Latest news with #McPops
Daily Mirror
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I tried McDonald's in Italy and the differences blew my mind'
An American tourist decided to try McDonald's in Italy and was blown away by the differences, especially one 'crazy' addition to the menu, and some 'really good' food items McDonald's is one of the biggest fast food chains in the world, attracting millions of customers a day across more than 40,000 locations. Known for iconic items such as hamburgers, Big Macs, McMuffins and their crispy fries, many people come back to the chain time and time again. And while many of the items will be the same, or similar, wherever you go in the world, there are some differences. When McDonald's fans are travelling, many like to try out a local Maccies to see if there are any different items, or if it tastes any different. For example, McDonald's in the US will be very different to the ones in India, where they have their own version of the Big Mac. And recently a Maccies fan from the US visited a McDonald's restaurant in Italy, and was blown away by the differences. Fashion and beauty content creator Ashley LaMarca recently visited Italy and showed off the menu at McDonald's, and even did a TikTok taste test of the different items. Ashley noted how "different" the restaurant itself looked as it was "so aesthetic", as well as the items they offered. First of all, she was impressed by the look of the McChicken Il Provolone, which she said was the "most Italian thing" she'd ever seen. She was also excited that they had same burger, but with pepperoni. And she liked the look of the McWrap Il Peperone, which is a "pepperoni wrap". They also have "loaded fries", or Le Ricche Fries Cheese&Bacon and Le Ricche Fries Cheddar, as well as "actual chicken wings". "The US could never," she added. On the menu, they also had croissants, which is how she "knows she's in Europe", as well as McPops cream-filled, which she said looked "unreal". She was also excited to see things she recognised on the menu, such as the Big Tasty, Cheeseburgers and Spicy Chicken McNuggets. However, she was very surprised to see beer on the menu, which she said was "crazy". In a follow-up video Ashley tried a peach iced tea which she said was "good". Meanwhile, she said the McChicken Il Provolone was "so good", because the chicken tasted "real and fresh". She rated both a 10 out of 10, saying it was her favourite things she'd tried. She tried the fries to see if they were the same as back home, and said they were "good" but tasted "more salty," rating it a whopping 10 out of 10. She also tried the spicy chicken McNuggets which she said were really spicy, and also gave them a 10 out of 10. But she wasn't impressed by the Cheesburger, specially as the "bun to patty ratio was way off". "It's not the best, she added, rating it a five out of 10. Ashley also tried one of the McPops, which she described as "like a donut hole", and rated it an impressive nine out of 10.
Business Insider
08-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
I had lunch at the McDonald's on track to be the world's busiest. It felt like a polished coworking space with a side of fries.
I live near what may soon be the busiest McDonald's in the world: the Admiralty Centre location in Hong Kong's central business district. I'm not a die-hard McDonald's fan, but the hype around this particular branch piqued my curiosity. What does fast food look — and taste — like at hyperspeed I decided to find out over lunch. In a LinkedIn post shared by Hong Kong McDonald's in March, the company said its Admiralty Centre branch has averaged about 1,000 customers an hour during peak times since 2015. That's roughly 17 meals a minute, or one every 3.6 seconds. The current record holder is the Liverpool Street branch in London, a Hong Kong McDonald's representative told me. A representative from McDonald's UK was unable to confirm the ranking and wrote that "information about comparative sales and volume is not something we would usually share publicly." But with its newly redesigned lobby, built to handle more than 1,200 guests an hour, the Hong Kong location felt like one I had to check out for myself. A visit to the Golden Arches The Admiralty Centre location sits just above one of Hong Kong's busiest transit hubs — a "super interchange" connecting four major railway lines. It's prime real estate for a high-volume McDonald's. I showed up with a friend at around 12:30 p.m. on a Thursday last month, right in the middle of the lunch rush. It was packed, but surprisingly smooth. Most people seemed to have ordered ahead through the app, and even the self-order kiosks had short lines. I only waited behind two or three people, and we made it to the front in under two minutes. Interior design upgrade In addition to being Hong Kong's flagship location, the restaurant recently got a makeover. The revamp, unveiled in May, coincided with its 50th anniversary. