Tonight, in Paris, we try three world popular fast food concepts. McDonald’s, Quick and back in town again Burger King. Each of these names are competing for the highest turn over…
Just a few months ago, Burger King came back into the French market; Quick is a Belgium concept that speaks the French language and McDonald's is McDonald’s and the biggest fast food success story ever, in my opinion.
We start with Burger King. The place is clean and neat but looks quite empty. The welcoming area is so big that it needs dozens of customers to fill it up. Music plays in the background, while you spot machines for self orders and the bar. They do offer eight burgers; that means something!
The Big King XXL, my favorite burger in Beirut; is a disaster here! The driest burger I have ever had: two black/brown looking patties, stale lettuce, stale bread, slice of cheese and no sauce. It’s so dry you can’t even swallow it. The fries! My goodness, I'm not sure who eats something like that. Under-cooked, lacks crispness and salt.
It’s a big no for Burger King and this might justify why the brand didn't succeed in France before and in my honest opinion it won't last for long.
Now is "Quick" time. It may not look clean as Burger King but after all we're here for a burger, so don’t expect much. They offer Pepsi not Coke and their famous burgers are the Giant and the Giant Max. The prices are close to one to the other.
A long wait and the tray was ready. The burger is served unwrapped and placed upside down in a box. The "Giant" Max, which looks so good on the banner is actually small, unappetizing and disgusting. A tiny piece of meat, thin as a paper, bread that's dry and prepared the day before and it tastes like something you really don’t want to taste.
What a shame: Zero quality, zero presentation and zero finesse. The fries are surely better than that served at Burger King but again it’s not up to standard. Let's see what McDonald's has to offer.
And we walked in... Amazing! McDonald's Champs Elysees has taken fast food to another level, to another dimension. The place is classy, modern and clean.
Grey is now the main color. You get the feeling that McDonald’s has matured and now targets people of all ages and not just kids craving for some fast food burgers.
A cafe, a salad bar and a pickup area after passing through the screens where the orders are created. The kitchen looks clearer and cleaner. You won’t see the machines and McFlurry fridges and there’s no music…Just enjoy the calm and simplicity.
Inspirational to say the least. The place is made of concrete with light wooden tables, benches, chairs and high stools around, photos of the champs Elysees in colors. One wall displays the menu on three screens and lots of people just waiting to be served by the staff wearing light blue, in front of the counter that’s white and clean. They're still mastering the concept, which just opened last month.
You’ll read a tagline on the wall: "Come as you are" a slogan that’s exactly like Lebanon’s Crepaway who came up with it years ago.
Food is different than the two others. The bun is fresh, the meat is juicy, the sauce is tasty and the vegetables are fresh and tasty. It’s an edible burger to say the least. The BigMac is good! It is what you expect when you decide to come here. A fresh bun, two slices of juicy meat, the famous sauce, the sweetness, and the pickles and on the side enjoy salty crunchy and tender fries.
Conclusion:
- Taste: Burger King is inedible, Quick is bad and McDonald's is excellent.
- Presentation: Quick is unacceptable, Mc.Donald's wins.
- Fries: Mc.Donald's for sure.
- The eatery: McDonald's wins on all fronts. The place is outstanding! An architectural masterpiece.
- Service and attention: Surely Mc. Donald's, the others have a lot to learn.
Quick and Burger King better move it up a notch or they’re in for big problems. Competing with food guru like McDonald's is not easy. Visit the Champs Elysees branch and enjoy.
