The fast-food giant said during the company’s Investor Day presentation Sept. 23 that it is launching the McDonald’s Media Network, a new advertising business that will allow other companies to place ads across McDonald’s digital platforms and restaurant screens.
McDonald’s began testing the idea in August 2026 at 450 company-owned U.S. restaurants, the chain said during the presentation. This does not include franchisees which are independently owned and operated.
The pilot features advertising from other companies on digital drive-thru menu boards after customers place their orders.
Between this, dynamic pricing, and the god awful food and service, there is no reason to keep eating this trash.
I went vegetarian almost fifteen years ago and aside from a brief stint of working there out of desperation, I’ve had no reason to go in one because there’s nothing there I can eat (no McPlant in the US). I don’t miss it. At all. And from everything I’ve heard their food has only gotten worse in that time.
why on earth would I be at an american-owned fast food chain that is renowned for serving overpriced crap out together by somebody who couldn’t give a half a fuck about the burger being even moderately presentable?
oh, and the drive thru? I haven’t been in one of those in years. I’ll walk inside, thanks, then bitch about how they’re prioritizing drive thru customers over the one person literally standing in front of them
Meh, I’ll stick with In-N-Out if I want a burger and fries. At least their employees are paid better, the food is better quality, and they don’t pull “make number go” up bullshit like this.
I don’t know if it still applies, but back in 2008 when I still lived near one a double-double and fries was only a dollar or two more than a double quarter meal at McDonald’s.
Anyone else see the illusion in the thumbnail? for the longest time I was staring at it, seeing the perspective looking down at the corner of the building, probably a drive through on the bottom left out of frame. sign faces to the right… read the article, look back up, now the perspective is looking up from the sidewalk, sign pointing left.
McDonald must be panicking a little bit after recent financial reports. They have lost a lot of business from their consumers buying something ‘cheap and quick’.
I’m usually not going to spend $15-$20 on a McValueless meal when I can go somewhere else for that price. Let’s not forget the everyday struggle McDonalds employees have when it comes to putting your entire meal and sauces in the bag at the drive through. Don’t drive away and come back to tell them or you will have a manager interrogating you as if you’re trying to steal some gourmet shit.
How about you train your employees better or take your job less serious because you’re just another disposable employee to McDonald’s. This situation definitely didn’t happen to me the last time I went there. I’m not salty about trusting McDonald’s is competent enough to give me what I pay for without having to argue about it.
This is desperation as much as saying water is wet. Fast food has exceeded it’s peak and is crumbling. People aren’t getting excited for fillers; and this goes to a lot of things like frozen food. I’m not sure what exactly is being used as a filler that makes pretty much everything taste and feel like putting a bar of soap in your mouth, but that will lead to their downfall. And it’s not me; everything tastes great whenever I’m overseas… even the McDonalds.
The fact that McDonald’s is struggling is a symptom of the K-shaped economy. Let’s be real, McDonald’s is where the poors and middle class eat. If the poors and the middle class are doing worse financially, McDonald’s is a discretionary expense that is going to get cut. If McDonald’s wants to survive, they better figure out some new products and markets to expand into where people have disposable income to spend.
someday for some reason I will likely end up being at one and have forgotten all about this and be like. wtf
I haven’t been to one in a literal decade
I definately was at them post covid and then when egg prices surged their breakfast sandwiches were a relatively good deal I think because of previous contracts they had. That I think was the last point where I was going to them. I actually remember after that I was running home while my wife was in the hospital to let the dog out before coming back and broke down as I needed something to eat quick. man I regretted it. should have just picked up a protein bar.
I’ve recently been to Five Guys for the first time and holy fuck, it was so much better than anything I’ve ever eaten at McDanooj. I’d say it’s about as good as fast food can get even.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still slop, but it’s damn good slop.
Yeah, but they pay their workers worse than McDonald’s.
They do? That’s a shame
So they have a financial benefit now in slowing down food delivery times?
I guess they do now.
I refuse to believe that making every single drive through order pull up and park makes the experience better for anyone. It’s about artificially driving down wait time metrics by making us wait more inconveniently for everyone. Nonetheless, I’m sure they will be happy to install ad screens in their numbered parking spots.
Just stop doing it.
“Nah, I’ll wait” is a perfectly valid response.
