Why is the McDonald's menu so basic in the UK?

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No-Willingness-4097@reddit

Canada's one is usually even more basic. No bana milkshake and the Strawberry one is just vanilla one with the sundae sauce mixed in. Atrocious.

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French people simply have higher standards for food. McD's tried to break the market there with the same slop we get and it failed. They had to heaily adapt it and make it better quality for it to become a viable business.

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audigex@reddit

People don't buy it. It's genuinely that simple

They regularly rotate "special/new" items through the menu, and very occasionally one of them will stick - but generally they just don't sell well enough after the initial "ooh, shiny" rush to bother

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TheDr_@reddit

I'm just mad they got rid of the triple cheeseburger

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

Yeah I don't get fast food often but the triple cheeseburger was at least a decent meat and cheese to bread ratio.

I suspect it wasn't profitable enough for big Ron.

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Goodness what a sad state of affairs, I’ve seen the option in the morning just assumed it was on all sandwiches

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PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit

Nope, pretty much just breakfast items!

I think the official line is something about operational ease but if that were the case it would surely apply to breakfasts as well.

Majestic-Driver@reddit

I can't talk to the economics of it all but it feels competitive in France too. There's McDo, Quick, BK plus a few others doing burgers, and then there are others like KFC and then O'Tacos (and clones) are taking over the whole country!

Screenshot shows, left to right, a KFC, then a BK then a Quick, all next to each other in Calais!

Fast food in the UK is a very competitive market.

Passable, occasionally warm, salt-ridden, soggy belly filler that costs more than a sit down dinner in pizza express with candles and wine.

Nor the chicken burgers at KFC. And that's just the other big chains before we even get to the 1000s of chicken shops if you live in a bigger city.

Chicken Legend was up there but is no more.

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Sweet-Economics-5553@reddit

I hear you my friend, but for me it's the McChicken sandwich sauce--sort of like salad cream but not.

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MikeyButch17@reddit

I’m still annoyed they never brought back Breakfast Bagels. Plus the old Breakfast Wraps were far superior.

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bodhibirdy@reddit

Dunno if you've got a Timo Hortons near you or not but consequently I'm now a big fan of their breakfast wrap - it's great! Also... Cheap!

The Maccas I had in Japan was the best Maccas I've ever had

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Mezzy1221@reddit

Maccas

Get out

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Flat-Leading-2520@reddit

In comparison the KFC I had in Japan was the worst I've ever had. So bland, it was really terrible. Just stuck to actual Japanese restaurants after that.

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TeHNeutral@reddit

I've got a serious soft spot for a hungover Japanese mcdonalds.
Samurai mac, their fries which are cooked in animal fat, melon drink and some spicy nuggets.

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aredditusername69@reddit

Being able to get nugs instead of fries is a game changer out there

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Srapture@reddit

Yup. I'm mostly eating at the proper local stuff, but I always try the local thing too.

We used to have the best local thing of anywhere I've been, IMO (chicken legend).

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SquashedByAHalo@reddit

Took me six months in Kuwait to try the maccies

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I remember watching a travelog video on YouTube with some Americans who made a beeline for McDonald's right after they arrived in Rome.

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charlierc@reddit

Tbf I saw an Instagram the other day of a McDonald's in Rome in this beautiful ornate building that looked nothing like any other in the world

On a similar note, I thought it was funny when I went to Milan and saw a McDonald's right by the famous shopping arcade filled with every designer label you can think of

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Have you tried going to a restaurant in Rome?

Assuming they don't ignore you for so long that you decide to leave, you are unlikely to be in and out in under 2 hours.

If you've been on the piss it's often the only thing open beyond midnight.

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kcon123@reddit (OP)

Don't worry I also ate lots of ortolan as well.

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QldMumof7@reddit

What is this?

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shizzler@reddit

THXORY@reddit

Because McDonald's is basic

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Calelith@reddit

I worked there a few years back and its a few things.

The stores and kitchens are too small, there was talk years ago about all day breakfast. However a majority of stores didn't have the size of kitchen needed to be able todo it.
The cost vs sales. The most popular items for sales was never the cooler promo stuff. When they used todo more interesting stuff the sales after the first week or 2 didn't stick, so it wasn't worth it.
The Franchises, the owners of the franchises have quite a big say in what their stores sell and do, and a majority of them want to make as much money as possible.

