This is an outdoor terrace at McDonald's in Berlin overlooking Checkpoint Charlie. It was beautiful and we totally ate there (in 2014).
OK, not always, but there is a time and a place for McDonald's and sometimes that time is on vacation, and that place is a foreign country.
We took an overnight ferry to Stockholm on Monday night. We disembarked at 6.30 on Tuesday morning and were greeted by a city that was mostly still asleep. I had googled ahead of time to find a place to eat breakfast that was reasonably near the ferry terminal (because forced marches to food are no fun for hungry people) and open at 6.30am and came up mostly empty. But guess who was located on the way from the ferry terminal to Gamla Stan (Old City, our first destination) and was open 24/7? MCDONALD'S.
It was in the perfect location with a beautiful view of the city and harbor. It had clean, familiar, hot food that was delicious and a sure thing for the kids (admit it, McDonald's breakfast IS delicious). Plus, it was such a treat since we never eat there when we're at home. The nice lady gave each kid a free toy. We never felt like anyone was hustling us to leave, or that the kids were making too much noise. We stayed as long as we wanted, ate all the food, and paid more than was maybe reasonable (because Sweden), but far, far less than we would have paid at almost any other restaurant.
As much as I live for food, I am not adventurous when it comes to eating out in foreign countries. It's usually a necessity that I want to take care of as quickly as possible (and then to the bare minimum degree - that's what Snickers are for!) so I can move on to other sights and activities and experiences. It's just the kind of traveler I am. My nightmare scenario, when it comes to eating out on vacation, is eating at a restaurant (or worse, cafe - I hate cafes, I know, I'm weird) where the food costs too much and there's not enough of it and nobody likes it anyway. So you've paid a bunch of money and you're still starving and unhappy. Lose-lose.
Never so with McDonald's! So I will continue to refuse to turn up my nose at McDonald's on principle: if it's the right time and place, I will totally eat there and be happy that I did.
