The Economy

A warm McChicken sandwich with the right amount of mayo and lettuce is pretty good. The McFillet used to be good. Fried fish, cheese, tartar sauce on a steamed bun.

 

https://www.foodandwine.com/mcdonalds-salads-8672826

“What about salads?” Linebaugh asked. “Why not bring back salads?”

“You know, our founder famously said in 1970, ‘I don't know what people are going to be eating in the year 2000, but we're going to serve more of it than anybody else,” Erlinger responded. “And so if people really want salads from McDonald's, we will gladly relaunch salads. But what our experience has proven is, that's not what the consumer is looking for from McDonald's.”

 

There are no Sonics nearby, but I can get to a Carl's Jr. in less than 10 minutes no matter which direction I go when I leave home.
I go to McD once a year. When I leave our golf tournament in San Diego, it's about a one-hour drive to get home. There is a McD on the way to the freeway -- 2 Egg McMuffins and a large coffee to eat in the car. I was surprised the last time because I thought an Egg McMuffin would cost the same at a Sausage McMuffin. It's the same damn thing, except a piece of ham or a piece of sausage. Wrong. The ham one costs a lot more.

 

Nearest McDonald's is like 20 minutes away. If I'm on a drive that requires me to get up early, I might stop for coffee, a sausage biscuit and the hash browns. The coffee doubtless has the most nutritional value, but it tastes OK and acts as ballast.

 

Out of necessity, I found myself needing to eat and went through a McDonald's. I got a Filet-o-Fish combo. It cost me $9, which didn't make me happy. It was the first one I'd had in I'm sure 5-6 years. It was good.
That was only the second time I've been through a fast food joint for a combo in the last year. I'll drop by Hardee's every so often and grab a biscuit, so that's not bad, especially if they are doing 2 for $5.

 

I live in a rapidly-growing suburb where the food options haven't caught up yet. My current fast food options are McD's, Taco Bell, Sonic and Subway. The drive-thrus at each often back out onto the street. I can drive 15 minutes one way for Dairy Queen, 15 minutes the other for Carl's Jr., or 12-16 minutes (depending on how I hit the traffic lights) for Whataburger, Moo-Yah Burger, Smashburger, etc. the next town down.

The option I end up choosing is often a Gut Bomb at 7-Eleven or (better quality) Mexican staples at the local Kwik-E-Mart.

There is a closer Whataburger that should've opened a month ago, but the opening has been delayed because they can't hire workers.

 

Have you considered ordering through an app and choosing the delivery option?

 

I only mention these because they are a family favorite.


$6.98 + $4.00 + $4.28 + $3.35 =


Eight (much better) Filet-O-Fish sandwiches for $2.33 each.

 

Don’t knock Fancy Feast until you try it.

 

Fancy Feast Slave Labor is one of those headlines - like Chiquita Death Squads - for which you cannot prepare yourself.

 

Under the radar: Three of the largest U.S. railroads -- Norfolk Southern, CSX and BNSF -- completed tentative five-year contracts with most of their unions, four months ahead of the deadline for re-opening agreements. They are all pending ratification but generally, the deals call for 3.5% wage increases each year, improved benefits, and better scheduling and time off, the last a huge point of contention. Workforce shortages are real.

In contrast, the two largest Canadian carriers, CN and CPKC, suffered a one-day lockout/strike late last week after contract talks broke down before a government board ordered everyone back to work. Trudeau spent a year-and-a-half refusing to intervene in talks. Blame Canada, indeed.