Is McDonald's deserting the high street?

[Harpers Tate]

...Greggs...explain on their website why they don't keep food hot...

This is easy. Takeaway food that is kept hot is subject to VAT. Takeaway food that is not kept hot is VAT free. Food that happens to be hot because it was freshly made is not considered to be kept hot and so is VAT free. Greggs attempt to maintain a steady supply of freshly cooked product so as to give customers hot (or warm) takeaway without VAT and/or to simplify their bookkeeping. (I can easily see how it would be impossible to distinguish between a VAT free and a taxable sausage roll were they to be both baked instore and kept hot). But of course it won't always work out like that and you may therefore end up with a tepid or cool product.

 

[Kite159]

The McDonalds in Andover town centre closed a couple years ago when a new drive-through one opened on a small retail park on the outskirts of town. The company* quoted they wanted to move as the existing store wasn't large enough & had restricted opening hours [as it was located within a shopping centre]. Bit of a shame as the town centre one was popular with students of the nearby college. The unit is now a toy store, and I believe a 2nd drive-through has opened on the other side of town on another little retail park.

(*either McDonalds UK or the franchise holder)

 

[Antman]

This is easy. Takeaway food that is kept hot is subject to VAT. Takeaway food that is not kept hot is VAT free. Food that happens to be hot because it was freshly made is not considered to be kept hot and so is VAT free. Greggs attempt to maintain a steady supply of freshly cooked product so as to give customers hot (or warm) takeaway without VAT and/or to simplify their bookkeeping. (I can easily see how it would be impossible to distinguish between a VAT free and a taxable sausage roll were they to be both baked instore and kept hot). But of course it won't always work out like that and you may therefore end up with a tepid or cool product.

That explains it then although Percy Ingle bakers keep their products hot and their prices are similar to Greggs.

Another thing about Greggs, all too often just one person serving and a queue out the door.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

That explains it then although Percy Ingle bakers keep their products hot and their prices are similar to Greggs.

Another thing about Greggs, all too often just one person serving and a queue out the door.

The VAT thing might be the reason, but other high-street bakeries manage to either absorb the VAT or time their preparation of food better to allow it to still be warm when served.
Is this what the whole "Pasty Tax" thing was about under Call Me Dave? because Greggs pasties have been cold (not just lukewarm) for as long as I can remember- way before anyone knew who Cameron was!

 

[PeterC]

The VAT thing might be the reason, but other high-street bakeries manage to either absorb the VAT or time their preparation of food better to allow it to still be warm when served.
Is this what the whole "Pasty Tax" thing was about under Call Me Dave? because Greggs pasties have been cold (not just lukewarm) for as long as I can remember- way before anyone knew who Cameron was!

The whole point of a pastie is that it is eaten cold.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The whole point of a pastie is that it is eaten cold.

Fair point! But the same doesn't apply to the steak bake (historical foodstuff of highwaymen) nor the sausage roll (historical foodstuff of wandering minstrels)...

 

[Busaholic]

The whole point of a pastie is that it is eaten cold.

Lukewarm pasties are best imo, assuming they are of decent quality. The best ones in my part of Cornwall are NOT sold as Cornish pasties, as they could legitimately be, but are made in the local butcher's and are sold as steak pasties. I buy them just out of the oven, walk the 20 yards to my home, put them in an unlit oven and then take the dog for a walk. An hour or so later, on my return, the pasty is perfect for consumption.

 

[yorksrob]

Fair point! But the same doesn't apply to the steak bake (historical foodstuff of highwaymen) nor the sausage roll (historical foodstuff of wandering minstrels)...

I find they're usually super-heated to the extent that its like trying to eat napalm.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I'm not sure why so many people obsess over Greggs, I don't find most things they sell particularly cheap, or good value.

Me neither, awful overpriced tat. Pound Bakery exceeds them for both prices and (somehow) quality.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I find they're usually super-heated to the extent that its like trying to eat napalm.

Please don't tell me which Greggs you use then, I don't want to have my main gripe with them removed- though there's plenty of other things to dislike about them, such as the Starbucks-esque flooding of markets... except that a Greggs brings an area down rather than up!

