That's according to preschoolers, anyway.

A study done by a researcher at Stanford University has concluded that kids think that anything that McDonald's does taste better than anyone else. And not just the burgers and fries. This also extends to the milk, carrots, and apple juice! As long as it has a McDonald's logo, it's better. To quote Diane Levin, a childhood development specialist: "You see a McDonald's logo and kids start salivating."

McDonald's is looking to improve its image - literally. The company has recently rolled out a plan to overhaul and update all of its 30,000 global locations. The goal of this makeover is to refresh the look of the brand, which company officials say seems dated, not having  had a makeover since the early 1990s. The company will keep its signature red and gold colors, but will tone them down and add olive and sage greens to their color scheme.  The stores' roofs will now be flat and slanting, with a leaner, more modern look and a lot of the bright plastic features will be replaced with brick and wood but the golden arches will still be prominently featured

The biggest changes will be seen in the appearance of the restaurants, inside and out. Dining areas will be divided into "three sections with distinct personalities." One will be a "linger" area, with plush chairs and WiFi, similar to Starbucks cafes. The "grab and go" area will have tall counters and stools, as well as plasma TVs with news and weather reports.  Finally, the "flexible" area will have booths for families and other groups who are dining in.

Would a makeover make you more likely to eat in McDonald's restaurants? To "hang out" there as you might in a Starbucks?

 

There are 120 McDonalds restaurants in Israel and all of them purchase only kosher ingredients. Only 19 of the restaurants are entirely kosher, or kashrut. This means that they do not sell any dairy products whatsoever, making them no-risk restaurant destinations for those diners who keep kosher. There was concern from some rabbis that diners might be confused at the difference between the two types of McDonalds, thinking that none of them serve dairy products. To alleviate fears, McDonalds has offered a redesigned logo for the 19 restaurants. The famous red and gold will be replaced by blue and white, and the McDonalds logo will be printed only in Hebrew, with the word "kosher" appearing in English on the menu.

On Monday, McDonald's will be rolling out their new "premium roast" coffee at stores across the country. You may have seen TV ads for the coffee, or even tasted it yourself, as it has been released in several markets already. It seems that the fast-food giant wants to capitalize on the love of the American public for gourmet coffee, following in the footsteps of chains like Dunkin Donuts and Burger King, which recently began to promote its coffee. Another reason for the new coffee is that McDonald's is trying to increase its share of the breakfast market, as consumers more frequently turn to specialty coffee retailers and grab a pastry with their lattes. White the coffee is unlikely to be up to the quality of the specialty retailers, it will certainly be a step up from the "coffee" previously sold at McDonald's. In keeping with the "premium" theme, the new coffees will be served in insulated cups with the same style of lid seen at places like Starbucks instead of the usual fast-food hot beverage lid, which has a punch-out flap for drinking from. According to the McDonald's website, you can get a coupon for a free coffee with any purchase by visiting a participating store between now and March 4th.

After disclosing that its fries contain more trans fat than the nutritional information claimed, McDonald's revealed that their frence fries also contain potential allergens from dairy and wheat. The fries had always been considered to be safe for customers with a gluten intolerance, as the suppliers of the potatoes remove all potential allergens before shipping them, but the flavoring agent that McDonald's uses has derrivatives of both wheat and milk ingredients.

The revelation comes following the laws passed at the beginning of the year which require companies to disclose potential allergens, including eggs, nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy. The director of nutrition at the company says that proteins found in the wheat and dairy are what cause allergic reactions and that they are not present in the flavoring agent. She also notes that if you have been eating the french fries without experiencing an allergic reaction, you will be able to continue to do so.

Even if it does not affect those with allergies, vegetarians may be concerned that the fries contain ingredients derived from dairy.

In 2001, McDonalds opened a franchise in the Italian town of Altamura, much to the disgruntlement of local gastronomes. As of this week, however, McDonalds was forced to close its doors due to a lack of business. A local bakery, owned by Signor Digesù, and its renowned bread and panini sandwich offerings remained a customer favorite after an initial local interest in golden arches. In its five year presence in town, lines at McDonalds grew steadily shorter as the queues at Digesù’s bakery grew. There was no marketing nor any discounts offered to customers of the bakery, just the attraction of panini with fillings which include mortadella, mozzarella and eggs, basil and tomato and a local version of bruschetta.
Altamura is famed for its bread, which has been granted a DOP Certificate and recognized by the European Union as a protected regional product. DOP, or Denominazione d’Origine Protetta (denomination of protected origin), ensures that a product comes only from a specific regional area, and Altamura bread is the only Italian bread to qualify for such an honor. The recipe dates from the 14th century, though bread has been made, possibly according to the same formula, since roman times, when the poet Horace wrote that it was the finest bread in the world.