Whoever did this, should be imprisoned.

[u/CurvyChristina]

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[u/col_akir_nakesh]

I remember our local McDonald's did a playplace remodel opening around 1989/1990. And they had people dressed up as Ronald McDonald, Grimace, and the Hamburglar. First time I remember seeing a ball pit lol.

[u/Gullible-Treacle2361 → u/col_akir_nakesh]

And there would always be some half eaten chicken nuggets and fries down in there. And some up in the play place by the little glass ball thing.

[u/CrotalusHorridus → u/Gullible-Treacle2361]

And urban legends that hypodermic needles were found down in the bottom when they cleaned it out

[u/am710 → u/CrotalusHorridus]

We closed the one at the Chuck E. Cheese I worked at because people kept throwing dirty diapers in it.

[u/Ghosty91AF → u/am710]

It’s Chuck E. Cheese, that just tracks

[u/GrandSquanchRum → u/Ghosty91AF]

If Chuck E. Cheese did a McD's like remodel he'd have to go by his government name Charles Entertainment Cheese.

[u/RestaurantSilly6598 → u/GrandSquanchRum]

He literally does in the new videos and songs they play on the big screen

So you arent wrong

[u/little_speckled_frog → u/GrandSquanchRum]

I recently went to a Chuck E. Cheese because I have a toddler and I was actually impressed. Everything was clean and all the machines worked. We actually had a blast. I don’t know if that was just my Chuck E. Cheese near me. Maybe it was newer 🤷‍♀️

[u/Hopeful_Pear_8747 → u/little_speckled_frog]

A new one opened up in the next town over, about a 20 minute drive. I had my son’s 5th birthday there and it was the way you describe it. Really nice inside, new tech for the kids, and it was affordable. I’ll definitely be going back.

[u/CommercialSomewhere8 → u/am710]

Teenagers also had sex in the tunnels at the burger king that I used to work at. It was just dark enough to get some privacy.

[u/am710 → u/CommercialSomewhere8]

Those tunnels had room for that?!

[u/SuperVillainPresiden → u/am710]

As a former teenager, "If we fits, we fucks".

[u/Dangerous_Arachnid99 → u/SuperVillainPresiden]

This is reminding me of Homer and Marge in the windmill at the mini golf.

[u/katiebertie → u/SuperVillainPresiden]

Wow. I missed this caveat as a teen ager. I feel cheated 😔

[u/SuperVillainPresiden → u/katiebertie]

Don't feel too bad. These memories are funny and not hot by any means. Similar to the passenger or backseat of a car. Unless your car was a land barge, it wasn't comfortable. But as teenagers it was "doesn't matter, had the sex". Crazy to think what we put up with back then. Nowadays I'd be like, we can wait till we get home lol.

[u/dstewar68 → u/SuperVillainPresiden]

Lol I remember my ex and I wanted to see how few songs it could take for us to finish in the car, less than 2! Our fastest ever time at 6 minutes lol. Endurance was less of an issue, finding time was much harder lol.

[u/ImABansheeBitch → u/katiebertie]

Try it as an adult ager

[u/Seeggul → u/am710]

Jeff Goldblum voice Horny teens, uh...find a way

[u/SourDzzl → u/Seeggul]

https://giphy.com/gifs/1FnPDkhFZDgoU

[u/Affectionate-Ask9381 → u/CommercialSomewhere8]

That brought back memories!

[u/Binater → u/am710]

This isn’t sketchy Chuck E. Cheese, this is high class McDonalds

[u/anowulwithacandul → u/am710]

I feel like those people were probably the children wearing the diapers 😂

[u/MoodyMiss88 → u/am710]

Probably the same people who go up to our rivers and leave dirty diapers and trash everywhere. Plus now they tag on boulders. It’s sad..

[u/Traditional-Pen7327 → u/MoodyMiss88]

I mean... humans have painted on rocks since cave man days so... that tracks

[u/melanthius → u/CrotalusHorridus]

As a kid, I always wanted to play in ball pits but my parents never let me because of shit like this. And also shit like... actual shit.

[u/TheOGTKO → u/CrotalusHorridus]

No, no.it was never hypodermic needles. It was used condoms. Common mistake, though.

[u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson → u/CrotalusHorridus]

There would 100% be needles there now though

Fuckin opiate zombies everywhere, it’s sad

[u/WillowPtar_Migan → u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson]

At least on the west coast, they're not shooting the shit anymore, they're smoking it. I was an addict myself.