 

[yorksrob]

Please don't tell me which Greggs you use then, I don't want to have my main gripe with them removed- though there's plenty of other things to dislike about them, such as the Starbucks-esque flooding of markets... except that a Greggs brings an area down rather than up!

I find their sandwich selection a bit uninspiring these days. Better value elsewhere.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Talking of Maccies, as far as competition goes Subway have gone up from nothing to massive in about 15 years, largely because of their franchise model, and give the impression of being healthier (even if they mostly are not) as well as hugely more variety.

 

[johntea]

I like going to Subway once a week with work colleagues for lunch, a footlong sandwich, a drink and a cookie (complete the survey via the app each week hint hint!) for a fiver is decent value especially if you're like me and ask for all the salad to be added! (Gets messy with the Meatball one though!)

The loyalty point scheme is very good with Subway too now if you go with other people, you get points for your purchase (£5 = 50 etc), double that as double points seems to be a permanent offer, then the 'Subsquad' if a couple of you are in the squad and purchase within a couple of hours of each other you get a bonus 50 points so it can quickly add up to the 500 points for a free 6 inch sub or 1000 points for a free footlong sub! (We get on quite well with the manager of the particular branch too so we can often steal points from the till if previous customers have purchased and not claimed the points!)

Having said all that, it is only somewhere I would go once or twice a week for somewhere to eat.

 

[Busaholic]

My wife says I can only smell the 'nasties' e.g. rotting seaweed on a beach when driving past 200 yards away and not the nice things like flowers, so I have to say of the two Subway branches that I pass fairly regularly I always get a whiff of something slightly objectionable, like limp salad leaves kept too long in the hydrator. For that reason, I would never eat there.

 

[Bald Rick]

The loyalty point scheme is very good with Subway too now if you go with other people, you get points for your purchase (£5 = 50 etc), double that as double points seems to be a permanent offer, then the 'Subsquad' if a couple of you are in the squad and purchase within a couple of hours of each other you get a bonus 50 points so it can quickly add up to the 500 points for a free 6 inch sub or 1000 points for a free footlong sub! (We get on quite well with the manager of the particular branch too so we can often steal points from the till if previous customers have purchased and not claimed the points!)

I'm not surprised you get on WLL with the manager if you are dropping £5 a couple of times a week on what is essentially a large bread roll with some filling in it that you could pick up at Tescos for half the price, along with a drink that you pour yourself!

Never seen the attraction with Subway. If I'm going to spend money on having someone make my sandwich for me, it will be proper bread, from a proper bakery, with fillings that aren't portion controlled to the slice of plastic cheese.

 

[Qwerty133]

I'm not surprised you get on WLL with the manager if you are dropping £5 a couple of times a week on what is essentially a large bread roll with some filling in it that you could pick up at Tescos for half the price, along with a drink that you pour yourself!

Never seen the attraction with Subway. If I'm going to spend money on having someone make my sandwich for me, it will be proper bread, from a proper bakery, with fillings that aren't portion controlled to the slice of plastic cheese.

And theres this

Food safety bosses reveal why Leicester Subway branch got zero rating
Food safety officials have confirmed they used their emergency power to shut down a Leicester Subway branch after a customer spotted a cockroach.

from http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/food-safety-bosses-reveal-leicester-309834

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not surprised you get on WLL with the manager if you are dropping £5 a couple of times a week on what is essentially a large bread roll with some filling in it that you could pick up at Tescos for half the price, along with a drink that you pour yourself!

I like the self-pour drinks, in particular because it allows you to make your own "dishwater"/"Spezi"/"Mezzo Mix" (basically half Coke half Fanta, on sale as a product in its own right in Germany and absolutely lovely!)

Not dissimilar to orange Coke which the fancy "freestyle" machines do, but more refreshing I find because the Coke flavour is diluted a bit by the Fanta.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezzo_Mix

 

[skyhigh]

Leeds Briggate on a Friday / Saturday night turns into a nightclub with a gated queue and bouncers! Luckily a lot of people seem unaware the station one is an option until 2am!

