By Madelynn Loring, Staff Photographer
Picture this. You’re an American abroad in Europe. After eating plate after plate of delicious, wholesome food, you’re missing that all-American artificial dining experience. And then you see it, those gorgeous golden arches: McDonald’s.
This isn’t actually how I ended up at French McDonald’s (or MacDo). The real story is that I didn't realize that literally everything would be closed on Armistice (Veteran’s) Day and good old McDonald’s was my only option if I wanted to eat dinner. However, I had been wondering how the French version of this American classic fast food joint would compare and I’d finally gotten my opportunity.
Photo by Madelynn Loring
The first thing I noticed was that the ambiance of MacDo is much different in France than in America. The restaurants are kept cleaner, the staff is dressed more formally, and there is often a second story for additional seating space. France is also generally more environmentally conscious than the U.S., and French McDonald’s is no exception. If you dine in, you are not given a lid or a straw for your drink unless you specifically request it. Then, once you drop off your tray, there are 4 separate bins to dispose of different kinds of waste (from left to right: liquid/ice cubes, food waste/paper napkins, non-recyclable trash, tray covers). You are expected to clear your own tray like in the U.S., but you will receive some dirty looks if you neglect to sort your trash.
Photo by Madelynn Loring
The food is also a different story in France. Their menu seems to have all of the US classics, including the Big Mac, McChicken, Fillet-O-Fish, and McNuggets, but there are also plenty of French additions, including various salads, wraps, and the McBaguette, a baguette sandwich with cheese, lettuce, hamburger patties, and various sauces. I found the quality of this sandwich to be superior to the sandwich options in the U.S. The patty was similar, but the lettuce appeared more fresh, and the bread is actually baked on site. The quality of the fries was similar to that in the U.S., but that's nothing to complain about in my opinion.
Photo by Madelynn Loring
The other large difference I noticed in the food was the offerings of the McCafe. The French McCafe offers a large array of viennoiserie (the pasty class to which the croissant belongs) that are not available in the U.S. They also do not tend to offer savory breakfast items, as breakfast in France is almost exclusively sweet. They do, however, offer several types of donuts, which are not available in the U.S. chain, but are stereotypically an American food. My best guess as to why MacDo might offer donuts is because it is viewed as the prime location to get American food. As far as the quality of the MacDo donuts goes, I have definitely eaten worse donuts, but I have also had better, especially in France where all baked goods tend to have remarkable quality.
Photo by Madelynn Loring
The only way that MacDo falls short of American McDonald’s is the price. For my meal I paid €13.45 (around $13.80 with the current exchange rate). For the French equivalent of a Big Mac meal (burger, medium fry, and drink), you’d find yourself paying €12 ($12.45), instead of the typical $8 price in Colorado. However, given the increased quality of the food, and the fact that MacDo employees are paid a living wage unlike McDonald’s workers in the U.S., I’m not complaining about the bill.
Though I’m not dying to head back to MacDo, as there are generally better options available for the same price (when it’s not a public holiday), I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and would not count it as a loss if I ended up there again.