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You eat at McD's or most fast food places these days, you need the app to get reasonable prices, usually at a 15-20% discount. The app really does enhance the experience, order exactly what you want without human error, roll up to the drive-thru, give them the code, and they begin making the order at that point.

They've been pushing $5 value meals recently because the dollar menu's just not fiscally feasible anymore and $10-12+ for the normal value meals isn't a value to most people.



> The app really does enhance the experience, order exactly what you want without human error, roll up to the drive-thru, give them the code, and they begin making the order at that point.

They're particularly good at getting orders right compared to some other restaurants, so the additional value here to me is negligible. It's actually negative value to me, since if I can do a transaction without having to sign up, that's what I prefer. The value is entirely in the other direction: McDonald's wants to monetize their customer's identity information.


Try ordering a heated muffin. My current success rate at the drive through is 2/8. The other 6 times it's not heated.


It's really location dependent. The one near me missed opening time by more than 30 minutes one day last week. I don't have more data because I only would splurge for a fast food breakfast when I need it.


You don’t know, the other 6 times the employees might have yelled at the muffin to make it angry.


The app doesn't work if it's installed from a location other than the play store. I install it via aurora store without a Google account for privacy reasons (I do have play services installed but it's not logged in, notifications still work). It's a ridiculous limitation for such an app.


You can thank Play Integrity for this, Google gives app developers the tools to implement remote attestation and "integrity" of the apps and systems they run.


Don't overlook paper coupons. A while back I took a look at the advertising junk that appears in my physical mailbox instead of just throwing it in my recycle bin and found some really good fast food coupons.

Where I am both Subway and Burger King have been sending approximately monthly a sheet full of coupons with some quite good deals.


Subway you just google “November 2025 subway coupon” and find the Reddit thread and use FL1299 and get two footlongs for the price of a decimeter.


mahahahaaaaaa..... any restaurant that requires an App to access it, completely insane.


I had the mcdonalds app installed once, and then my phone pinged with a notification when I was driving near a mcdonalds. Never again.


I go through my apps and put most of them to deep sleep, ie never work in foreground. Later I heard from an internet stranger that a mobile operators app prevents users from using their phone as a Wifi hotspot.


Why would you allow notifications from most apps? What could the McDonald’s app possibly offer to warrant allowing it to dictate your attention for even a fraction of a second?


This is, uh, kind of missing the point, isn't it?

"Hey, this megacorporation made me download an app to buy food from them, and now it's being creepy."

"Have you considered that it's actually all your fault?"


I donno a flash deal or something?


For the few times a year I eat at Burger King, I just install the app on the way, use the discount, and uninstall it right after while I'm still eating.


>The app really does enhance the experience...

Sure, like paying your local mob boss enhances the experience of not having your legs broken.




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