var json_comments = new Array("
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banderlin
October 24, 2008 5:25 PM
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Good. They used to give me 2 sauces for my 4 piece nuggets. What a waste.

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4 replies
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forgottenpassword
October 25, 2008 1:15 AM
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@banderlin:


Sock em away for a rainy day!


That's what I do!


Funny... last weekend I got a ten piece mcnuggets & ordered the hot mustard sauce at the intercom. The attendant got it wrong & put down BBQ sauce. I corrected her & she said \"dont worry.. we will correct it at the window\" ....I got to the window & gpt my order & took off. Got home & it was BBQ. But since I had about 4 hot mustardsauces in my silverware drawer.... I didnt care.

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mcjake
October 24, 2008 7:50 PM
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@banderlin: Seriously? I only buy the chicken nuggets for the sauce. They are merely crunchy spoons in which I use them to digest hot mustard.

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Anonymous
October 26, 2008 3:35 AM
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@mcjake:You have just explained to me why I eat chicken nuggets. I have always found them to be greasy and mildly unappetizing, but this statement sums it all up in one swoop. Seriously the funniest thing I have read on the web today. Thanks!

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TheGreenMnM
October 24, 2008 5:41 PM
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@banderlin: I guess you don't get any now... 4 pieces isn't on the list.

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busrider
October 24, 2008 5:26 PM
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How am I supposed to dip 10 McNuggets into just 2 tiny containers of honey?

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5 replies
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laddibugg
October 25, 2008 6:45 PM
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@busrider: I like honey to...can't stand BBQ sauce or ketchup.

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
October 24, 2008 5:56 PM
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@busrider: Yay! another person that eats them with honey. I thought I was the only one O_O

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lordargent
October 24, 2008 6:35 PM
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@Oranges w/ Cheese: Yay! another person that eats them with honey. I thought I was the only one O_O

I dip them in honey, then I dip them in BBQ sauce.

/because

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Dooley
October 24, 2008 5:59 PM
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@Oranges w/ Cheese:

I have some bad news for you.... That's not honey. It's a honey-like sauce made from high fructose corn syrup.

Take a look at the ingredients.

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MauriceCallidice
October 25, 2008 1:58 AM
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@Dooley: Actually, every McDonald's I've ever been to uses 100% pure honey for the McNugget \"honey\" dipping sauce. Most/all other fast food places use the adulterated stuff.

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Darkmatter91
October 24, 2008 11:12 PM
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@Dooley:

:) I don't care what it's made of It tastes DELICIOUS

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baquwards
October 24, 2008 10:33 PM
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@Dooley:

Just had chicken nuggets with honey last saturday, and it was pure honey, 100%, no other ingredients. KFC has a honey sauce that is a honey flavored HFCS, but the McDonalds near me uses real honey

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SScorpio
October 24, 2008 6:15 PM
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@Dooley:

I don't know high fructose corn syrup sounds more appetizing than bee vomit.

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92BuickLeSabre
October 24, 2008 5:26 PM
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This is weak sauce.

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2 replies
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Atlantys
October 24, 2008 8:58 PM
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@92BuickLeSabre:

I tip my hat to you, good sir (or ma'am)

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Benguin
October 24, 2008 8:04 PM
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@92BuickLeSabre: Ba dum ching!

No really, that was good. Kudos.

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sebadoh128
October 24, 2008 5:26 PM
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The McDonalds in SoCal have been doing this for a couple of years now. 90% of the time the drive thru person will give you whatever you ask for. I have been stocking up on BBQ sauce and Jalapeno relish for the upcoming \"un-pleasantness\".

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corinthos
October 24, 2008 5:26 PM
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Tens cents isn't too bad. Mine have been charging like 20 for extra nugget sauces. I like sweet and sour for my fries. Most the time if I go through drive and don't ask for extra until the window they just give them to me for free.

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4 replies
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eveywiechert
October 25, 2008 7:04 AM
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@corinthos: I adore S&S on my fries too, they charge 15 cents in my area, but I've only been charged once or twice for it.

