McDonald’s (Richland)
8200 N. 32nd StreetThe culinary tour of Richland continues.
J had a meeting Thursday night so I was responsible for picking L up from her strength and conditioning class at Athletic Mentors. She got a ride there from Wings Event Center after skating but I would need to get her home.
I didn’t have to sit out there the whole hour like I have had to do lately so I took my time getting there. I thought about stopping somewhere along Gull Road for dinner but it likely would have been fast food either way. I figured I’d just keep making my way through Richland restaurants.
The McDonald’s in Richland is on 32nd Street/M-89 north of the downtown area of Richland and the intersection with D Avenue. You would never know from the road that this is a McDonald’s without the sign near the road. It doesn’t look like any other McDonald’s and blends in more with the surroundings. Outside of the one yellow “M” on the side of the building, the siding is all grey on . I’m sure there’s a zoning code or something which forces the design away from the traditional red and yellow building.
I had some time to kill so I went in to order and eat. The design of the building is a little bit nicer than the typical McDonald’s and it has the newer, smaller counter design with only one register. There is still a large menu board on monitors hanging from the ceiling but long gone are the days of ordering at the counter and the order taking turning around to grab a sandwich out of a metal warming rack. The McDonald’s of the 1980’s I grew up with wouldn’t recognize the way these new McDonald’s restaurants are laid out.
You don’t really order at the counter anymore. There’s no one standing there waiting for you. Instead, there are kiosks in the lobby to order from. I know I’m in the minority but I like this better. I can take a little more time to look over my options and customize the order the way I like it without having to verbalize it to someone and hope they get it right.
I typically get the Double Quarterpounder w/Cheese meal but as I was scrolling through, I saw a bit of an upgrade with a Bacon Double Quarterpounder w/cheese meal so I got that. I ordered the burger plain and upgraded the fries and the drink to a large. I paid right at the kiosk with my card and grabbed a number off the side. The cost was right around $14.
The dining room is a little bit nicer than a typical McDonald’s too. Again, 80’s McDonald’s would look at these new designs and be like, “whaaaaaaat?” No more hard plastic chairs connected to the tables. There are a few different seating options including pub tables with a long padded bench but I just went to one of the four tops along the wall and waited for my number to be called out.
I was a little surprised my number was just called out instead of them bring my food to the table. I assumed that was the reason behind the large plastic numbers but whatever. I got up and got my food and filled up my drink with Coke before heading back to the table and sitting down.
I started with the fries. We all know what McDonald’s fries taste like. I know some people have a love affair with McDonald’s fries. To me, they’re just alright. They’re good fast food fries but I’ve never gotten the obsession with them. They’re better when they’re hot…and these were. No complaints from me. I always like McDonald’s’ fries, I just don’t get why people put them at the top of their best fry lists.
McDonald’s cheeseburgers always hit different. I don’t know why. They’re not the best cheeseburger you can get. They’re not even the best fast food burger you can get. They’re salty, greasy and have this really unique flavor that I’ve never been able to describe. The Bacon Double Quarterpounder is just like the Double Quarter but with bacon. I don’t really think the bacon adds much to the sandwich. It’s just kind of there. I can’t believe I’d ever say this but the sandwich just really doesn’t need the bacon. It’s find on it’s own.
You know what I always say about fast food? It is what it is. It’s food. It gets the job done. When I was a kind in the 80’s, I wanted to go to McDonald’s for the Happy Meal toys and the astroturf playland. As an adult, if I go to McDonald’s, it’s because I’m hungry and I don’t have a lot of money. That was the case with this stop in Richland. I didn’t have a lot to spend and I had some time to kill. This is probably one of the nicer McDonald’s in the are but outside of that, it’s just like all the rest.
SW Michigan Dining 