All McDonald’s are not created equal

Add this to your list of little known and meaningless facts. Not all McDonald’s in Hawaii are created equal.

If you’ve ever wondered why some McDonald’s are clean and neat and service is quick and food is tasty, and other McDonald’s are not, wonder no more.

In Hawaii, some McDonald’s are owned and operated by McDonald’s. Some are local franchise operations. Can you tell which is which?

The McDonald’s restaurants (I really don’t think that word fully evokes the flavor of a McDonald’s) in Honolulu on King Street, Beretania Street, and Keeaumoku Street have been remodeled in recent years. They’re clean, well managed, and serve food that is freshly made, tasty.

That’s not always the case with other McDonald’s (See? I just couldn’t bring myself to call them ‘restaurants’).

I like the McDonald’s breakfast sausage burrito. All those I’ve purchased and enjoyed came from the McDonald’s on King, Beretania, and Keeaumoku streets, respectively. Last week I stopped at McDonald’s in Ala Moana Center.

Yes, the place was like an Emergency Room for senior citizens. No, it’s not as clean. There were three long lines. I stood in the longest line. Had I stood in the shortest line, a transformation occurs. The longest line immediately becomes the shortest line, while the shortest line, the one I would have been in, would have become the longest line.

I chose the longest line, figuring it wouldn’t make any difference. It did. When I was ready to step toward the counter, the counter girl closed her register and motioned me to go Line #2, which was the aforementioned, oft-cursed shorter line, which was now even longer. So, I waited and waited, and when it was finally my turn to step toward the counter to give my order, the counter girl closed her register and motioned me to go to Line #1, which was now larger than Line #3 and Line #2 were when put together.

I left and went back to the McDonald’s on Beretania Street.

Note to McDonald’s King Street Sausage Burrito cook. The Sausage Burritos at the Beretania Street McDonald’s are wrapped better and taste better.