I spend exactly 5 seconds at that screen. I’m not going to lose my shit.
Has McDonald’s everywhere been converted to cooking the food by order instead of pre-making a bunch of food, or is it just where I live?
I like their food these days, tastes pretty good. 🤷♂️ Complete overhaul of freshness, main ingredients. High quality IMO, much better than Burger King where I live, e.g.
I think you may just be lucky. The McD’s in my area are still just as awful as they’ve always been.
Must be so.
Also people are really passionate about hating McD to the point of down voting due to an opinion and circumstance. 😆 Bless these souls.
GTFO.
Am I to understand from this message that you have a differing opinion? 😆
Cooked to order at my spot. It’s a great meal for $14 and despite the screeching here it’s actually much less expensive than pretty much everywhere.
Yeah, it’s not at all bad food IMO. Burger King by comparison is shit, where I live. I actually like the fries at McDonald’s nowadays, since they started cooking to order.
You can’t be a real person, claiming the donald is better than anything.
Is pretty fucking good for a 30 second wait and $14🤣. I’m fully aware I can grind my own beef and make a better burger at home or spend more money.
It might not be that way where you live, but in my town, and in MY opinion, McDonald’s tastes better than Burger King. We have 1 MD and 1 BK. Not too much to go on statistics wise, but oh well.
But out of all the large fast food franchises in my town, the single Burger King is probably the worst one to get a burger at here, ngl. We have a very popular local, national burger joint franchise which is close to 60 years old now. That one trumps BK and MD by a mile.
But of course, just go to any truly local spots that do smash burgers and you’ll beat the big ones by a parsec. So good.
Pigshit.
What uh, are you saying? Burgers are pigshit?
They’re just very very very upset and lashing out because people don’t agree with their worldview.
Haha. ‘Next time’.
Don’t you have enough fucking money, McDonald’s?
iNfInItE gRoWtH! eXpAnD oR die!
Late stage capitalism sucks
I don’t know why anyone fucks with fast food these days. It’s expensive and mediocre. Plenty of local restaurants with better food in most towns.
Chipotle is stellar if something prepared and warm is needed and you have a fridge+microwave where you’re staying. Ask for extra beans and rice, get a bunch of salsa (and a cup on the side) and a pack of cheap tortillas from another store. You can get four or more meals at 300-400cal each from one bowl, more if you have some cheap chips and salsa with it!
If you have a stove and lettuce, you can really “fancy” it up—plop two spoonfuls of bowl stuff on a tortilla, wrap it up tight, and shallow fry each side until brown. Mmmmmm
At that point why not just buy all the ingredients
Because your hotel room doesn’t have the means to prepare those ingredients. Or you’re homeless and only have access to a fridge and microwave, if you’re lucky. Or your shit is broken. I did say “if something prepared and warm is needed,” which kinda disqualifies buying all the ingredients and making it yourself.
There is a mexican food truck that will give me two meals worth of food for $10. I haven’t eaten “fast” food in a long time, but I live in the city. There is an indian grocery store that sells samosas, as well as other items, hot and ready.
I would rather hit a Quick Trip or Circle K before I would touch McDonald’s or any YUM! brand, basically any fast food or chain. And I am still not keen on gas station food. I eat from locally owned if I eat out, usually. (grabbing food while going on site at work will cause me to make exceptions: still won’t do McDonald’s. I have done Arby’s if they have a good deal, or Subway has a good meal of the day).
The price went up. It’s not expensive comparatively. Certainly not compared to the imaginary local food that’s magically avoiding cost increases.
I’m not saying local is cheaper per say - I’m saying local is now comparably priced for better food. I can eat at good diner for the same price as McDonald’s now. The point of fast food was always cheap and fast over quality. Now all it offers is fast and even that is not a given. It’s just not worth it anymore.
The hell it’s not. I can get a lot of food for the price of a mcshit meal.
Show me. Where are you getting an equivalent burger for cheaper?
Dary queen.
I do go to fast-food once in a while, but in my experience McDonald’s is really the worst of them, mediocre is too generous. Not any cheaper for basically cardboard.
Everything we do, is going to be an advertisement.
Not if the companies that implement this suffer financially. I had already stopped going to McDonalds for other reasons, but this is just another reason to avoid it.
nope, fuck McDonald’s!