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TVGenius
October 25, 2008 4:39 AM
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@corinthos: Ours have been charging for extra ketchup (and everything else) for several years. They're well-mocked in the community for it. Huge, blatant signs everywhere.

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ribex
October 24, 2008 8:48 PM
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@corinthos: Me too! I've eaten Sweet and Sour on my McDonalds fries for probably 20 years. Only one of the stores in my area actually charges the 10 cents.

The other nontrad sauce I like is the Hot Mustard with a regular cheeseburger. I don't put it on the burger, I dip it into the sauce.

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triscuitbiscuit
October 25, 2008 1:27 PM
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@ribex: I thought I was like the only one who liked sweet and sour sauce with their fries! Nice to know that I'm not alone.... But since I do it takes me like 2 extra little containers of it :(

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snoop-blog
October 24, 2008 5:27 PM
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Well at least I can still refill my ketchup and mayo bottles for free.

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1 replies
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mzs
October 24, 2008 9:13 PM
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@snoop-blog: During the early '90s in Poland I witnessed a person filling-up a disposable cup with ketchup after they drank the soda. The next time I visited Poland all ketchup was in little bags behind the counter and there was a limit of 1 packet per fries order.

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Rippleeffect
October 24, 2008 5:28 PM
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This has been the policy at our local McDonalds for several years already.

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8 replies
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Greasy Thumb Guzik
October 25, 2008 5:48 AM
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@Rippleeffect:
Numerous McD's in Chicago have been doing this for at least 10 years!

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tom2133
October 24, 2008 6:08 PM
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@Rippleeffect: I visited a McDonald's in Hawaii (I know, you can get McDonald's at home, yada, yada). They charged $0.25 for additional Nugget sauces - I figured that it had to do with the cost to ship crap to Hawaii.

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nocturnal99
October 24, 2008 8:19 PM
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@tom2133: I remember this being true in Puerto Rico as well.

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Dooley
October 24, 2008 6:01 PM
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@Rippleeffect: @PrestonBerryworth:

Actually, this is an individual STORE issue. Notice it is signed \"Sorry for any inconveniences, Management.\" and it is printed on plain white paper -- It is not an official McDonald's policy.

I've seen many stores try this, but not all do. I once paid for my order (via Credit Card) and asked for a sauce when they gave me my order. They demanded ten cents, so I paid --- Using another credit card.

I hope they got hit with a 35c fee to collect their damned 10c.

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AMetamorphosis
October 24, 2008 5:56 PM
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@Rippleeffect:


Same in my area.
And I am all for it.
If someone wants that many packages of corn-syrup based glop to put on their food then why shouldn't they pay for it?


I don't want to subsidize their gluttony by having everything on the menu go up so somebody can have more sauce.


Pay for what you eat.

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ZekeSulastin
October 24, 2008 6:00 PM
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@AMetamorphosis: It kinda sucks for the people who use the little packets of honey (which, unlike Burger King, is in fact honey - heck, the packaging hasn't changed since the 80s ...)

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
October 24, 2008 5:56 PM
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@Rippleeffect: I always get honey with my nuggets anyway, instead of their corn-syrup sauces.

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BobbyMoon
October 24, 2008 5:32 PM
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@Rippleeffect:
Same here, I don't feel the need to slather my nuggets with sauce so this has never been an issue.

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ArgusRun
October 24, 2008 5:28 PM
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Fast food restaurants operate on the slimmest of profit margins. Really. They're making cents per item. Something that seems stupid or little, like sauce or no ice in your drink can change that order from a profit to a loss.

It looks cheap, but so does going to a nice steakhouse, ordering a $40 steak and being told that sides will be extra. I don't begrudge a McDonald's franchisee their profits.