Everyone has a regional items based on local food.

We have this too but it wouldn’t stand out to us and i think its like bacon butty or breakfast roll or something.

In 2001, a cheeseburger was 299 kcal. Today, it's 303 kcal, a 1% increase.

In 2001, a quarter pounder with cheese was 516 kcal. Today, it's 514 kcal, a 0.4% decrease.

In 2001, a McChicken sandwich was 375 kcal. Today, it's 371 kcal, a 1% decrease.

In 2001, large fries contained 412 kcal. Today, it's 444 kcal, an 8% increase.

2001 nutritional information

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No-Echo-8927@reddit

It's even more bizarre here in Austria (brit living in Austria):
- Veggy burger (the old one with the frozen vegetables in a patty)
- Avocado & Egg Wrap (only until 10:30am)
- Mc Muffic Cottage Cheese ( :S )

Vegan options:
- Nope

Haha you say it like it is silly but we got McSpaghetti in the Philippines! 🤣🤣🤣

Jollibees in Liverpool puts KFC to shame.

Service and food quality both miles better.

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No_Preference9093@reddit

People in the uk have pretty bland tastes basically.

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BornTooSlow@reddit

This,

They massively reduced the menu during COVID and put a ton less effort into their promotional burgers because they realised the plain old slop sells well and suits the British palate.

Common-Spend5000@reddit

They stopped cones some time around the pandemic.

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PJTheMan1986@reddit

I would guess other countries don't deliver as much but that's just a theory. It would be interesting to see any statistics with delivery app usuage in other countries. I am basing it on how in our contry we have delivery drivers everywhere now and McDonald's UK having specific areas for drivers to collect.

McDonald's did used to have more variety in it's menu and I do feel they have started to be a bit more experimental in the past few months. I do find UK fast food brands to be pretty dull anyway like KFC and Burger King being pretty poor from what they used to be.

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UKAOKyay@reddit

McDonald's tried standard fast food in France and they almost got banned from the country, so they had to adapt to appease French politicians, hence why you have McCafes over there, totally different vibe and menu.

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Ultimate_os@reddit

It’s cheap and the UK has very low standards. Try McDonalds in Switzerland if you want a real eye opener.

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GingerSnapBiscuit@reddit

I always laugh when I see suggestions like this. Either "Why don't they sell " or "Why don't they lower the price, they'd sell so many more ". Companies the size of McDonalds spend S O M U C H M O N E Y on market research. I can almost guarantee you every "great" idea you as an individual can suggest to make them more money has been suggested in a board room, investigated, usually attempted in limited markets (McDonalds will introduce stuff in a selection of stores and see how it does, then roll out the shit that works everywhere, all the god damn time) and either adopted or discarded as useless.

Its like the people who think a game/product is too expensive. "If they sold it cheaper they'd sell more". Ok, but their research has indicated that if they lower the price from £20 to £10 they will not sell 100% more product, so then why would they bother?

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Whenever they were asked similar questions as to why they don't do the same in the UK, the McDonald's office response always used to be along the lines of clever wording that didn't explicitly say that most of their customers were chavs or roadmen, but strong dog whistles giving context to anyone with even half a brain as to why they believe it would be a disaster on these shores.

Mind you, I'm going back to when I worked there more in the 00s and early 10s as a student.

I think the conversation has moved so far passed it even being conceivable these days, whereas back then the market direction was at least trying to contemplate a more café style culture.

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tragic1994@reddit

They would have to charge a fortune for it which no one would buy also I go to maccies for the basic menu just give me a burger and il go about my day.

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baldeagle1991@reddit

Still Mouring the loss of the Chicken Legend.

The McCrispy is just shit in comparison.

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MrReadilyUnready@reddit

Agreed. It was genuinely quality product. All their other burgers pale in comparison.

