Mcdonald’s

There’s not a lot to say about these restaurants. The food is overpriced for what it is and most people know what it is. They serve mostly the same food everywhere with the odd nod to local taste, but the truth is we visited them more in France than we would have liked. It’s our preference to support local independents over the multi nationals, recognising in the complex world of trade that the multi nationals have a place too and to deny this is foolish. So my dear reader I hear you ask why? Well three key reasons: free wifi, toilets with paper tissue, soap and hot water to wash hands and just alright coffee. Our experience was that outside this chain all three were harder to find particularly free (and for that matter pay) wifi. To give balance there wasn’t a BurgerKing in sight anywhere and we didn’t visit the French burger equivalent Quick as again they were not easily found. We were staying in camping la Vallee with dreadful owners running a prison type régime so we spent more time off site. Some towns like Houlgate and Cabourg had free wifi in town centres which just didn’t work. Also the local cafés priced tea and coffee at and often above € 4. For this price for coffee you get about 180 ml of fluid made with poor tasting water and cheap robusta coffee. Most cafés charged € 4.50 for a 330 ml of diet coke. In short a rip off as far as I’m concerned. The coffee in Mc Donald’s was somewhat better maybe their water is filtered and half the price in nearby cafés, good wifi and friendly staff. I noted that a Big Mac meal; the burger, chips or salad and a 400ml drink in the Dives Sur Mer branch was € 5 or 50 cent more than the cost of a can of coke in a café. One morning there we got 2 lattes, 2 Mimi croissants 2 mini chocolate croissants and 2 mini Danish for 4 euro. So as the café owners can’t be a*+ed then why should I? Case closed.

I have visited this McDonalds a few times now when driving through France heading to and from Cherbourg to get the ferry. It is just a few minutes down the motorway from Cherbourg and can be seen from the motorway. You do not have to head off your route to get here and can quickly pop in and out without any hassle. The food is what you would expect and luckily the staff here have a very good knowledge of English too.