No McDonalds in Iceland - It's (even) better than you think.

[denem]

(This has been reported here before. What's new is the clear rationale behind the decision: McDonalds prohibited local produce)

I was listening to Gardar Ögmundsson, the owner of the McDonalds franchise in Iceland (BBC World Service). I felt my anger rising as he went on about importing his ingredients, the collapse of the Icelandic Kroner ( 85 to 185 Kroner to the Euro) and "unacceptable" costs - he would have to jack up the price of burgers by 30%

OK, I thought, so there's less profit in your oh so socially nutritious enterprise, throw all those people out of work.

I was wrong. Mr Ögmundsson went on to explain that McDonalds prevented him from buying locally: Bread, cheese, even lettuce. Only McDonalds certified producers would do and these were in Europe. So, he is ditching the franchise and reinventing his business. "Metro" restaurants will open, replacing the McDonalds, using local ingredients. Although the fare will be similar, Ögmundsson has reached an agreement with McD that his menus do not infringe their intellectual property.

There will be new jobs for producers and Ögmundsson is unlikely to go back to McDonalds even if the Kroner recovers.

I should have Googled. I've corrected Ögmundsson's, name. He might not have appreciated Gaydar. Here's an article:

McDonald's Closes Shop in Iceland

Lyst, the operator of US fast food chain McDonald's in Iceland, announced yesterday that the restaurant’s doors will close at the end of this month. The reason is the rising cost of imported supplies following the collapse of the Icelandic króna.

The low exchange rate in addition to high tariffs have doubled the company’s expenses for meat, cheese, vegetables and other products and challenged its profitability. The ingredients for hamburgers must be imported according to McDonald's' regulations, visir.is reports.

Lyst has therefore decided to open a new fast food chain, Metro, in the three locations in Reykjavík where McDonald's currently operate. Metro will have Icelandic hamburgers with Icelandic ingredients on the menu, which will create up to 15 new jobs among Icelandic producers.

These changes are undertaken in agreement with McDonald's, a statement from Lyst reads.http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=351036

[trotsky]

1. Well, part of Mickey D's "appeal"...

is that the food will taste EXACTLY the same no matter if you buy it in Reykjavik, Tokyo, Paris, or Oklahoma City.

That is their shtick, and to do so requires some pretty strict supplier requirements. Not saying I approve of it, but their business model has clearly been successful.

[denem]

2. That's the idea, yes, but it's not true.

If you look up calorie / sugars / fat tables you will see different results for Germany, UK, Australia and the US. US Big Macs contain HFCS, for example and have 5g more fat.

[trotsky]

3. Small variations don't contradict the model.

There are bound to be certain circumstances where an exact match for an ingredient can't be obtained. So they test and test and find something that's "close enough" to be almost indistinguishable. I'm not disagreeing that their policy leads to bad environmental and economic consequences.

[denem]

4. dupe

[denem]

5. I don't disagree, but given McDonalds certified producers pay for the privilage,

per quarter, minimizing 'variations' is not the only reason that Mcdonalds enforce their practices.

[demodonkey]

6. I ate a BigMac in France decades ago, and was later told it contained horsemeat.

I believe this because at the time the Europeans had started buying up all our "grade" (unregistered, non-purebred) horses as cheap meat. And this BigMac did not taste like any beef I ever ate before or since (and my family used to raise beef.)

[Raster]

10. That would be a Royale with cheese!

[demodonkey]

11. I dunno... at the time it was called a "Big Mac" (yes in English) and I was in Paris. nt

[Raster]

12. My mistake: Quarterpounder. The line is from Pulp Fiction:

Jules: Well, if you like burgers give 'em a try sometime. I can't usually get 'em myself because my girlfriend's a vegitarian which pretty much makes me a vegitarian. But I do love the taste of a good burger. Mm-mm-mm. You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France?
Brett: No.
Jules: Tell 'em, Vincent.
Vincent: A Royale with cheese.
Jules: A Royale with cheese! You know why they call it that?
Brett: Because of the metric system?
Jules: Check out the big brain on Brett! You're a smart motherfucker. That's right. The metric system.

[TheBigotBasher]

15. Although horse meat is sold in France

it is expensive and therefore not likely to be anything other than beef. I do like that in French McDs you can get beer with your meal deal.

[notesdev]

8. Just from one state to the next that's not been my experience

It was a rude awakening when I first discovered that in some places it is customary to serve a standard burger with mustard. Even worse when they do it with a cheeseburger!

[Electric Monk]

9. Try ordering a Big Mac at McDonald's in India, see what you get

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=mcdonalds+india+menu



http://trifter.com/practical-travel/budget-travel/mcdonald’s-strange-menu-around-the-world/

[marmar]

13. Generic crap for the masses....That's one thing America does better than anyone.

nt

[Cha]

7. Good, way to

reinvent himself. That sounds like a way deal to me.

[malaise]

14. McDonald once had several branches all over

Jamaica. Well when they first arrived they sued a man named McDonald over the name of his restaurant, which had been selling Jamaican food for over 30 years.
That pissed off most people. The guy won, but Jamaicans decided to make a statement and ignore them. They shut up shop a few years ago in all but one outlet (in Montego Bay). Strangely enough Burger King has more than a few successful restaurants and I won't even discuss KFC.