International Fast Food

In Mexico, I noticed that fast food restaurants were much classier than they are in the States. In Costa Rica, this notion was reaffirmed. Now, for the 3rd time I find myself noticing that fast food places in other countries are cleaner and nicer than they are in the country where they originated.

Our 1st night in Germany we were too exhausted to bother with a sit down meal before crashing so we drove to a McDonald's that Joe has frequented during his previous visit. Currently in the US, McDonald's is trying to compete with the gourmet coffee chains, and has launched a marketing campaign called McCafe. This means that all their coffees now say McCafe on the side, and their smoothies and milkshakes come in clear plastic cups, similarly branded. In Germany, if a McDonald's says McCafe on the sign, that means inside there is an actual Cafe, selling coffees, teas, buns, etc. This cafe is even separate from the regular counter. I wonder why they didn't try this in the states? It probably would have brought more people in to the store.

On Sunday, after Walhalla, Joe really wanted KFC. I acquiesced, and we stopped there on our way back from Walhalla. This KFC was something else. It was spotless and had nice tables and chairs. It even had a second floor. If you wanted dessert with your chicken, you could go over to the cool and grab a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. If you opted to dine in, you ate your food on actual ceramic plates and drank your beverages out of real glasses. You could even order beer if you felt that it would complete the meal.

Why is this quality of service and food reserved for locales outside the US only?