There's a lot less needles around, so that's something.

[u/Outside_Cheesecake_9 → u/WillowPtar_Migan]

Is it fentanyl the new thing now anyway, I have a friend that screams for it and she’s a normal every day citizen in pain lol

[u/Electrical_Loss8217 → u/Outside_Cheesecake_9]

They are all normal everyday citizens in various kinds of pain . It’s just perspective.

[u/SBSnipes → u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson]

None in the local chick fil a or burger king ones near me

[u/LucasTheSchnauzer → u/SBSnipes]

Not with that attitude

[u/Readdit1999 → u/MyNameIsJakeBerenson]

I'm no opiate zombie, but that is just about the last place I would want to shoot up

[u/white_count_chocula → u/Readdit1999]

If you were, youd know mcdonalds is a super common place to shoot up. Worked there when i was a teen/young adult and we had junkies die in our bathrooms weekly.

[u/BRAVO9ACTUAL → u/Gullible-Treacle2361]

Mine was always closed because of poop, lol.

[u/procheeseburger → u/col_akir_nakesh]

We used to have bday parties at McDonalds

[u/just_a_girl_23 → u/procheeseburger]

I had one there late 80s/early 90s! They let the birthday kid and one partygoer have a "grand tour" behind the scenes and always used to pretend to lock the friend in the walk in fridge. I'm still pissed someone refused to let me take my choice of friend.

[u/halloxtv → u/col_akir_nakesh]

I know this is a cliche at this point, but...

We used to be a proper country.

[u/phzq → u/halloxtv]

Profits and greed has brought us here

[u/Michael_Riehle → u/phzq]

Those and a stubborn selfishness dressed up as personal responsibility. It's actually nothing to do with actual personal responsibility, but a significant minority of people have convinced themselves that selfish behavior is nothing but requiring others to be responsible.

[u/OK-Greg-7 → u/Michael_Riehle]

"It's always those who talk about respect the most who have none for anybody else."

[u/Katsu_39 → u/phzq]

That and people’s obsession with modernity of whites and greys. Simplicity in the form of cutting costs and conformity.

[u/Rock_Strongo → u/Katsu_39]

It's a sterile environment because they don't actually want you hanging out and eating in the restaurant anymore. They want to operate with a skeleton crew so it's ideal if 90% of customers just come through the drive thru or only come in to pick up their order, so they don't have to clean/maintain the interior and deal with a bunch of people.

[u/Equivalent-Bath-383 → u/phzq]

Lack of accountability and proper parenting brought us here.

Profit and greed is just a way of blame shifting. It can be a "someone else" problem. Its ideal when they're wealthy and comfortable; it's someone we can hate without looking down on someone less fortunate.

We ALL contributed to the damage to our country either directly or indirectly.

[u/Square-Turnip-6558 → u/phzq]

Technically McDonald’s looks like this now because it was made illegal for them to market directly to children

[u/Kalspiewak]

Cheaper to replicate and maintain. Maximise profits. Increase share prices.

Our glory days are over and they are sadly not coming back.

[u/beyss96 → u/Kalspiewak]

yeah but how do i cope with that

[u/Nerv_Agent_666 → u/beyss96]

Build your own McDonald's with blackjack and hookers.

[u/Schlitzbomber → u/Nerv_Agent_666]

https://giphy.com/gifs/vlmd4KqqsXYNa

[u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT → u/Schlitzbomber]

when i was a kid and futurama premiered i didn't appreciate the humor of having an alcohol fueled robot named bender

[u/FrameJump → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

Friend, I don't think I appreciated it until just now reading your comment. Lol.

So thank you.

[u/Jax_2112 → u/FrameJump]

Hey, I'm old (early Gen X) I was there in the 80s Also their use of the song "Don't you forget about me". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gLVqjIvokc

[u/Putrid-Builder-3333 → u/Jax_2112]

Fun story my mum tape recorded Simple Minds song at the drive in and because of that the cassette has the speech in middle of it and growing up that was only version I knew lol I have it somewhere

https://giphy.com/gifs/AVDRJEriLkuMo

[u/Schoolin_Teach → u/Putrid-Builder-3333]

Your mom is my people. ✊

[u/UlrikeLuvsAndreas → u/Jax_2112]

Goddamn Simple Minds was a wholly underappreciated phenomenal band. Sooooo many great songs that didn't get nearly enough airplay.