Sorry, just spotted this! I was completely unaware of that, I always thought it closed at midnight... that'll be handy for a quick snack when I'm on my way home

 

[jon0844]

I like the self-pour drinks, in particular because it allows you to make your own "dishwater"/"Spezi"/"Mezzo Mix" (basically half Coke half Fanta, on sale as a product in its own right in Germany and absolutely lovely!)

Not dissimilar to orange Coke which the fancy "freestyle" machines do, but more refreshing I find because the Coke flavour is diluted a bit by the Fanta.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mezzo_Mix

Got a bottle at Munich airport last week. €3.95 for 500ml (rip off airport prices), but had to try it as it was highly recommended. It was quite nice, but nothing spectacular (but it was always going to struggle to prove itself at such a high cost).

 

[najaB]

I like the self-pour drinks, in particular because it allows you to make your own "dishwater"/"Spezi"/"Mezzo Mix" (basically half Coke half Fanta, on sale as a product in its own right in Germany and absolutely lovely!

With the weird looks I've received I thought I was the only one doing this. Lovely stuff that combination.

 

[Groningen]

With MC Donalds moving away (apparently) in England; one must think if one should shed a tear. There are more healthy chains in the world. Think about Subway.

 

[Bletchleyite]

With MC Donalds moving away (apparently) in England; one must think if one should shed a tear. There are more healthy chains in the world. Think about Subway.

Subway isn’t necessarily healthy, it depends very much what you order.

 

[BanburyBlue]

I think we're about to lose our MacDonalds in the centre of town here in Banbury. Bit surprised as it always looks busy - queues almost to the door sometimes.

Interesting reading comments above. My view...

I never use Subway mainly because of 'no substance' bread, and plastic ham.

I quite like Greggs for breakfast - bacon roll and coffee for £2. You get what you pay for and for the price it's all right. My wife loves their bacon and cheese wrap/turnover things. I don't tend to use them for much else - lunchtime sandwiches I go elsewhere. It took me a while to understand the VAT dodge, 'we don't serve hot food, if you're lucky it has just come out of the oven and will be hot (which does happen)'. I guess this doesn't apply to their 'breakfast rolls' or the hot toasted sandwiches they do?

I would normally go for a BK rather than MacDonalds for burgers, although quite partial to a BigMac. BK here is varied. We have two, one on the retail park which is good, and one in the centre of town which is useless. Interesting comments above about how long BK food lasts for before being served. In the Town Centre BK, everything is cooked to order which causes massive queues, whereas in MacDonalds there is a continual amount of burgers kept ready in the hot slidey burger dispenser thingy.

I think it's quite funny now thinking back to the 1980's when Macdonalds opened. My parents were aghast that you didn't get cutlery or a proper plate. And the 'fast food' thing was big and it was normal to see people behind the counter actually running and sliding around the kitchen area (perhaps health and safety rules aren't always bad?).

And I do miss our Wimpy. Closed years ago but used to love the quarterpounders on the wholemeal rolls. That said, I tried the new one in Bicester recently and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Is it rose tinted spectacles or have their recipes changes over time?

 

[DarloRich]

Is McDonalds deserting the high Street? Hopefully..............

 

[najaB]

Is McDonalds deserting the high Street? Hopefully..............

I'd rather they dessert the high street, personally.

 

[DarloRich]

I'd rather they dessert the high street, personally.

McDonalds deserts are poor.

 

[najaB]

McDonalds deserts are poor.

The McAtacama is quite dry.

 

[Clip]

Chorley is another one that lost its High Street branch (replaced by an edge of town drive thru 10-15 years ago).
)

Chorley does have a wonderful food place in the market call the bees country kitchen though. Home cooked food at very reasonable prices.

Is there still a Wimpy down at Clarence Pier in Southsea? Must be the only one left by now...

They seem to be making a comeback with more opening.

 

[sk688]

Wealdstone lost it’s McDonalds too , pretty recently

 

[Harbouring]

I can see why if stores are asked to pay for the rebrands then they'd give up if business was in the margins. Waterloville had a store that was still in the early 90's era store layout and furniture up until a couple of years ago. Seems like someone had forgotten about that. They have recently opened a new one in a custom build on the main road with a drive thru