Shelley Taylor
McDonald's of Sequim
Published on Wed, Jan 13, 2010 by Shelley TaylorRead More Taylor
McDonald's of Sequim
107 South 7th Avenue
683.4192
5 am. to Midnight every day of the week
$
If you've been sitting under a rock lately (or misplaced your Blackberry), you haven't heard that the cost of rice has increased 70% this year, corn is up around 30% (due in large part by farmers now growing inedible corn for biofuels), not to mention gasoline prices that will continue to rise - which of course tacks on to the cost of every single thing we buy because trucks eat up a lot of fuel.
And now reports on how this is the worst time in memory for restaurants, with big chains like Cheesecake Factory filing for restructured bankruptcies just to stay in business. You may notice that portion sizes are being downsized in order to allow you to still have a night or two out to dinner without paying more for it.
Just what am I gonna do? Me, who makes reservations for dinner? These are tough times indeed for the cooking challenged.
That's why when deciding on my next restaurant for this month's column, what with all the bad economy news, I figured I better concentrate on a restaurant that won't put a dent in our pocketbooks.
So, let's all go out to McDonald's shall we?
Is there anything I can tell you about McDonald's that you don't already know? From it's humble beginnings in Des Planes, Illinois to its charitable Ronald McDonald House, it's an American Icon.
Gone now are those huge golden arches which today have morphed into a 21st century motif; and Sequim's McDonald's is new and sleek.
The sitdown area is a mini photo gallery - a sepia-toned history of the Peninsula. The seating is no nonsense which includes state-of-the-art easy to clean booths (the better to mop up after food fight wars among the toddler set). There's even one big booth island capable of seating a family of four and grandma and grandpops as well.
Attached to the sitdown area is a small version of an amusement park for kids. The gymboree is a cornucopia of primary colors - just the place for harried moms to put their kids to burn off their sugar rush.
For what it's worth...McDonald's can be described with the current mantra, "It is what it is." It's not about ambiance or slow dining. It's about fast inexpensive food. That's what you expect...and that's what you get.
But McDonald's isn't just about hamburgers anymore. I counted nearly 100 items on the menu! Of course there's hamburgers and french fries and beverages, but I was surprised to find there are 21 items on the breakfast menu. They offer plenty of chicken choices and a Filet-o-Fish sandwich. And nearly a dozen salads.
For under $10 I splurged on a Caesar salad (without the grilled chicken), a small unadulterated burger, fries, and a diet Coke. I was pleasantly surprised when the Caesar salad arrived with a packet of (Paul) Newman's Own Creamy Caesar dressing (one of five Newman's Own dressings on the menu). These are so good, I even use them at home. And true to McDonald's philosophy of helping the community, profits of all of Newman's products go to charity. The lettuce was fresh and crispy which included, to my surprise, not just iceberg but some field greens as well.
The hamburger wasn't particularly exciting - but then I didn't order a fancy one. Mine was strictly no frills. They supplied a nice big slice of tomato upon request, and the lettuce, pickles, and onions were available at the self-serve bar. And that's where I found those annoying packets of ketchup. I understand that portion control is essential in a business like this, but I should remember to always bring a scissors with me under these circumstances. By the time I had enough ketchup on my plate to satisfy me, my fries and hamburger were pretty near room temp. (I just don't like ketchup with my fries, I like french fry soup.) For some reason, the self-serve bar doesn't put out mustard - that I had to ask for. But there were endless refills of my diet Coke - something you don't get if you take out.
In order to do a thorough job for my review, I found it mandatory that I order some type of dessert. I settled on a cinnamon bun which wasn't bad (unless I paid attention to fat and calorie content). If you're really worried about calories and nutritional facts, they make it easy for you with a nifty handout that tells you about every item they offer.
The wait staff was perky and well-trained. The bathrooms are nearly antiseptically clean - which is no small feat when most of your audience are sticky-fingered kids.
While I was there amongst young families and tots playing in the gymboree, I saw several groups of senior citizens taking advantage of the low prices I suspect.
When you're hungry, when you're in a hurry, when you're watching your pennies, when you want to be a little naughty (or not) and when you aren't looking for ambiance, McDonald's fills the bill.