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16 replies
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Anonymous
October 26, 2008 6:31 AM
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@ArgusRun: @ArgusRun: @ArgusRun: I agree with XStylus. I used to work at a fast food restaurant (in Canada, where the prices are higher than in America). Being a manager, I placed the orders, and I got to see what each master box cost the store. Even though fast food places are cheap, the prices are way jacked up. Any 32 oz drink is going to cost the company less than 10cents, and that is including shipping, handling, and production. It is the same with the burgers and the fries and the buns and nuggets and chicken strips. Everyday at the Wendys where I worked, the NET income was average $14,000.

Don't be fooled by the cheap customer pricing that fast food places offer. Charging for sauce is just a petty way to make even more money.

Although, charging for the sauces will prevent all the cheapos who eat at these places from wasting food, and producing more plastic waste in our landfills, so I am all for it.

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XStylus
October 25, 2008 5:53 AM
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@ArgusRun:

Yer' kidding, right?

1) A slab of mystery meat processed from somewhere in South America: 55c
2) Two slices of white bread: 15c
3) A slab of oil made to look like cheese: 5c
4) A sliver of lettuce and tomato: 10c
5) A cup of fries made in bulk: 5c
6) A cup: 40c

Charge $6 for what amounts to less than $2 in materials, and you're telling me there's a razor thin profit in that? Are you a shill or something?

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Luckie
October 25, 2008 9:40 PM
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@XStylus: You still have to pay wages for your hourly employees, management, a big legal department to sort through frivolous lawsuits, rent/mortgage on the facility, taxes on the facility, cleaning products, toilet paper... it adds up. (Not that I don't think they're making a huge profit at the corporate, or even district level, but there are a lot of other things to consider than just food costs.)

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Anonymous
October 25, 2008 3:33 PM
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@XStylus: You can't ever look at the cost of something merely a sum of costs of materials. You have to always consider that labor, cost of equipment, cost of property has to be factored in. While you may charge a 50% markup on cost of materials, in the restaurant industry you're probably only gaining a few percentage points of actual profit, the rest of the markup accounts for the other things mentioned.

For someone like McDonalds, they also have to factor in marketing, which I'm sure has a huge impact on pricing seeing as they spend so much on print, television, radio, and billboard media.

You're thinking of gross profit, you have to consider net profit.

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Greasy Thumb Guzik
October 25, 2008 3:00 PM
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@XStylus:
It's nowhere near $2 in material costs.
I once saw the \"Waste Sheet\" at a local Chicago McDonald's. That's what it costs the restaurant if a sandwich has to be thrown away.
I only remember the Big Mac waste price, 51¢..
The price of the Big Mac then was $2.19, it's now around $2.69, about a 30% increase. So the current waste price of a Big Mac would be no more than 70¢.

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Powerlurker
October 25, 2008 6:22 AM
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@XStylus:

There are many criticisms that can be leveled against McDonalds, but their beef has always been and still is 100% US. Plus you forgot to add the cost of the labor that is making your burger plus the rent and utilities that go into running the restaurant.

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 9:41 PM
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@ArgusRun: @ArgusRun: Yeah, sorry, I find it hard to believe McDick's isn't making a killing off a Big Mac ($4.99 here) which is basically identical to a double cheeseburger, mac style ($1.39 + .40 for lettuce, mac sauce etc) plus half a bun...

And I don't know about all you, but around here none of the McDonalds' will even give you ketchup at the drive thru unless you specifically ask for it. I've forgotten dozens of times and been stuck eating fries without... you'd think the money they save hogging ketchup like that would cover the cost of extra sauce for the few people that want it.

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 9:34 PM
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@ArgusRun: They could give you gallons of soda and make a profit, the markup on drinks is substantial, while yes their profit margins are slim on burgers, fries and drinks are where they make all their money.

No ice, unlimited refills, doesn't matter, the tiny amount of syrup and carbonated water you use, when purchased in the largest of bulk with the buying power of McDonalds and sold for two dollars is a minuscule dent in the overall profitability of their soda. That and fries are usualy just thrown out every so often.

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Xerloq
October 24, 2008 6:36 PM
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@ArgusRun: Last time I had a $40 steak, the sides were extra...

Actually, my steak was $75. Sides were $10 each.