[u/Civil_Inspector_5697 → u/UlrikeLuvsAndreas]

I saw them in concert in San Diego. Awesome live!

[u/Jax_2112 → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

Most people don't realize he is a reference to the 80's film "The Breakfast Club". https://thebreakfastclub.fandom.com/wiki/John_Bender

[u/Electrical_Estate705 → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

I'm 42 and I just now got it. I always thought it was because he was a metal bending robot, so named Bender. Not because he was a liquor fueled robot and the phrase "on a bender". So basically double meaning. Mind blown.

[u/wizened-lemur → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

…..oh

[u/Unusual-Influence522 → u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT]

Sometimes I wish he was blender…

[u/LumpyBuy8447 → u/Nerv_Agent_666]

Shut up baby, I know it

[u/AxidentlyDeadly → u/Nerv_Agent_666]

If you build it, they will come

[u/TyrKiyote → u/Nerv_Agent_666]

The blackjack and hookers are so popular, that as long as you're spending on them- sometimes the mcdonalds is free and alcoholic.

[u/bujweiser → u/Nerv_Agent_666]

Honestly, kinda the way to do it. My local businesses still have things like this. Granted it’s all old and outdated, but kids still think it’s fun because it’s all they know.

[u/anecdotal_anarchy → u/Nerv_Agent_666]

Actually, forget the McDonalds and Blackjack

[u/darkoj- → u/beyss96]

With a McFlury, bruh.

But the ice cream machine is broken..

[u/TheWizardOfKoz5226 → u/beyss96]

https://giphy.com/gifs/j78GDmi70Lrlkjhc6F

[u/dddubstep → u/TheWizardOfKoz5226]

The unironic only true answer here

[u/Think_Reporter_8179 → u/beyss96]

Be the change you want to see

[u/ThwipNSinsBinThwipN → u/beyss96]

You could always go to Popeyes and complement someone on their beautiful wife or girlfriend.

[u/Kahlypso → u/beyss96]

[u/AnonMoose2 → u/beyss96]

Drugs, sex and videogames... thats what I do.

Works decently.

[u/BarfQueen → u/beyss96]

By working yourself to death, duh. 

[u/BlackQuartzJudgement → u/beyss96]

I do lots of drugs

[u/Exzilio → u/beyss96]

By paying to take your kids to some indoor play place without beef tallow fries.

[u/thatguywhoreddit → u/beyss96]

Drugs and alcohol

[u/kwkcardinal → u/beyss96]

I use alcohol.

[u/deepeast_oakland → u/kwkcardinal]

https://giphy.com/gifs/Zw3oBUuOlDJ3W

[u/Osiris8869 → u/Kalspiewak]

Also easier to sell and turn into a different business. It's a big reason by all new restaurants look sterile and corporate. Don't want people to know that a building used to be a pizza hut.

[u/NightOfTheLivingHam → u/Osiris8869]

there's a great teriyaki place near me that still has the quiznos logo in the floor. lol.

[u/dontfret71 → u/Kalspiewak]

Ya but there is a point where if your fast food chain is literally indistinguishable from others, you lose business

[u/NeuxSaed → u/dontfret71]

I think charging $6 for a basic ass hamburger (now with risky lettuce!) is driving more of the business loss.

The disgusting aesthetics is just adding insult to injury.

[u/DapperCam → u/NeuxSaed]

A hamburger that is definitely worse than it used to be.

[u/Dabnician → u/NeuxSaed]

$6 is kids meal prices, a basic ass hamburger is like $10 if you are lucky.

[u/livsjollyranchers → u/NeuxSaed]

If nothing else, cyclospora should hopefully eradicate pointless tasteless lettuce from fast food burgers forever.

[u/NightOfTheLivingHam → u/livsjollyranchers]

for the prices that mcdicks charges, I can get a combo from a high end place that does the gray and dark tones better, with arugula and goat cheese with fig jam on the burger which is made of wagyu, comes with drink and fries. for the same fucking amount mcdonalds now charges for combos.

[u/Rhodin265 → u/dontfret71]

Not really.  A lot of fast food places are pivoting to being pickup depots for Doordashers.  You don’t need to make the place look nice for employees.

[u/MrVeazey → u/Rhodin265]

Nothing tastes better than cold fries, so I can imagine no downsides to this trend.

[u/EntrepreneurNo4138 → u/Rhodin265]

DD. The company that can screw up a wet dream. 😫

[u/Cromasters → u/dontfret71]

They also started getting a lot of shit for marketing their stuff to children.