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rad00@reddit

Chicken legend with spicy mayo was god tier sandwich, I miss it and triple cheeseburgers too. My two favourite sandwiches

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Chemical-Lettuce2497@reddit

I enjoy the McSpicy but I cannot believe they took the chicken legend

UtopiaFrenzy@reddit

See: people asking for the big tasty to return when it’s on the menu 2/3 of the year. Why innovate when you can keep releasing the same and the audience will lap it up?

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Common-Spend5000@reddit

They have recently enshitified the Big Tasty however, the most recent time they brought it out.

Using 1/4 lb meat and bun rather than the much wider but slightly thinner and leaner 1/3 lb meat and unique bun, plus different cheese, giving it a slightly off texture and taste.

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Because people in the UK who go to McDonald’s have pretty basic tastes

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Sparknight@reddit

Genuine Question: If you're abroad why try eat the same or similar food you do here instead of the countries cuisine?

They recently removed the entire veggie menu, including the happy meal so I can't get toys anymore 😭 The only thing left is the awful fake meat mcplant burger.

At this point I kinda hope they go under here, nobody seems to be happy with the menu

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Irrxlevance@reddit

I wish but a new one just recently opened in my area meanwhile across the road a small local bakery had to close 😔

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Acceptable-Split6348@reddit

It sounds like people prefer McDonald's to the alternatives.

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Several_Cold_7160@reddit

Is this the uk by any chance?

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en70uk@reddit

Once had breadcrumbed prawns at a maccie d in Germany

Will stick with the original menu now

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charlierc@reddit

I saw adverts when passing a McDonald's somewhere in Spain for their McTapas range. Feels like breaded prawns might fit there

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en70uk@reddit

This was a town called Bamberg famous for smoked beer, which also should be avoided

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LegolasleChat@reddit

I definitely miss the Maharaja Big Mac they sell in India McDonalds. But I guess every country menu is deliberately region specific to increase sales.

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dX_iIi_Xb@reddit

I will never forget the one I had in Delhi airport. SENSATIONAL. There should be an option to replace gherkins in all McDonald's burgers to chillies.

Not that I'd want to pick one over the other.

Here in Spain you can get a beer with your meal, but, tragically, no hash-browns.

There’s a 20 minute YouTube video I watched recently that explores the topic

https://youtu.be/VFEKM27rCLE?si=sBHrt1KqYaXeV9Xs

That's why we have no bagels as it's only used for one item, and why the folded egg disappeared as it was only used in the breakfast wrap.

I'm very surprised pancakes still exist due to the Clinique ingredient and packaging.

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Marcvambe@reddit

Bring back the Jammy Dodger McFlurry!!!!!!

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Darwen85@reddit

I think its because people go to McDonald's for a burger, not jerk chicken flavoured chicken burger.

Go to a small-medium size town in the UK and it will have a kebab shop, Italian, Chinese, Indian etc

Go to a city and it will have almost every food type in the world, so when you want something that's Indian or Japanese you just go to that type of place not McDonald's, you go there when you want a quick burger or a meal with a shit toy.

I spent last summer in northern France and outside of cities they dont have as much choice as we do as they mainly have (understandably) French food cafes and restaurants.

France is also miles more spread out than the UK, I can get to about 4 major cites in 90 minutes from my house, I drove for 4 hours and saw nothing but countryside meaning it's harder to get to the bigger cites.

So if you go to your McDonald's in France and see a McCrispy Teriyaki you will try it as the nearest Japanese in France could be miles away.

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Smoke-me_a-kipper@reddit

"People in the UK like eating shit with no options"

What an absolute load of utter nonsense spouted by Americans, or English children getting groomed by Americans on Discord.

The real reason, and one that directly contradicts the lazy bullshit being spouted by morons, is because the UK already has one of the most diverse and competitive fast food scenes in the world, and absolutely not because the UK just likes 'eating garbage' or 'easting simple things', that sort of nonsense cannot be further from the truth.

Why would McDonalds spend considerable amounts of money to invest in new menu items that will be bettered by another takeaway or restaurant around the corner at a more competitive price?

