I think it was a mistake to take away those mcdonalds fries stands in the parks.

Tinkerfan4ever

Well-Known Member
I really missed these fry carts when they left as well. At the time I had 2 younger kids that we pushed to try new foods while we were at Disney (they are older and more adventurous now and don't complain as much). It was nice to grab them some fries and have them eat without complaining or asking a million questions about the food.
 

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
This used to be the way, they served McNuggets and McDonalds fries at select quick service locations.

But the long-term agreement with McDonalds ended and also McDonalds food became seen as unhealthy following the Super Size Me film.

Good write-up on it at Yesterland https://www.yesterland.com/mcwdw.html
That is funny.
As opposed to all the healthy options found throughout the park today...like alcoholic super sweet drinks lol.
Post edit some of the Starbucks drinks have more calories than an order of fries
 

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
That is funny.
As opposed to all the healthy options found throughout the park today...like alcoholic super sweet drinks lol.
Post edit some of the Starbucks drinks have more calories than an order of fries

Oh I think the effect of the Super Size me film was quite short-lived. But at the time, McDonalds wanted more freedom to work with Dreamworks on promoting other films in Happy Meals and also Disney maybe didn't see McDonalds as the best fit in the park.

But I do agree that despite all the "Mickey Check" meals and everything done to make the kids meals healthier at Disney, the adult meals are still generally pretty unhealthy.
 

juniorthomas

Well-Known Member
In my experience, as delicious as the fries were, it seemed there was always someone else hovering nearby who wanted them more....
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UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
I think the fries at Casey's Corner are as good or better than McDonald's fries. Five Guys fries are much better than McDonald's fries too (as long as they aren't rushing and undercook them); if we're going for outside entities I'd much rather see Five Guys fry stands than McDonald's.

Personally, though, I'd prefer to have zero outside restaurants in Disney. I hate all the Starbucks locations. Rainforest Cafe is an outlier I don't really mind since it's just at the entrance of Animal Kingdom and fits the theme.
 

Giss Neric

Well-Known Member
I think the fries at Casey's Corner are as good or better than McDonald's fries. Five Guys fries are much better than McDonald's fries too (as long as they aren't rushing and undercook them); if we're going for outside entities I'd much rather see Five Guys fry stands than McDonald's.

Personally, though, I'd prefer to have zero outside restaurants in Disney. I hate all the Starbucks locations. Rainforest Cafe is an outlier I don't really mind since it's just at the entrance of Animal Kingdom and fits the theme.
Agree about Casey's Corner fries. I personally like my fries spiced but all fries I like as long as it's fresh and crispy.
 

Tjaden

Well-Known Member
I think the fries at Casey's Corner are as good or better than McDonald's fries. Five Guys fries are much better than McDonald's fries too (as long as they aren't rushing and undercook them); if we're going for outside entities I'd much rather see Five Guys fry stands than McDonald's.

Personally, though, I'd prefer to have zero outside restaurants in Disney. I hate all the Starbucks locations. Rainforest Cafe is an outlier I don't really mind since it's just at the entrance of Animal Kingdom and fits the theme.
Yeah I enjoy McDonald's fries once every 3 months or so, but I don't want them or any other national chain in the parks. Even if I like McDonald's fries better than the fries they serve at the parks I'd rather the food be parks exclusive.
 

RollerCoaster

Well-Known Member
I think the fries at Casey's Corner are as good or better than McDonald's fries. Five Guys fries are much better than McDonald's fries too (as long as they aren't rushing and undercook them); if we're going for outside entities I'd much rather see Five Guys fry stands than McDonald's.

You can't be serious. Five Guys? - just terrible. Casey's Corner, pretty much the same, but only mediocre.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
You can't be serious. Five Guys? - just terrible. Casey's Corner, pretty much the same, but only mediocre.

Casey's Corner fries are almost identical to McDonald's fries, just slightly better.

Five Guys fries are actually good. Fresh potatoes fried right before you eat them. Good Five Guys fries (and yes, sometimes you get bad ones if the people are lazy or rushed) are so much better than McDonald's they may as well be a different type of food entirely -- and they basically are, considering they're just fried potatoes and McDonald's fries are something concocted in a lab with 14 different ingredients.