107 South 7th Avenue
683.4192
5 am. to Midnight every day of the week
$
If you've been sitting under a rock lately (or misplaced your Blackberry), you haven't heard that the cost of rice has increased 70% this year, corn is up around 30% (due in large part by farmers now growing inedible corn for biofuels), not to mention gasoline prices that will continue to rise - which of course tacks on to the cost of every single thing we buy because trucks eat up a lot of fuel.
And now reports on how this is the worst time in memory for restaurants, with big chains like Cheesecake Factory filing for restructured bankruptcies just to stay in business. You may notice that portion sizes are being downsized in order to allow you to still have a night or two out to dinner without paying more for it.
Just what am I gonna do? Me, who makes reservations for dinner? These are tough times indeed for the cooking challenged.
That's why when deciding on my next restaurant for this month's column, what with all the bad economy news, I figured I better concentrate on a restaurant that won't put a dent in our pocketbooks.
So, let's all go out to McDonald's shall we?
Is there anything I can tell you about McDonald's that you don't already know? From it's humble beginnings in Des Planes, Illinois to its charitable Ronald McDonald House, it's an American Icon.
Gone now are those huge golden arches which today have morphed into a 21st century motif; and Sequim's McDonald's is new and sleek.
The sitdown area is a mini photo gallery - a sepia-toned history of the Peninsula. The seating is no nonsense which includes state-of-the-art easy to clean booths (the better to mop up after food fight wars among the toddler set). There's even one big booth island capable of seating a family of four and grandma and grandpops as well.
Attached to the sitdown area is a small version of an amusement park for kids. The gymboree is a cornucopia of primary colors - just the place for harried moms to put their kids to burn off their sugar rush.
For what it's worth...McDonald's can be described with the current mantra, "It is what it is." It's not about ambiance or slow dining. It's about fast inexpensive food. That's what you expect...and that's what you get.
But McDonald's isn't just about hamburgers anymore. I counted nearly 100 items on the menu! Of course there's hamburgers and french fries and beverages, but I was surprised to find there are 21 items on the breakfast menu. They offer plenty of chicken choices and a Filet-o-Fish sandwich. And nearly a dozen salads.
For under $10 I splurged on a Caesar salad (without the grilled chicken), a small unadulterated burger, fries, and a diet Coke. I was pleasantly surprised when the Caesar salad arrived with a packet of (Paul) Newman's Own Creamy Caesar dressing (one of five Newman's Own dressings on the menu). These are so good, I even use them at home. And true to McDonald's philosophy of helping the community, profits of all of Newman's products go to charity. The lettuce was fresh and crispy which included, to my surprise, not just iceberg but some field greens as well.
The hamburger wasn't particularly exciting - but then I didn't order a fancy one. Mine was strictly no frills. They supplied a nice big slice of tomato upon request, and the lettuce, pickles, and onions were available at the self-serve bar. And that's where I found those annoying packets of ketchup. I understand that portion control is essential in a business like this, but I should remember to always bring a scissors with me under these circumstances. By the time I had enough ketchup on my plate to satisfy me, my fries and hamburger were pretty near room temp. (I just don't like ketchup with my fries, I like french fry soup.) For some reason, the self-serve bar doesn't put out mustard - that I had to ask for. But there were endless refills of my diet Coke - something you don't get if you take out.
In order to do a thorough job for my review, I found it mandatory that I order some type of dessert. I settled on a cinnamon bun which wasn't bad (unless I paid attention to fat and calorie content). If you're really worried about calories and nutritional facts, they make it easy for you with a nifty handout that tells you about every item they offer.
The wait staff was perky and well-trained. The bathrooms are nearly antiseptically clean - which is no small feat when most of your audience are sticky-fingered kids.
While I was there amongst young families and tots playing in the gymboree, I saw several groups of senior citizens taking advantage of the low prices I suspect.
When you're hungry, when you're in a hurry, when you're watching your pennies, when you want to be a little naughty (or not) and when you aren't looking for ambiance, McDonald's fills the bill.
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