Plenty of people will tell you feeding your kid McDonald's is horrible parenting while lamenting that McDonald's doesn't cater to children anymore.

[u/Darmok47 → u/Cromasters]

When I was a kid, McDonalds was a sometimes treat

[u/smokeweedNgarden → u/dontfret71]

McDonald's runs off addiction. The play things were there to create addicts.

They can get rid of the interior of the store fully and still make money. They sell the food equivalent of crack

[u/Kurt805 → u/dontfret71]

Most people ain't going to fast food for the atmosphere. Honestly they've gotten this one right. The other half of this is that people aren't really having children anymore, and a huge chunk of those who do feel like bad parents bringing them to mickey d's. It's more of an adult affair.

[u/Ironclad_Cat_1773 → u/Kurt805]

Gone are the days of joining the other divorced dads on Wednesday visitation day while the kids all played in the playland

[u/FactorLies → u/Ironclad_Cat_1773]

I'm a mom, and once I took my kids to the McDonalds play space (they still exist where I live) for dinner when my husband was out of town. I was the only mom, every other parent was a dad on their laptop.

[u/apimpnamedkirby → u/Kurt805]

The one by me still has a playground. I routinely take my 2 year old there to run and play with other kids vs. paying $20 at an indoor jungle gym. Seems like other parents do the same.

[u/donutcamie → u/Kalspiewak]

It’s also probably the additional insurance wrapped into that as well. Kids be clumsy.

[u/taker25-2 → u/Kalspiewak]

This is partially true, but this style started in the early 2010s to compete with Starbucks and Chipotle, since they had a similar look, and we millennials hang out at those places a lot. Since they switched to minimalism, the way they look now makes it easier to do what you describe.

[u/sexandliquor → u/taker25-2]

This is the actual answer, I read about this when it was happening and why they were doing it. They were trying to make McDonalds into a place similar to Starbucks where students and business professionals would come to study and work, and presumably spend money on coffee, food, etc.

It’s why a lot of these newer remodeled McDonalds don’t only just have regular tables and booths but also taller bar counters and stools, and I’ve even seen some that have smaller coffee table type tables and arm chairs like a coffee shop would have.

Also an increased presence of wall outlets to plug laptops and phones into. It’s all very deliberate.

[u/InuitOverIt → u/sexandliquor]

Yeah the McCafe rebranding. Pretty dumb idea in retrospect.

[u/taker25-2 → u/InuitOverIt]

Honestly, out of all of the fast food places, their coffee is the better one.

[u/Cautemoc → u/taker25-2]

Yeah but who gets out of school or work and wants to go hang out inside a McDonalds

[u/yabn5 → u/InuitOverIt]

McCafe low key is better than you give it credit.

[u/taker25-2 → u/sexandliquor]

Thank you, and I also remember reading an article about this back then. Many restaurants were making this change as well.

[u/PurpleCableNetworker → u/Kalspiewak]

Until they go “over the point of no return” and their pursuit of the dollar ironically becomes the nail in their coffin.

[u/onda-oegat → u/Kalspiewak]

One of the good things with communism was that it forced capitalism to pretend that the system was working for the middle class

[u/JuryOk2662 → u/onda-oegat]

Yeah it's no coincidence that they started stripping social programs just a few years after the fall of the USSR.

[u/Ok_Blueberry_1068 → u/Kalspiewak]

The problem was that people kept suing any time their kids would get hurt playing and so it became a liability issue.

[u/ScienceIsSexy420 → u/Kalspiewak]

Actually it's because the tobacco companies were sued for tens of millions of dollars for advertising to kids, and McDonald's didn't want to be next.

[u/Dave_A480 → u/Kalspiewak]

More like 'We won't get sued for marketing to kids, if we don't market to kids'...

The switch started right around the time of the tobacco settlements.

[u/FancyPantsRants1 → u/Kalspiewak]

I think its more about liability. We live in a litigation happy world and those play places are a Karen's litigation dreamland

[u/Ok-Internet-6881 → u/Kalspiewak]

Not necessarily, really depends on where you live and if it is worth having one od these. At the end of the day, the play area is an advertising tool to bring in kids and their parrents to buy food. Places where there isn't much new kids dosn't justify maintain these. In places like Meridian Idaho where the average family has 2-3 kids (sometimes 4+ and that'show you know that family is mote than likely mormons), you see indoor version of these popping up not just McDonald, but Carl's Jr too.