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, but this branch has been here longer than I have. The 9,000-square-foot space gave off a futuristic vibe, thanks largely to a 72-foot-long curving digital screen that shifts color throughout the day. Seating ranges from round tables with lounge-style chairs to long dining counters with high stools, diner-style booths, and more. From touchscreen to tray After browsing the menu on the screen, we ordered two burgers, Shake Shake Fries, McWings, McPops, and an iced Uji Bubble Latte. Both the fries and the drink are regional menu items: the latte is an iced green tea with milk and chewy tapioca balls, while Shake Shake Fries are regular McDonald's fries served with a seasoning packet and paper bag. I added the honey barbecue flavor I'd chosen and gave the bag a good shake Hong Kong was the first place to serve the fries, debuting them in 2005. The bill added up to 176 Hong Kong dollars, or $22.40. I figured the lunchtime rush might slow things down, but true to the "fast food" name, our order was ready in just seven minutes. Surprisingly, there was no chaos. Despite every table being taken when we arrived, turnover was fast. People ate, left, and I could always spot a seat opening up. It moves like clockwork. A fast food glow-up Looking around, the place is a microcosm of Hong Kong life: white-collar workers in button-downs, grandmas feeding grandkids, teenagers FaceTiming with fries in hand. It's the fanciest McDonald's I've ever set foot in, and definitely the one most packed with office workers. There may not be a singing manager like Richie Rich Walker at the Liverpool Street branch (yes, it's true, look him up on Instagram), but this one has a surprising air of class. I never thought I'd describe a McDonald's as bougie. At least for McDonald's standards. A few tables appeared to double as casual work meetings. At one nearby table, I spotted a man in a blazer chatting with people who seemed to be his colleagues. They were all munching on Big Macs. It resembled a coworking space, as if WeWork and a high-end airport food court had a love child. Plenty of people were in suits: half deep in meetings, the other half probably pretending not to eavesdrop. It's hard to resist when you're sharing tables. I didn't see any laptops, but plenty of people were treating their phones like mini offices. They were scrolling, messaging, and even jumping on video calls. The place had a transactional energy, like productivity came with a side of fries. Meet the regulars I had expected to see more people. A 17-year-old employee told me that the outlet's busiest hours are usually between noon and 1:30 p.m. "Sometimes there aren't enough tables, and people have to wait 30 minutes," he said. Luckily for me, this was not the case when I visited. During lunch, I spoke with people about what keeps them coming back. For a 38-year-old clerk, it's the fries and proximity. "I come about twice a month," she said. "I always order ahead on the app, so I skip the line." A 46-year-old French expat working in insurance likes the consistency: "It's always fast, always the same. I come two to three times a month for a Big Mac meal." Others, like a freelance designer in his 40s, use the spot as a casual office. "I don't have a workplace, so I come here to eat and relax. It's cheap, comfortable, and fast. It works for everyone." When this McDonald's closed for renovations earlier this year, it had already served over 24 million customers, along with 4 million packs of fries, 7.5 million McNuggets, and 2.3 million cups of coffee, according to the LinkedIn post. "I'm so proud that in just one month since reopening, the team shattered records — unmatched customer satisfaction, record-breaking table service, endless compliments," Randy Lai, CEO of McDonald's Hong Kong, wrote on LinkedIn. As a kid, McDonald's meant Happy Meals and birthday parties. These days, it feels more like a coworking lounge. McDonald's is evolving, and in a city where time is money, it's doing it fast.
Business Insider
08-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
I had lunch at the McDonald's on track to be the world's busiest. It felt like a polished coworking space with a side of fries
I live near what may soon be the busiest McDonald's in the world: the Admiralty Centre location in Hong Kong's central business district. I'm not a die-hard McDonald's fan, but the hype around this particular branch piqued my curiosity. What does fast food look — and taste — like at hyperspeed I decided to find out over lunch. In a LinkedIn post shared by Hong Kong McDonald's in March, the company said its Admiralty Centre branch has averaged about 1,000 customers an hour during peak times since 2015. That's roughly 17 meals a minute, or one every 3.6 seconds. The current record holder is the Liverpool Street branch in London, a Hong Kong McDonald's representative told me. A representative from McDonald's UK was unable to confirm the ranking and wrote that "information about comparative sales and volume is not something we would usually share publicly." But with its newly redesigned lobby, built to handle more than 1,200 guests an hour, the Hong Kong location felt like one I had to check out for myself. A visit to the Golden Arches The Admiralty Centre location sits just above one of Hong Kong's busiest transit hubs — a "super interchange" connecting four major railway lines. It's prime real estate for a high-volume McDonald's. I showed up with a friend at around 12:30 p.m. on a Thursday last month, right in the middle of the lunch rush. It was packed, but surprisingly smooth. Most people seemed to have ordered ahead through the app, and even the self-order kiosks had short lines. I only waited behind two or three people, and we made it to the front in under two minutes. Interior design upgrade In addition to being Hong Kong's flagship location, the restaurant recently got a makeover. The revamp, unveiled in May, coincided with its 50th anniversary. