to reduce calories by 20%, and add an actual fruit to the standard rugrat fare. (Or, as the Wall Street Journal spins it, “effectively taking away consumers’ current choice between either having apples with caramel dip or fries as a Happy Meal side.” Free market capitalism, we hardly knew ye.) Portions of french fries are shrinking from 2.4 ounces to 1.1 ounces, and the apples with caramel dip with join the fray as standard- not an infrequently selected option, as they are now.

Critics are sharply divided between people who feel like the change is forcing apples on the American consumer and those who feel that the change doesn’t go nearly far enough in forcing apples on the American consumer. To wit:

“McDonald’s is taking steps in the right direction, but we should be careful in heaping praise on corporations for simply reducing the scope of the problem they continue to create,” said Kelle Louaillier, executive director of a group called Corporate Accountability International.

So when the protests start, which side will you be on- the one saying you can have our 2.4 ounces of french fries when you pry them from our cold, dead hands or the one that feels McDonald’s is a poison-shilling obesity factory that should have its products labeled as a Class A controlled substance?

Happy Meal: Would You Like Apples With That? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Do you remember that lady in the 90′s who was awarded a millions-of-dollars settlement from McDonald’s because she stupidly spilled coffee all over her crotch, not realizing it was coffee and hot?

The case has become something of a legal touchstone when discussing frivolous lawsuits. Except… the lawsuit wasn’t really frivolous. The woman was seriously injured, and the company had not only been warned several times about overly hot coffee, it had also quietly paid people off who had been similarly injured by the same avoidable circumstance. The woman sustained third degree burns over 6% of her body, was hospitalized for eight days and underwent skin grafts to repair the damage. Furthermore, it was discovered, more than 700 other individuals had been burned by coffee kept far too hot at McDonald’s in the ten year period between 1982 and 1992.

No one will ever know precisely how that case shook out, because the plantiff eventually settled with McDonald’s for an undisclosed sum. But its legacy is a public wary of business being bankrupted by a lawsuit happy public. A new documentary that attempts to dispel these myths titled Hot Coffee is set to air on HBO, and personal injury attorney Susan Saladoff, the creator, spoke about the dangers of limiting consumer recourse in these situations:

The film, which took two years to make, highlights cases in which caps on punitive damages and mandatory arbitration have left the plaintiffs in financial and emotional straits. At the same time, Saladoff weaves in interviews with tort reform supporters, including Victor Schwartz, general counsel of the American Tort Reform Association, and with opponents, including Minnesota Sen. Al Franken and author John Grisham.

Hot coffee airs June 27th on HBO.

‘Hot Coffee’ Documentary Tackles Tort Reform Misconceptions is a post from: The Inquisitr

McDonald’s has been the victim of misplaced Twitter rage, thanks to an image that went viral Sunday on the microblogging service.

The image above was rapidly tweeted and retweeted with the hashtag #seriouslymcdonalds, apparently by a bunch of people who are not only brand spanking new to the internet, but unaware of 4Chan and also ignorant of laws preventing people to implement seriously racist policies and then post signs advertising them in the country’s most prominent fast food chain. McDonald’s had to have their social media director tweet on a Sunday about the hoax in an attempt to set the record straight, and were then forced to cobble together a statement to refute the silly pic:

“The sign is obviously a hoax. The phone number goes to a phone sex line.

“As a company and a brand we have a long and proud history of diversity inclusion across our system on both sides of the counter.

“From our management crew, franchisees — across the board, we’re very proud of our record of diversity. This is unfortunately an example of how rumors can outspeed the truth. Over the last 48 hours we’ve been tweeting and striving to clarify that this is a hoax.”

Rick Wion, the social media manager over at McDonald’s, has been rapidly Twitter-denying the picture’s veracity, but the hashtag persisted onto the Trending Topics list over the weekend. Did anyone in your feed fall for the hoax?

“Seriously, McDonald’s?” Picture Hoax Plagues Double Arches on Twitter is a post from: The Inquisitr

During Friday’s unemployment numbers report it was discovered that only 54,000 jobs were created last month, while that number shows a decidedly bad turn for the economy, it gets even worse when we realize it was McDonald’s who forced a positive sales growth report.

The fast food giant held a nationwide hiring fair that created 62,000 jobs, which means all of the created jobs created were at or near minimum wage.

Alex Goldmark at Good points out:

“That’s what makes today’s numbers all the more depressing,” and “If it weren’t for the country’s largest restaurant chain going on a burger flipper binge, the reports wouldn’t say ‘sharp slowdown’ they’d say ‘reversal’ or ‘devastating.’”

Take away McDonald’s from the mix and we have an economy that would have lost 8,000 jobs.

Does that creepy Ronald McDonald picture I put up freak anyone else out? Where are his arms!

Thanks Ronald McDonald: Fast Food Chain Saved Economy From Negative Job Rate is a post from: The Inquisitr