Anyways, as far as Disney goes, they probably like to be able to offer fries as a vegetarian/vegan option. McDonald's fries aren't vegetarian.
 
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DisneyTalks

Active Member
Original Poster
Casey's Corner fries are almost identical to McDonald's fries, just slightly better.

Five Guys fries are actually good. Fresh potatoes fried right before you eat them. Good Five Guys fries (and yes, sometimes you get bad ones if the people are lazy or rushed) are so much better than McDonald's they may as well be a different type of food entirely -- and they basically are, considering they're just fried potatoes and McDonald's fries are something concocted in a lab with 14 different ingredients.

Anyways, as far as Disney goes, they probably like to be able to offer fries as a vegetarian/vegan option. McDonald's fries aren't vegetarian.
You can do both though.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
You can do both though.

Conceivably, sure. There's a lot of moving parts involved with a deal like that, though. McDonald's could easily want to be the exclusive fries provider in order to sign a new deal.

I don't believe that was the case with the original, but it had a ton of other cross-branding provisions, and it's unlikely they'd do any new deal without similar cross-branding. Not sure Disney wants to do that (McDonald's may not either).
 

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
Casey's Corner fries are almost identical to McDonald's fries, just slightly better.

Five Guys fries are actually good. Fresh potatoes fried right before you eat them. Good Five Guys fries (and yes, sometimes you get bad ones if the people are lazy or rushed) are so much better than McDonald's they may as well be a different type of food entirely -- and they basically are, considering they're just fried potatoes and McDonald's fries are something concocted in a lab with 14 different ingredients.

Anyways, as far as Disney goes, they probably like to be able to offer fries as a vegetarian/vegan option. McDonald's fries aren't vegetarian.

I agree that Five Guys fries are some of the best around.

The thing about the number of ingredients in McDonalds fries is always very interesting to me.
UK McDonalds fries have 3-4 ingredients, potato, oil, salt (and sometimes dextrose sugar to make them brown when the potatoes have low natural sugar). The UK fries are also vegan as the only other thing cooked in the same oil are the vegan dippers (which are used to make vege wrap/burger).
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
I agree that Five Guys fries are some of the best around.

The thing about the number of ingredients in McDonalds fries is always very interesting to me.
UK McDonalds fries have 3-4 ingredients, potato, oil, salt (and sometimes dextrose sugar to make them brown when the potatoes have low natural sugar). The UK fries are also vegan as the only other thing cooked in the same oil are the vegan dippers (which are used to make vege wrap/burger).

The ones in the US have beef fat as an ingredient, which is why they aren't vegetarian/vegan.
 

Kobe!!

Well-Known Member
I'm afraid if you had a McDonalds open up inside MK you would not be seeing the same reasonable prices you get in the outside. I think it would be closer to the ridiculous over priced levels you get for a McDonalds that opens on an interstate highway or inside an airport. The prices are much higher than in a McDonalds right outside the airport or off of the interstate. McDonalds would know they had a captive audience and price accordingly... and while you can enjoy a tiny McDondalds cheeseburger that only costs you a dollar could you really enjoy that same burger if they raised the price to 4 dollars for the little cheeseburger or 8 dollars for a Big Mac? Once you saw the Disney prices of the food you would probably think twice about the McDondalds an likely skip them as they are acceptable when they are cheap but who would want them at over the top Disney prices.
Explain this logic then about the Starbucks on property and at the parks....
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Explain this logic then about the Starbucks on property and at the parks....
I'm assuming Starbuck isn't much different in price, and that may be the case. If that is the case then its probably because Starbucks is selling overpriced coffee that costs pennies... Whereas a McDonalds is selling food with a very small margin which is why it is so cheap. If Disney is charging a very high rental for the space the Starbucks can easily afford that extra rent as it is like simply increasing the cost of the coffee it sell by a dollar or so... not a problem if you were making 3 or more dollars margin before... but if you were McDonalds that was making very little on some items you would be selling at a lose and couldn't stay in business without raising your prices.

It is also possible that Starbucks may have been given a special rate by Disney to get them into the park because they thought it would be a draw to visitors... While they might do the same with McDonalds, why would they do that when the McDonalds would be competing against their own burger and fries in Tomorrow Land? I don't think they would give McDonalds any price breaks so you would see your prices go up.
 

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