The Inquisitr » mcdonalds

Sacré bleu! French rankle at Louvre McDonald’s

Kim LaCapria — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:44:48 +0000

Crass American consumerism is coming to one of France’s most revered cultural institutions.

Louvre staff and other artsy French types bristled at the inclusion of America’s most famous gastronomic low-culture eatery at the museum. The new McDonald’s will be France’s 1,142nd, but don’t expect any welcome mats:

“This is the last straw,” said one art historian working at the Louvre, who declined to be named. “This is the pinnacle of exhausting consumerism, deficient gastronomy and very unpleasant odours in the context of a museum,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

Didier Rykner, head of The Art Tribune website found the idea “shocking”.

“I’m not against eating in a museum but McDonald’s is hardly the height of gastronomy,” he said, adding that it was a worrying mixture of art and consumerism. “Today McDonald’s, tomorrow low-cost clothes shops,” he said.

Low cost clothing shops? Oh, non alors! While officials promise that the outlet will be “in line with the museum’s image,” skeptics are- well, skeptical. The restaurant’s location, in an underground approach known as the Carrousel du Louvre, may soon be the first view visitors have of the Louvre when new ticket booths are constructed.

Despite the protestations, France is McDonald’s second largest market globally, and sales were up 11% over the previous year in 2008.

Fake McDonalds Australia memo discussing fraud sucks in Consumerist, others

Duncan Riley — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:20:11 +0000

American blogs, including leading consumer blog The Consumerist have published a memo (above) that allegedly shows that McDonalds Australia has a policy of short changing customers at drive thru’s, or what the Consumerist calls “New Profit Center For Australian McDonald’s: Fraud.”

At first glance the content of the letter does look like McDonald’s is commiting fraud, but even the most basic bit of testing shows that the only fraud is the letter itself.

Lets look past the fact that the memo is signed by Robert Trugabe, and the signature clearly shows that it’s a spoof on Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. Lets look past a perfectly public page available on the McDonald’s Australia website that lists their entire executive team, including zero mention of a Robert Trugabe.

No, the easier parts to prove come with the address and alleged company name. First, the address is a suburban McDonald’s in Adelaide, as confirmed by Google Maps Street View here, no McDonald’s corporate headquarters (which for the record is in Sydney.) Then there’s the alleged name: McDonald’s Australia Pty Ltd. Anyone with a basic understanding of Australian company structures knows that a Pty Ltd company is a designation for a company restricted by a small number of share holders, and is not typically used for big multinational corporations (it’s usually just a Ltd company). All registered companies in Australia can be searched via the website of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), and the ASIC records show that there is NO company in Australia registered under the name of McDonald’s Australia Pty Ltd, only McDonald’s Australia Ltd.

My guess: someone got their hands on some letterhead from the Frewview store and decided to have some online fun, end of story. I wouldn’t want to be on the end of the lawyers that will shortly descend on the likes of the Consumerist and other sites claiming the letter is proof of fraud.

Can I have one of those giant coffee pots in the sky?

Steven Hodson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:26:20 +0000

Recently in Vancouver, Canada, McDonald’s was giving away small cups of their coffee over a two-week period. To help publicize the promotion that had someone change a lamppost to resemble a giant coffee-pot in the sky pouring coffee into a giant cup on the street. Talk about a getting attention.

hat tip to My Modern Metropolis

McFail

Duncan Riley — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:00:47 +0000

Would you like a blue screen of death with your burger sir? McFail, I’m lovin it.

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Is McDonald’s playing the race card for profit with site for black people?

Steven Hodson — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:41:47 +0000

I gotta say right off the bat here that this has to be they fucking dumbest idea I have heard of yet. It is one thing for an entertainment network like Black Entertainment Television to gear their site content towards black people but the epitome of lily white corporate culture McDonald’s having a specific site aimed that the African-American segment of society is just plain stupid.

I mean, really, what were they thinking that when someone said hey I have a great idea … let’s show how in tune we are with cultural diversity and launch a black only website everyone looked around and said Wow! what a great idea – go for it. Seriously folks please explain to me how this is anywhere near being a good idea.

And what is with the name of this?

Who really thought that 365Black.com was a good idea?

Seriously – who?

I’m with Zee from TheNextWeb.com blog when he says

Pardon my french, but lets not bullshit around, this is of course merely a way to target racial minorities. Companies do it the world over. But couldn’t the website have just been a diversity website saying they support all different kinds of cultures, races, charities and organizations?

Dumb McDonald’s.

Just dumb.

Here’s McDonald’s explanation of what the site is all about

WHAT IS 365BLACK?

At McDonald’s^®, we believe that African-American culture and achievement should be celebrated 365 days a year — not just during Black History Month. That’s the idea behind 365Black.com. It’s a place where you can learn more about education, employment, career advancement and entrepreneurship opportunities, and meet real people whose lives have been touched by McDonald’s. Plus, you can also have a chance to win exciting once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. So make sure you visit often — you just might get inspired.

And everyone gave Motrin all that flack over attempting to engage women in social media – makes me wonder where the outrage is over this. Oh wait, that’s right … the majority of bloggers and social media mavens are white.

Sorry but this is just all shades of wrong and McDonald’s need to be told so.

Woman found dead at McDonald’s processing plant

Kim LaCapria — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:00:37 +0000

Just a week after a young man died in a plant processing chocolate for Hershey’s in New Jersey, a woman has been killed by a “malfunctioning robot” at a McDonald’s processing plant.

Ana Maria Vital of La Puente, CA was found dead early Tuesday at at Golden State Foods in Industry. A representative for the LA Coroner described the tragedy to a local paper.