In the UK in the vast majority of places you can get a curry to eat in or take away from a specialised curry house. You can get a Chinese to eat in or take out from a specialised Chinese restaurant. Spicy chicken? Same. Fried chicken? Same. Pizza? Same. Thai? Same. Kebabs? Same. Mexican? Same. Burgers? Same. Sandwiches? Same. Steak? Same. Sushi? Same. Roasts? same. Italian? Same.

It is not worth it to McDonalds to try and cater for other tastes when those tastes are already catered for by places that are doing a better job than McDonalds can do, never mind when you take into account the budget constraints of McDonalds and the expected speed of what they can churn out.

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oraff_e@reddit

I think they're meaning specifically on the McDonalds menu tbh, the Chicken Tikka wrap joined the UK menu at the beginning of the year - the McSpicy chicken burger originated on the Singapore menu in 1999 and only joined the UK menu in 2021.

From what I remember as a kid in the 90s/early 00s the menu was pretty much just Big Mac, Filet o Fish, Quarter Pounder, McChicken, hamburger, cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, fries, and the desserts. Could have missed a few things there but I think that was the gist. It's a lot more varied now.

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Broken_Sky@reddit

This is a really odd take. If I go to McDonalds is cos I want a basic burger. You don't go to McDonalds for the love of it, you go cos you know what you're going to get and that happens to be what you want at that point in time / whats available where you are (roadtrip drive through for example).

If I want a burrito I'll go to some where that sells Mexican and if I want something 'fancy' like fuck would I waste my time at McDonalds!

If I get pizza I normally get other toppings but a proper Italian margarita is great and you do proper pizza a disservice.

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Altruistic-Medium-23@reddit

If you give them a pizza they'll choose margarita.

Crash_Revenge@reddit

Covid. Covid was the death of the breakfast bagels. They just didn’t bring them back after scaling down the menu during that period.

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funnytoenail@reddit

The menu in the UK is optimised for the market that it serves. So I’ll let you draw your own conclusions there.

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ThatAwkwardGirly@reddit

I found the McDonald’s in France very basic too and found the nugget tastes different (lived there for a while) also the fondue fries would have been limited time bcs that’s def not a main menu thing

They cant even get a new burger right.

The arch burger should never of got a permanent spot over the Big tasty

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Zilybanana@reddit

but did you see the size of the last big tasty. Unfortunately its been on mounjaro

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BlokeyBlokeBloke@reddit

They will have done thousands of hours of analysis to determine what sells and what doesn't in the UK market. The menu is so basic because that is the best way for them to make as much profit as possible.

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junction_18@reddit

When I went to Switzerland in 2010 they had shrimps...

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paulmclaughlin@reddit

McDonald's entire business model was based on producing a limited number of items in a very fast, procedurised way.

For further information, see The McDonaldization of Society.

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Headlight-Highlight@reddit

Gave up on McD ages ago, I never ate many, but I had a take away, the big Mac was basically meat and sauce and they had put both burgers on the bottom - so the top layer was empty, and they had missed the sauce for the nuggets - it was lazy cr@p, never going back.

If they can't do their signature burger right, what is the point of trying to offer more variety?

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entersandmum143@reddit

One of my favorite things 'secret vices' used to be trying jazzy things from the McDonald's menu abroad.

However, McDonald's caters to it's audience.

What do you feel is missing? It is, after all fast food. I'm hardly going to buy a delicious dish from there.

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remmy84@reddit

It hasn't been "fast" since covid

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Several_Cold_7160@reddit

Yup id argue even earlier than that. A KFC by comparison youll have in a couple mins if that

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ButterscotchTop194@reddit

They often introduce new, different stuff in the UK.

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CongealedBeanKingdom@reddit

Quite a lot of us don't have to 'pretend' that McDonald's is shite food. We genuinely think it's shite.

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-oioimate@reddit

What job does it do? Yeah you feel full after you eat it in so much as it gives you a slight tummy ache, but then 10 minutes later when that passes you're still just as hungry as you were before you ate it. It's a weird thing. I do still sometimes get it though for taste nostalgia.

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11theman@reddit

Loads of people. It’s one of the most popular chains on the planet. Hope this helps 👍

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Affectionate_Hour867@reddit

It is really below average, costs a small fortune and isn’t exactly ‘fast’ food.

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