[janbernhart]

Why doesn't Mcdonalds beat local artisan restaurants?

Because their strategy is to be easy, convenient, familiar, safe, etc. The food/coffee is pretty bad, but you know what you get. This apparently is what the masses want. Predictable experience.

[musicale]

Ask any child (and most adults) and they will confirm the truth: McDonald's is actually a local optimum of fast-food deliciousness. It may not be healthy, but it's definitely tasty (though I say that as someone who has not eaten there in many years, I am certain that their standards have not fallen, simply because they basically invented fast food standardization.) Like most great fast food, it simply presses all of the buttons of salty, sweet, tangy, greasy/creamy, and savory, and usually incorporates contrasting textures and temperatures (note hot fries + burger vs. cold soda or frozen shake/soft serve.)

McDonald's food is bad in the same way that Coke is bad: it's made by a giant corporation, it's highly processed and contains questionable additives, it's readily available and heavily advertised, and consuming a lot of it will make you overweight and very unhealthy (see Super Size Me.) On the other hand, you can actually lose weight and potentially improve your lab numbers if you eat a low-calorie McDonald's diet (see The McDonald's Diet.)