“She sustained crushing injuries by some boxing machinery after attempting to remove a box that had been lodged in the machinery.”

An unnamed employee told the paper that Vital was grabbed by the machine and that mechanics tried to free her “before it was too late.” Vital would have turned 41 on Saturday.

Golden State Foods CEO Mark Wetterau said in a prepared statement:

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident that occurred at our manufacturing plant in the city of Industry. On behalf of our entire organization, we want to express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the individual involved in this unfortunate incident.”

McDonalds Filet-of-Fish ad: I’m not Lovin it.

Duncan Riley — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:07:00 +0000

This ad was released late February for McDonald Filet-of-Fish, a fish burger (sandwich in the US).

It’s just very, very weird. I’m not lovin it.

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Okay this is gross and disgusting

Steven Hodson — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:05:46 +0000

I don’t mind having the occasional drink or two or three but if you ever served me up a McNuggitini I would take you out back and slap you silly. There are just some things that shouldn’t go into a mixed drink of any kind let alone mention the word McDonalds as part of the ingredients. By now I can imagine you are giving your head a little shake and wonder what this cranky old fart is carrying on about and I wouldn’t blame you.

So to cut to the chase let me introduce you to the McNuggitini – a cocktail inspired by some common McDonalds fast food products

Ingredients:

2 McNuggz (plus more for snacking)
1 tub McDonalds Brand Barbeque Sauce (plus more for licking off pinky finger)
1 lg. Mcdonalds Brand Chocolate Milkshake (plus more for bringing all the boys to the yard)
1 bottle Vanilla Vodka (recommended brand: Absolut)

Open the McDonalds bag.
Eat one McNugg each, followed by two bites of the Filet-o-Fish (make sure you don’t tell anyone that you eat Filet-o-Fishes).
Mix three or four shots of vanilla vodka in the McDonalds Brand Chocolate Milkshake, followed by one shot each directly into your mouth.
Rim each martini glass with McDonalds Brand Barbeque Sauce, and pour milkshake/vodka mixture into the glass.
Garnish with a McNugg (which is to be swiped along barbeque sauce rimmed glass after the milkshake has been finished, and consumed with pure, unadulterated glee).

Source: Geekologie

I’ll race you to the washroom

Hello, 911? McDonald’s is Out of McNuggets! (Hear the Actual Audio Here)

JR — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:11:04 +0000

A Florida woman called 911 three times to report that a Fort Pierce McDonald’s had run out of McNuggets. Investigators have now released the audio recordings of all three calls.

McDonald’s 911 Call: No McNuggets!

The woman, a 27-year-old named Latreasa Goodman, told police the McDonald’s didn’t have any chicken nuggets and wouldn’t give her her money back.

“The manager just took my money and won’t give me my money back, trying to make me get something off the menu that I don’t want,” she said on the phone. “”I ordered chicken nuggets. They don’t have chicken nuggets, and so I told her, ‘Just give me my money back,’ and she tells me I have to pick something else off the menu.”

When police suggested to Goodman that her issue might not be an emergency, she responded:

“This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn’t have McNuggets, I wouldn’t have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don’t want one. This is an emergency.”

The McDonald’s, by the way, issued an apology and said it would make sure Goodman got her money back. She may need it, too: Police arrested Goodman on charges of misusing of the 911 system — and odds are, that kind of criume results in a fine slightly higher than $1.99.

McDonald’s 911 Call Audio

Click on the player below to listen to the nearly five minutes of audio from the three McDonald’s 911 calls.

McDonalds sued over nude photograph sharing: Tina Sherman not lovin it

Duncan Riley — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:47:44 +0000

McDonalds is facing a lawsuit after employees in a Fayetteville, Arkansas store stole nude photos from a lost cell phone and posted them to the internet.

Phillip and Tina Sherman say Phillip left his cell phone at the McDonald’s July 5. Phillip rang the store to be told that the phone had been found, and had been secured for his collection. What employees shortly discovered though was that Tina Sherman had been sending nude photographs of herself to her husband, and this is where the story takes a turn into legal terrority.

Shortly after confirming the store had the phone, Tina Sherman began receiving offensive calls and text messages about the pictures, then learned her pictures had been posted online along with her name, address and phone number. According to NWAOnline, the web site described how McDonald’s employees retrieved the pictures from a phone left at the restaurant.

Phillip and Tina Sherman are seeking more than $3 million in damages. McDonald’s has so far refused to comment on the story. I guess the Sherman’s weren’t lovin it.

McDonalds to offer free WiFi in Australia

Duncan Riley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:56:54 +0000

McDonalds has announced that all of its 720 restaurants in Australia will soon offer free WiFi internet access.

McDonald’s has long offered WiFi in Australia, but only on a paid basis, through casual payment, or billed directly to Telstra accounts. McDonalds starting offering free WiFi in its United States stores in 2003.

The implementation would seem to be more complicated then simply flicking a switch on the existing WiFi hotspots, with a staged rollout utilizing Telstra’s Next IP network expected to be completed by March 2009.

720 stores may not seem huge in a global context, but it’s a huge number in Australia where free WiFi has never really taken off like it has in other places. Combined with the recent McDonald’s makeover in Australia that included the introduction of “McCafe” outlets in standalone stores, including the ability to purchase cafe style food (their Focaccia and ham and cheese croissants are pretty good) and proper tea and coffee, I can see myself visiting McDonald’s more regularly in the future, because you can’t beat highspeed free Wifi, even with a 3G modem.

(via Trevor Cook)