McDonalds

Thank gosh it closed

Not that great — stay away from the Big Macs!!!

Updated Note (6÷16÷12): this location has been sold off and will soon become a part Jersey Mike’s Subs and part Wendy’s.
RIP McDonalds, many a Big Mac was served in this location, and you will not be forgotten by the tens of thousands of Amtrak Keystone passengers who rushed into your lobby during their 18-​minute layover.

They charged me 50 cents extra for making me a half-​Reeses-​half-​Oreo McFlurry! Ack!
Make sure to only tell the person making it. And not the surprisingly attentive cashier at the front.
Don’t worry; the manager, who is sitting out with the customers, chillin’, will scream out from time to time, «WHY ANT ANYBUDDY WORKIN’?!»
This place gets the job done, dime and all.

I asked for a large coffee. I got a large coffee. I didn’t ask for a smile, small-​talk, offer to donate to the Ronald McDonald House, or anything else. I didn’t get anything else. This was expected behavior, and for that, I am grateful.
And the coffee beats anything in 30^th Street Station.

I have actually eaten here.
Yes.
Gasp.
So shocking — seeing as I usually don’t even consider fast food — but I have a weakness. Every once in a business-​trippy-​blue moon, I grab an egg McMuffin here on my way to catch the AMTRAK train.
300 calories.
$ 2.99 (sometimes they have a buy 2 for $ 3 deal — but who can eat 2 of them?)
Egg Mc Muff.
What evs,
Oh — and believe it or not the Muslim ladies who run the place (at least on the morning weekday shift) are pretty darned pleasant. I was so shocked!

This is the best McDonald’s in the North America if not the world.
The other people who have reviewed this Mickey D’s and said otherwise, well… I hate to tell you, but they have had their brains ruined by heroin and LSD. Either that, or they are involved in the evil Unilocal extortion business model. «Nice restaurant you got there: it’d be a shame if it were to be beleaguered by a spate of awful reviews that have a mysteriously prominent place on your business listing. I’m sorry, were we talking about the advertising you were about to buy on this site?»
Anyway, let me bring The Serious for a second.
This really is an exceptional McDonald’s. When I last went in there and asked for an iced coffee, the teenager who took my order acted as if I had just fallen into cardiac arrest and he was racing against time to save my life. He wasn’t going to mess up my order and he damn sure wasn’t going to waste my time. Seriously, Mr. McDonald’s Manager: whatever you’re paying that kid, double it. Chop-​chop, motherfucker.
Did I mention that the place was also clean, calm, and orderly?

If any place would benefit from business process redesign, it would be here, the 30^th St. McDonalds in Philadelphia.
I’ve never SEEN so many employees collectively involved in the mess-​up of virtually every single order made. It’s painful to watch, and even more painful to experience, especially when they decide it’s you, and not they, who botched your order.
One time an employee brimmed with rage because I failed to recognize that the soda she filled for me was mine. The one that was left to swelter by the deep frier, and probably had a straw in it. In fact she was so hot with anger, she nearly lept her poly-​panted self right over the counter for what could very well have been a rigorous hair-​pulling sesame-​seed face-​off.
And another thing. This location has no ketchup dispensers. Totally annoying! When you need to eat fast and catch a train, you need to pump it. But instead, 30^th St. only does ketchup packets: those tiny, impossible-​to-​open packets — and only if you ask. Otherwise you get none.
1 out of 10 hamburger patties.

Ahhhh, my old stomping grounds. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been to this McDonald’s. Probably because I don’t remember half of them.
The big draw to this McDonald’s is its location — right in the 30^th st station. Most of their customers are travelers grabbing food at the train station. Back when I used to take the R8 to work every day, I was indeed one of them — although for breakfast, I preferred the Dunkin Donuts across the aisle.
However, this location served another purpose — drunk Drexel students. At least when I went to school there, you had one location on campus open 24 hours to get food — 7 – 11. As delicious as those taquitos are, sometimes you need something else. That’s what the 24 hour McDonald’s in 30^th st station is for.
The problem? Its only 24 hours in spirit. Many, many times, if you come between the hours of 2 – 5, the employees will just be lounging around. They’re «closed to get ready for breakfast» they’ll say. In other words, they want to get paid to sit around and do nothing, while poor me goes hungry. Oh, and their prices are higher than the standard McDonald’s, too. And its not always clean.
The location advantage saves this McD from a 1-​star. If you’re at 30^th st station during the day, you have many other options available to you. Use them.

Perfect place to pick up a sausage burrito before hopping on your SEPTA or Amtrak train. All aboard!