[rmxt]

I agree... I don't think that other chains necessarily make more "natural" food than McDonalds and I wasn't really trying to draw out that comparison. I'm not a paleo/organic advocate by any means. "Country base" and "natural base" are euphemisms if I've heard them. Those places do have a better marketing tact though.

Just stumbled across this response from McDonald's themselves... maybe it's less about preservatives and more about dry and salty food (a la beef jerky) http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/your_questions/our_food/why-d...

[joezydeco]

But if you scan this entire thread as it grows (like the previous 6 "McDonald's is in trouble" threads on HN over the past year), you'll see that mantra repeated over and over. The food is shit. The upscale food is better.

It's an image McDonald's knows they need to combat and their newest ad campaigns are already working on that angle.

I'm not defending MCD by any stretch of the imagination. But it's amazing how the food was just fine when the economy was in the shitter and people got by on $1 McDoubles. Now that things are turning around and wages are microscopically better, suddenly everyone's a foodie and that $11 2000-calorie Chipotle lunch is a feel-good while the McDouble is dog food.

The cycle will repeat.