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, but this branch has been here longer than I have. The 9,000-square-foot space gave off a futuristic vibe, thanks largely to a 72-foot-long curving digital screen that shifts color throughout the day. Seating ranges from round tables with lounge-style chairs to long dining counters with high stools, diner-style booths, and more. From touchscreen to tray After browsing the menu on the screen, we ordered two burgers, Shake Shake Fries, McWings, McPops, and an iced Uji Bubble Latte. Both the fries and the drink are regional menu items: the latte is an iced green tea with milk and chewy tapioca balls, while Shake Shake Fries are regular McDonald's fries served with a seasoning packet and paper bag. I added the honey barbecue flavor I'd chosen and gave the bag a good shake Hong Kong was the first place to serve the fries, debuting them in 2005. The bill added up to 176 Hong Kong dollars, or $22.40. I figured the lunchtime rush might slow things down, but true to the "fast food" name, our order was ready in just seven minutes. Surprisingly, there was no chaos. Despite every table being taken when we arrived, turnover was fast. People ate, left, and I could always spot a seat opening up. It moves like clockwork. A fast food glow-up Looking around, the place is a microcosm of Hong Kong life: white-collar workers in button-downs, grandmas feeding grandkids, teenagers FaceTiming with fries in hand. It's the fanciest McDonald's I've ever set foot in, and definitely the one most packed with office workers. There may not be a singing manager like Richie Rich Walker at the Liverpool Street branch (yes, it's true, look him up on Instagram), but this one has a surprising air of class. I never thought I'd describe a McDonald's as bougie. At least for McDonald's standards. A few tables appeared to double as casual work meetings. At one nearby table, I spotted a man in a blazer chatting with people who seemed to be his colleagues. They were all munching on Big Macs. It resembled a coworking space, as if WeWork and a high-end airport food court had a love child. Plenty of people were in suits: half deep in meetings, the other half probably pretending not to eavesdrop. It's hard to resist when you're sharing tables. I didn't see any laptops, but plenty of people were treating their phones like mini offices. They were scrolling, messaging, and even jumping on video calls. The place had a transactional energy, like productivity came with a side of fries. Meet the regulars I had expected to see more people. A 17-year-old employee told me that the outlet's busiest hours are usually between noon and 1:30 p.m. "Sometimes there aren't enough tables, and people have to wait 30 minutes," he said. Luckily for me, this was not the case when I visited. During lunch, I spoke with people about what keeps them coming back. For a 38-year-old clerk, it's the fries and proximity. "I come about twice a month," she said. "I always order ahead on the app, so I skip the line." A 46-year-old French expat working in insurance likes the consistency: "It's always fast, always the same. I come two to three times a month for a Big Mac meal." Others, like a freelance designer in his 40s, use the spot as a casual office. "I don't have a workplace, so I come here to eat and relax. It's cheap, comfortable, and fast. It works for everyone." When this McDonald's closed for renovations earlier this year, it had already served over 24 million customers, along with 4 million packs of fries, 7.5 million McNuggets, and 2.3 million cups of coffee, according to the LinkedIn post. "I'm so proud that in just one month since reopening, the team shattered records — unmatched customer satisfaction, record-breaking table service, endless compliments," Randy Lai, CEO of McDonald's Hong Kong, wrote on LinkedIn. As a kid, McDonald's meant Happy Meals and birthday parties. These days, it feels more like a coworking lounge. McDonald's is evolving, and in a city where time is money, it's doing it fast.
Business Insider
24-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
McDonald's shuts down its spin-off, CosMc's, after less than 3 years as sales lag
McDonald's announced on Friday that it is closing its CosMc's spin-off line of Starbucks-style drink shops. McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said in the company's last earnings call that drinks from CosMc's would be introduced to "hundreds of McDonald's restaurants" in the future. "In connection with this next phase of testing, we will begin closing all stand-alone CosMc's pilot locations in late June, and the CosMc's app will be discontinued," a McDonald's spokesperson told Business Insider. When it opened in 2023, CosMc's drew comparisons to Starbucks. Its menu included coffees, teas, lemonades, slushes, breakfast sandwiches, and small donut-like pastries called "McPops." In a December 2023 meeting with investors, Kempczinski said that CosMc's is a "small format concept with all the DNA of McDonald's but its own unique personality." "Its menu includes new customizable drinks, sweet and savory treats and familiar favorites such as the Egg McMuffin," Kempczinski said in the meeting. In its announcement on Friday, McDonald's said CosMc's served as a good testing ground for different new flavors, and it plans to blend the "out of this world tastes" of CosMc's drinks into "the McDonald's experience." "What started as a belief that McDonald's had the right to win in the fast-growing beverage space quickly came to life as a multi-location, small format, beverage-focused concept," the company said. "It allowed us to test new, bold flavors and different technologies and processes — without impacting the existing McDonald's experience for customers and crew." The closing of CosMc's comes as McDonald's faces its lowest sales since the COVID-19 lockdowns. US same-store sales at McDonald's declined 3.6% during the first quarter. With low-income diners pulling back their spending over the past year due to economic uncertainty, McDonald's saw even more middle-income buyers do the same during its first quarter, Kempczinski said in an earnings call.
