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15/12/2004: "to MaccyD's for breakfast"
Free bagel, porridge and Latte vouchers in the Metro so that's what we had.
There've been some subtle changes at Maccy Ds. Among the surprises on the backlit menus, which could be ingeniously twirled round by the manager, were Quorn fillets and hash browns. A cheeseburger cost 79p: same as 10 years ago? The Independent and Mail were available. For a pound we could use the computers set into the side tables for 30 minutes. Once past their portal, the combination of grease smeared touch screen and metal keys flush with the table worked surprisingly well, the keys having a firm click action which belied the reconstituted potato that must get forced into the cracks...
What confuses us is why anyone works there. It's hard, hot and hectic, and pays 4.89 an hour (we picked up a leaflet). We've read McLibel by John Vidal, but some of the defendants' arguments in the chapter on working there seem too simplistic. Nobody in the UK needs to work in a MacDonald's. There are lots of other jobs that pay minimum wage in supermarkets, petrol stations and cafes. We think some young people want to work there. MacDonald's is a bright, happy, multiracial place they've grown up with. It's a short step to donning the cap and joining the American dream behind the counter.
The bagel (normal price 69p) came with a choice of jam or philadelphia. Unwisely we chose jam: Robertson's sugar flavour. The toasted bagel itself was a bit rubbery but OK. The porridge (normal price 89p) turned up in a tub with an interesting hybrid MacDonald's - Oatso Simple label. It was a bit too creamy for us but there was lots of it with more strawberry jam. The latte (normal price 1.19) was a revelation. Apparently it's Kenco freshly ground for each cup. Strong and smooth.