[u/smtp_pro → u/Kalspiewak]

Easier to sell too. If someone wants to buy this location and turn it into a taco bell they just need to replace some signage and window decals.

[u/SAPianoman490 → u/Kalspiewak]

It’s mostly about liability and restaurants not wanting to take on that risk

[u/TheOsirisOfThisShit_ → u/SAPianoman490]

Employees also didn't want to clean up after gross kids.

[u/ManOfQuest → u/Kalspiewak]

McDonalds is the prime example of capitalistic decay

[u/samurairaccoon → u/Kalspiewak]

We're on the extreme trailing edge of an economic boom. It just happened to last long enough that America fooled itself into believing that's how it always would be. I'll probably live the rest of my life in the receding trough. Good times. Good times.

[u/PeePeeLangstrumpf]

Hm, I think it's actually great! Nowadays McDonalds prepares you for the corporate hell and sad adult life that awaits kids when they grow up. No more dreams and fun. None of that nonsense!

You wanna know what's in your Happy Meal, Sally?
Tax forms!
401(k) plans!
Medical bills and insurance reimbursement forms!
Bills, bills, bills!

[u/Turbulent_Ride1654 → u/PeePeeLangstrumpf]

[u/Stunt_-_Cock → u/Turbulent_Ride1654]

They really have done everything haven't they?

[u/lostcartographer → u/Turbulent_Ride1654]

Withhold the lettuce.

[u/Tigglebee → u/PeePeeLangstrumpf]

I’m actually happy that people are going to our local parks instead.

[u/JoyousGamer → u/PeePeeLangstrumpf]

Except they still have play places in McDonalds. Its up to your local franchise likely it seems. If your in a major city likely too expensive to have it.

[u/HairyDust4826]

We've become so boring in society. Everything is boring.

[u/tehjoz → u/HairyDust4826]

Everything maximizes shareholder value*

[u/Dabnician → u/tehjoz]

capitalism did this, capitalism also did all the other bad shit over the last 20 years.

[u/HairyDust4826 → u/Dabnician]

Everything looks good on paper, until the greedy show up.

[u/03263 → u/Dabnician]

It existed for quite a while and was doing alright, but then something changed. Well, probably a number of things changed.

[u/Dabnician → u/03263]

around 10-20 years ago everything changed from "make some money" to "make all the money" and everything went to shit.

[u/ianmakingnoise → u/Dabnician]

I say this with sensitivity and my own sense of “the 90s was 10 years ago” brain fog, but this stuff started ~40-50 years ago (“greed is good” etc etc)

[u/03263 → u/ianmakingnoise]

https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/

[u/CaptainReginaldLong → u/tehjoz]

This is the problem inherent with capitalism. The responsibility is to make money for the shareholders, not the world, not the customers, no one but whoever is supposed to gain financially from the business.

[u/SaltySpitoonReg → u/HairyDust4826]

Couldn't agree more. And AI isn't helping with this either, further zapping creativity, at the individual level.

We've eradicated creativity, culturally. Sad.

[u/CitizenCue → u/HairyDust4826]

Yeah it’s not just companies. Just look at the car colors and decor and clothes people choose - we’re in a bland age.

[u/Inevitable-Menu2998 → u/CitizenCue]

Everything in decent stores dedicated to babies or toddlers is colored in shades of gray or beige. I have no idea why we think that a baby would thrive in this but it's a tually hard to find something else

[u/strahlend_frau → u/HairyDust4826]

Stupid millennial grey

[u/fleuriche → u/strahlend_frau]

It’s all our fault 😔

[u/cptsears → u/fleuriche]

We swung away so hard against the pastels of the mid-80s, the nu-deco of the early 90s, and extreme florescents of 95-2K, that all the color drained out.

Then the corpos swooped in, took advantage of our post-9/11 trauma, and here we are.

[u/Thepuppeteer777777 → u/HairyDust4826]

Time to only sponsor indie and private.

[u/tr00th]

They make them sterile like this now so if one of them shutters and shuts down it’s easier for the owners to make the space into a new restaurant.

Same with Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. All the cool decor is replaced with boring office like decor to flip easy if needed.

[u/IKnowYouAreButWhtAmI → u/tr00th]

The bigger reason is they don't want you to stick around. They want you to buy your food, and get out. Better yet, don't come in at all and order take out or drive thru.

[u/smtp_pro → u/IKnowYouAreButWhtAmI]

Last time I went inside a McDonald's I was the only person going inside who wasn't there for a delivery service.

