The review was carried out by a Canadian ex-pat who now lives in Los Angeles. But she surprised even herself by coming up with an ultra-lopsided result. In the end, Canada topped the US on four out of five McD’s menu items… For reasons not all associated with ‘taste’…
Narciry.com contributor Sienna Palmeri (right) – After her first round
of McFood tastings in the country vs country face-off…
Sienna set out to eat five of the chain’s universally most-popular menu items at a typical McDonald’s in each country. With a critical eye… Her ‘tasting menu’ included: the Big Mac, Fries, McNuggets, Snack Wraps, and the ‘Dessert Menu’.
Canada’s Big Mac, Fries, Snack Wrap and Desserts came in miles ahead of their US counterparts. Tallying a solid average of 8.6/10.
That doesn’t count the baffling 2/10 score Sienna gave Canadian McFountain drinks, which she said, “tend to fall flat. […] Compared to what a fountain Diet Coke should be, it feels a bit watered down and underwhelming.” All I can say is: ultra-carbonated fountain drinks are a big turn-off for me. And I’ve had over-concentrated Coke in US McD’s and other restos there more times than I’d prefer to recall…
Not totally a ‘numbers game’
Palmeri didn’t actually assign a hard, numerical rating to a couple of the menu items she reviewed. Instead, she gave Canadian Snack Wraps a close victory over their US counterparts, “mainly for var-iety.” Likewise, the Canadian Dessert menu…
Tell-tale comments…
One standout comment of Palmeri’s that I cogitated upon for some time was that the US McDonald’s food seemed to suggest, “a national lack of interest…”
That wouldn’t be out-of-gamut for this topic, given the ultra-competitive Fast Food sector at this point in history. Consumers are facing a bewildering barrage of media and new menu item releases that’s sure to blur their perceptions.
And then, there’s the assault on the very concept of ‘Fast Food’ by the ‘healthier option’ movement. That’s driving Fast Food brands to wade into the ‘supplements swamp’, adding ingredients such as protein and fibre, and other stuff that actually undermines the traditional ultra-attractive, delight-fully sinful ‘junk food’ image of Fast Food.
My take
I have a theory that American followers of this space probably won’t like. Nevertheless, it has to be said…
Canadians are fundamentally different from their US cousins in many ways – some of which I’ve taken time previously to point out here at the FFB.
Times are tough, economically. We’ve been forced to downgrade our food choice expectations in the face of food price increases that continue to outpace those in all other sectors – except, maybe, pet-roleum products.
It strikes me that US McDonald’s operators and employees have been battered harder by today’s resto-biz reality than their mirror images here in Canada. Maybe that’s why their food shows what Palmeri zeroed in on in her assessment of the Big Mac: “The U.S. version fell noticeably short. The burger looked objectively depressing. It was squashed and missing key toppings like lettuce, and felt less fresh overall. Compared to the Canadian version, it came across as more processed and much less carefully assembled.”
My experience…
My own experience lately, with McD’s here in Canada’s capital, has been nothing but good. In some senses, exceptional. The McStaff at my neighbourhood McD’s remain positive, cheery (toward cust-omers) and efficient. The stuff they put in my bag is always just as ‘well-put-together’ as I expect. The quality of their food is consistently high.
Perhaps that’s an extension of the basic Canadian approach to life, indicated outwardly by that smile I mentioned, the fact that folks will still hold the door for you if your hands are full… And say ‘Sorry!’ over the smallest breach of courtesy…
My questions to you…
Do you agree that fundamental differences between Americans and Canadians might have a signifi-cant influence over the quality of the food, service and counter-staff attitude you experience at what are supposed to be equivalent outlets?
Do you agree with me that Canadians, by our nature, may be more resilient than Americans in times of collective stress?
Is there any way to help our American cousins get out of the collective ‘dumps’ they seem to be trap-ped in at the moment – by overarching economic, social and personal realities?
Do you think that comparison reviews by food writers such as Palmeri will influence the way Amer-icans think about their Fast Food experience?
If so…
Will that trigger any significant consumer backlash against the decidedly inferior food and service Palmeri found in the course of her journey?
Muse on that!
~ Maggie J.