MacDonalds in the Philippines

ANGELES CITY, Philippines     I don’t think reviewing MacDonalds would serve much of a purpose, so I won’t try.  There are a few noteworthy differences between the MacDonald’s you might be used to in the rest of the world to and those you’ll find in the Philippines.  So here’s a quick list, most of which amuse me:

1.  MacDonald’s is referred to as “MacDo” here.  I guess it’s a bit too much work to say the whole word, or perhaps it’s a tad bit friendlier.

2.  The Ronald MacDonald plastic statues look decidedly Asian.  When I first moved here, it cracked me up a bit.  I think it would take an extraordinary act of genetic engineering to produce an Asian-looking, flaming orange-haired child with a pasty-white clown face.  If I saw such a beast walking down the street, I’d secure my wallet and then run.  Maybe that’s why Jollibee is more popular here.

Ronald is half Asian!

3.  The burgers taste the same, but the prices are cheaper.  Burgers and Cheeseburgers are less than P50, and large fries are around P30, depending on the outlet.  That’s about 30% off of the cost of similar items in the States.

4.  The food tastes nearly identical to stateside.  Unlike Wendy’s and Domino’s, for example, MacDo seems to strive to deliver a consistent product globally, meaning they seem to use the same meats, condiments, and buns.  I’m sure they source their ingredients locally, but they must have a hell of a quality control department to make it taste virtually identical.

5.  They do make some concessions to local preferences, offering fried chicken and spaghetti at many of their outlets.  For some reason, unknown to me, Filipinos LOVE fried chicken and spaghetti.  That’s not a derogatory statement, by any means, it’s just a simple observation.  Kenny Rogers Roaster, a chicken rotissery chain, went out of business long ago in the U.S.A.  It’s still going strong here, even opening up more outlets.  Go figure.

As I said, I won’t even attempt to review MacDo here.  It would be pointless and you probably know whether you like the food or no already.  I must confess, once in a while I enjoy wolfing down a Quarter Pounder with cheese and a large fries.  Which brings me to my final point:

6.  Don’t expect a 1 minute turnaround on the “high priced” items on the menu.  I know, I know, the prices are all cheap, but higher priced is relative.  If you order a Quarter Pounter at a whopping P80, you will surely have to wait while they make one.  Unless you’re in a hurry, this is no big deal.  Spend 5 minutes sitting at a table and people watching, the nice lady or gentleman at the counter will bring your food to you when it’s done. 

You’ll find 2 MacDonald’s in the immediate Balibago area.  The nearest is at the SM Megamall.  There’s another on base near Pure Gold Duty Free.  There are rumors that yet another will be springing up at the corner of Field’s and MacArthur, so stay tuned, MacDo fans.      -copyright 2008, ACEats.com