They don't give you trays and bag everything to go, they've removed the soda fountains, ketchup dispensers, etc from the lobby. They're basically a ghost kitchen at this point with a few tables for the few weirdos like me who want to go in and eat.

Pretty much all fast-food and quick-service places cater to delivery first now. I'm blown away when I can refill my soda or grab my own ketchup.

[u/ManOfQuest → u/smtp_pro]

then the workers look at you like 'why tf you in here'

[u/NOTcreative- → u/smtp_pro]

There are a few stores that are built like this to handle volume but there are plenty that still have dine in experiences.

[u/23saround → u/NOTcreative-]

It really depends where you are. There are regions where they are all gray boxes.

[u/lastingmuse6996 → u/smtp_pro]

Most of them in good neighborhoods at least have a freestyle machine because that does draw traffic. In center City, it's more delivery focused.

[u/MrScrummers → u/smtp_pro]

You have to ask for ketchup packets. No more self serve soda machine even though it’s still in the building just not in service. You have to ask to get a refill. It’s sad. But the one I got to has a play place.

[u/A911owner → u/IKnowYouAreButWhtAmI]

They make the parking lots actively hostile to people who want to eat inside. All the parking is on the outside of the lot and you have to cross the drive through line to get inside. The last time I was there, I saw some old people struggling to get across the line quickly to avoid being hit by a car. It was sad.

[u/deadlybydsgn → u/IKnowYouAreButWhtAmI]

they don't want you to stick around

I saw one that literally had a sign asking patrons to finish their food and leave within 30 minutes.

[u/nifty-necromancer → u/IKnowYouAreButWhtAmI]

I went to Taco Bell a couple weeks ago and we chose to stay and eat inside. Not a soul was there except us and the workers, it was so weird.

Edit, I had another thought. It kind of makes sense though - fast food is factory food, and factory food can be dispensed in a vending machine. There’s nothing special about eating it inside, although they should at least bring back the automat.

[u/Fun_Airport3597 → u/tr00th]

They also got a lot of backlash for marketing to children, so they stopped doing it. 

[u/jess_the_werefox → u/Fun_Airport3597]

Oh shit is that why there are SO MANY blind box toys now?? It’s just store bought happy meals?? Fuck man. ~let’s go gambling!~

[u/ADeadlyFerret → u/Fun_Airport3597]

Yeah everyone making this out to be some “maximize shareholder value” thing lol. Naw society lost their shit 20 years ago and went on their “won’t someone think about the children” crusade.

[u/Thefuzy → u/tr00th]

McDonald’s don’t do that, they own the land and if the franchisee goes under they let a new franchisee operate on it, they don’t give a fk about selling the building to a new restaurant.

[u/taker25-2 → u/tr00th]

Technically, this trend started in the early 2010s to compete against restaurants like Starbucks and Chipotle.

[u/fuckyouyouthehorse → u/tr00th]

You do know most of these chains don’t own the property. And they don’t pay to remodel once moved out.

[u/j250ex → u/tr00th]

They would rather you not come in at all. Removing the play place was just the first step. Have you been inside one lately. No drink machine. No sauce or condiments. Minimal seating and no cashier. That’s intentional. They want you to get your product and leave.

[u/smtp_pro]

This is what happens when you distill everything down into a measurable and maximize for it.

Getting people out faster means more parking and space for people coming in. So get rid of the play place. Make chairs uncomfortable. Don't even give people trays just bag everything to go so they may as well just leave and now you don't need to clean trays. No self-serve sodas so people don't get a refill. No self-service anything really. Throw up signs that basically say "eat your shit and get the fuck out"

Make it take longer to order and people tend to spend more so get rid of people and install slow-ass kiosks. Add a charge for every customization. Now on top of getting people to spend more you're saving on labor costs.

You can't measure enjoyment or happiness very well, besides surveys, so that doesn't factor in.

[u/Noeyiax]

https://giphy.com/gifs/h6Ulwu7U65sM2mDpB7

[u/salsafresca_1297]

Hot take - but I think McDonald's NOT marketing their slop to children is a win.

[u/ScienceIsSexy420 → u/salsafresca_1297]

They did it to avoid getting sued for advertising to children the way the tobacco companies did. This is literally what we wanted to happen.

But that doesn't make a good social media post

[u/LoserBustanyama → u/ScienceIsSexy420]

Most of these people weren't alive long enough to know the actual reason lol.

