McDonalds: An American Icon

The largest of the fast food companies have forever cemented themselves into the American culture and they are fully aware of that fact. Written on a McDonald’s paper tray liner is their statement to this knowledge; “I think about great memories from my past. Road Trips, friends, study breaks and lots of laughs. Anytime nostalgia sets in, I know it’s not too long before I’ll be going to McDonald’s for a Big Mac. Someday in the future, when I’m looking back at today, McDonald’s will still be there.” Since our future only holds visions of more and more fast-food restaurants springing up across the horizon, we need to learn where the best food is being served outside our own kitchen. There are several different chains of fast food restaurants in the Redding area, but which one is the best? During recent interviews with several managers and a crew member from different fast food restaurants in Redding I learned that each one had a little different story about where their restaurant’s food came from and what their experience was working there. Daryl Yeomans, a crew member (the manager didn’t want to speak with me) at a McDonald’s in Redding stated, “all of our lettuce, tomatoes and onions come pre-packaged and pre-sliced. All we do is basically assemble the food.” This way of processing orders has been the McDonald’s way since the 1950’s. As Stacy Perman describes in her book In-N-Out Burger, “each [McDonald’s] Grell 2 order required little more than a quick assembly from a ready-made food kit” (86). According to the McDonald’s website, their meat patties are “frozen instantly, after the meat is ground, to make sure the very best quality and flavor is preserved. It is then transported frozen to our restaurants” (McDonald's). When asked...

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.... Clearly there is a better choice if you must eat fast food, but for many, eating at In-N-Out is not as practical as eating at the many other fast food restaurant choices we have in this area. One reason is there is only one In-N-Out location in Redding compared to the dozens of McDonald’s and Burger Kings that dot the entire area. Another reason why it can be impractical to eat at InN-Out is because they do not offer happy meals or playgrounds for the children. Some of the biggest reasons that people eat at fast-food restaurants are that it is quick, easy and affordable. In-N-Out caters to the people who eat at their restaurant because their food tastes good and its fresh. Their following is a slightly different part of the population, but there is one thing for sure, when it comes to freshness of ingredients and a grassroots philosophy, In-N-Out Burger is the best.