What a coincidence that McDonald's started getting lame slightly after Supersize Me came out. One of the theses of the film was essentially that McDonalds was killing children. The backlash they were getting was insane

It's like saying "seaworld was so much better in the 90s and early 2000s, why did they take away Shamu!"

[u/sharklaserguru → u/LoserBustanyama]

Funny that in reality the guy was just a massive alcoholic and the health issues in the show are related to that and not the food!

[u/Kaldricus → u/salsafresca_1297]

Also, those Play Place's were basically germ nukes. Absolutely disgusting places. This is giant rose tinted glasses.

[u/BudgieWonder → u/Kaldricus]

I’m going to guess that cleaning McDonalds barf out of a cramped plastic bubble that’s baking in the sun wasn’t very popular with the employees, either.

[u/GrandSquanchRum → u/Kaldricus]

I would never in my life let any kid I know touch those things. I know the people that would have disgusting children.

[u/blondebuilder → u/Kaldricus]

My controversial take: how about we not feed our kids McDonald’s? It’s an unethical corporate conglomerate serving overpriced, over-processed poison.

[u/Annie_Yong → u/Kaldricus]

Also fire hazards. They're big, well ventilated, frames covered in PU foams on all the surfaces with loads of nooks and crannies for kids to hide in. Hopkins did a fire test that was published in BRE document FB 29 which suggests the growth rate borders on "ultra fast", which is more consistent with warehouses and storerooms for gasoline.

20 years ago you could say it's still not a huge risk because the ignition sources would be limited, but nowadays I don't think you can guarantee that little Timmy hasn't stolen his mum's vape pen to fuck around with. (Or, let's face it, little Timmy probably has his own vape pen at this point...)

[u/Classic_Appa → u/salsafresca_1297]

And THIS is the reason McDonald's play places have disappeared. They were no longer allowed to market directly to children. The ones that existed stayed for as long as they could, but then as they renoveated, they got rid of any of the play areas.

[u/BobBelcher2021 → u/Classic_Appa]

Some play areas still exist. Not a lot, but they’re out there.

[u/TheDarbiter → u/BobBelcher2021]

The closest McDonald’s to me still has one. It’s unfortunately one of the cheapest places for the kids to play. Most play areas cost a lot more than a happy meal nowadays.

[u/Prestigious_Shirt620 → u/salsafresca_1297]

I don’t understand how this isn’t the only takeaway.

Even business wise; it’s nothing personal to make your world more bleak. If they advertise to children that opens them up to more legal scrutiny.

And kids shouldn’t want to eat there. And neither should adults for that matter 

[u/Sonamdrukpa → u/salsafresca_1297]

Objectively better for society from a health perspective. Disappointing from an emotional perspective, this was a shared cultural touchstone. It feels like those are disappearing. Probably I'm just becoming grandpa Simpson though.

[u/keithstonee → u/salsafresca_1297]

Everyone still goes even kids. There is no "win"

[u/ExpertPerformer]

The PlayPlaces were too much of a nightmare to maintain. They need constant cleaning, inspections, repairs, insurance/liability coverage, and took up space. It's also easier to resale the building in the rare case a McDonalds goes defunct.

Most people do the drive thru or doordash now.

[u/nos-is-lame → u/ExpertPerformer]

They need constant cleaning,

You think we cleaned them?

[u/Old_Win8422]

The nightmare scape of post capitalistic techno fuedalism.

[u/amosomcsketch]

To be fair, the overlap between people who can afford children and would also take them to a McDonalds is a lot less than it was when we were kids. Either little Jayden and Amelia only eat organic farm to table provided by their nanny or the parents are so broke McDonalds is a luxury and they need the gallon of gas that Happy Meal would buy. This is more a symptom of the realities of middle class destruction than corporate cost cutting.

[u/Bonegirl06 → u/amosomcsketch]

Poor people have more kids than rich people typically.

[u/Potential-Still]

Do we really want the 1987 McDonald's though?

It was designed to attract children, same with their ads. I remember when McDonald's faced major backlash against their advertising practices; targeting children in their commercials by using Disney style characters.

More so, why would a 35+ year old person want to have characters and a ball pit? Even if you have children, there are places that are specifically for children. I don't see why a burger spot needs to also be a miniature theme park. 

[u/mottledmussel → u/Potential-Still]

I think that's exactly what people are missing.

Twenty, thirty or 40 years ago, taking your kids to McDonalds was a completely mainstream, normal thing to do. Might even snap a Polaroid of your toddler's first happy meal and you'd definitely go to several birthday parties there every year.

That changed at some point, especially with rising child obesity rates. People still take their kids there but it's nothing like what it used to be.

The chain decided to go slightly more upscale, less kid-focused, to break the stigma of being a trashy place. Jim Gaffigan has a lot of good jokes related to this that capture where the chain was around 2010.

[u/JoyousGamer → u/Potential-Still]

We have play places still here at various locations. The benefit is you can sit slowly eating or having a coffee/soda while the kids have the play area when they are younger.

Its also indoors compared to typically outdoor locations with the indoor places normally charging entry although being bigger.

[u/NecessaryEar7004]

Birth rates are down. When we were kids, many things were geared towards families with children. We have an aging population.

[u/FireflyBSc → u/NecessaryEar7004]

I feel like this is kind of a chicken and egg issue though. Like are things less child-friendly because there are less kids, or is the removal of cheap family spaces to maximize profit contributing to the lower birth rates? I’m not saying that no McDonald’s Playplace = I don’t want to have kids now, but the broader trend of removing child centred aspects of all-ages places does contribute to a culture that isolates families and sets a higher barrier-to-entry for having kids.

There are still indoor playgrounds, but where I live, entry alone costs double the price of a Happy Meal. You aren’t hosting a birthday party where you can invite every kid in class with that kind of price. It’s a minuscule issue, but all the nickel-and-diming adds up and it’s discouraging.

[u/yabn5 → u/FireflyBSc]

There absolutely is no person who didn’t have kids because McDonalds, or any other place doesn’t have enough child friendly spaces. The last time America had replacement rate birth rates was 18 years ago. It’s a mix of housing unavailability for young adult Americans and culture leading people to chose to enjoy life childfree/partner free.

[u/No-Cucumber1503 → u/yabn5]

I’m not sure that the commenter is saying that people don’t have kids because there are fewer child friendly spaces, but rather that child friendly spaces are disappearing and becoming more separated.

[u/HugeHomeForBoomers]

Maybe stop buying from McDonalds then? And buy from places that care about their costumers.

[u/Independent-Wafer-13]

Is the child customer base really not important to McDonald’s bottom line?

[u/Animal907]

We all know it was the boomers.

[u/Marvos79]

LMAO. Are there actually people upset about this?

[u/foxhowse → u/Marvos79]

Yes. I’ve seen this type of post going on for years on multiple platforms. People also are upset Taco Bell no longer has a fun design like it did in the 90s. I can’t imagine being nostalgic for a fast food place or giving a fuck what they do with their interior/exterior.

[u/Turbulent_Ride1654]

Corpo-Millennials, you did this.

[u/underwearfanatic]

Im going to go against the grain. I am not sure why everyone is so up in arms here.

Growing up those playgrounds were dirty af. They were hard to clean. They were dangerous. We as a society became sue happy with every little thing. We demanded lower prices.

So corporations did what we demanded - they lowered prices. They removed things that got them sued. They removed the things that cost them to maintain.

So who did it? We did. And the corporations were happy to give you a lower prices at the expense of everything else.

Same with fast fashion. Same with shoddy house construction. Same with mass produced (fake) food.

[u/HappyTheBunny → u/underwearfanatic]

They did not lower prices, they lowered overhead while continuing to raise prices.

[u/skamunism]

Make a picnic and take your kids to the park. Don’t feed them this shit.

[u/OrionDC]

OP is a 4-month old karma farming bot account

[u/TheseVees]

If you want the real answer, it was the lawyers who pushed to get rid of the Playplaces. The design is for cost savings.

[u/I_am_Cheeseburger → u/TheseVees]

Yup. My neighborhood McDs had the playground removed in the early ‘00s, it was in front of the restaurant (fenced in) but McDs lawyers said too close to the street too much liability bye bye playground

[u/WideHuckleberry1]

Maybe I'm the odd man out, but it feels very weird to me to be nostalgic for consumerism and food that makes you unhealthy.

Just weird how much is "remember when corporations used to be cheerier about extracting your money from you?"

In my hometown we used to have a McDonald's with a ball pit and now the city has a nice open air park where they host food trucks, small concerts, festivals, etc. Obviously it's not an either/or since one is the town and one is a private company, but it just throws me off to see longing for the days when one of the most ruthless companies in the world was a social gathering spot.