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TVarmy
October 24, 2008 5:52 PM
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@ArgusRun: I find the claim that ice is a big deal to them interesting. I've read that soda is one of the most profitable items, because it only takes 7 cents of syrup or so to make a $1.50 large drink. Add on a trivial amount of money for a little carbon dioxide and municipal water, and that's how a soda fountain works. Does corporate buy the syrup at low prices, then resell it to local chains at a huge margin? Or is soda meant to compensate for loss leaders in the store?

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mmmsoap
October 24, 2008 8:39 PM
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@TVarmy: I just did the math out, after googling the price for soda syrup. It costs about $0.03 per ounce in terms of syrup to make a soda. I think the 7-cents number is pretty old, but I've heard that too. Maybe corporate gets a better deal than the small-timers that have to google around to get a good price.

However, that being said, you're right on for the trivial amount spent on municipal water, and power to run their carbonation machines. My understanding was that soda was a huge profit.

Haven't we seen several posts come by this summer about how crazy it was for companies to demand that you get ice in your soda? They think they're getting a good deal giving you less soda, but it turns out that soda is cheaper to make (thanks to HFCS, primarily) than ice is to freeze, so a full cup of soda is still a bigger profit than a cup with ice.

I'm not sure of my numbers on that one. Does anyone have data one way or the other on the soda-vs-ice issue?

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MrEvil
October 25, 2008 3:07 AM
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@mmmsoap: Y'know, I've often wondered how much it cost to freeze that cup full of ice vs if it were just full of cold soda. The fountain machine often has its own refrigeration unit for the lines (or a cold plate which is chilled with ice). I would think cooling soda to 40 degrees takes alot less electricity than getting water to near 0 degrees for quick freezing.

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Xerloq
October 24, 2008 6:37 PM
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@TVarmy: Ditto - free refils don't cost extra on a $1.50 soda.

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FightOnTrojans
October 24, 2008 6:15 PM
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@TVarmy: My high school physics teacher co-owned a few McD's franchises and he would always tease us with that. He used to laugh and say that we were paying $1.50-$2.00 for a drink that cost him 20 cents. F-er retired from teaching in his mid-30s and is living off the profits last I heard.

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PlanetExpressdelivery
October 24, 2008 8:22 PM
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@FightOnTrojans:
Ever heard of this thing called high fructose corn syrup? Specifically, the \"corn\" part?

What about the rising cost of corn because farmers in Iowa think that corn is the fuel of the future (misguided)?

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BloggyMcBlogBlog
October 24, 2008 5:56 PM
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@TVarmy: Supposed to compensate the loss leaders.

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outinthedark
October 24, 2008 5:45 PM
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@ArgusRun: In Europe you have to ask for ice in your drink...[or at least everywhere I went]. I wouldn't consider that the breaking point of coming out in a loss.

What's the mark up on that $0.10 package of sauce? or $0.20 as another commenter said?

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copious28
October 24, 2008 5:49 PM
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@outinthedark: I agree...controlling the costs to the infinitly small level with slim margins is important. However, I think the sign should point inward. Mostly, its employees that are the biggest offenders. I was at McDs yesterday and got like 20 packets of ketchup to my one medium fry...

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sir_pantsalot
October 24, 2008 5:59 PM
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@copious28: That's what this is really about. These idiots can't be trained to look at the order and give the appropriate amount of sauce. I remember asking for ketchup sometimes and they throw a hand full in your bag.

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snoop-blog
October 24, 2008 5:28 PM
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I like chicken fries anyway. With a side of french fries and apple fries. and a fry shake. fry fry fry fry blah!

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4 replies
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forgottenpassword
October 25, 2008 1:17 AM
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@snoop-blog:


I like both, but prefer Mcnuggets. And I LOVE BK's buffalo sauce. Its like crack!

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
October 25, 2008 4:46 AM
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@samurailynn: oh man, i just remembered the time i put country fried steak tenders/fingers on a roll with A1 sauce - those things are pretty much burger fries, IMO

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nocturnal99
October 24, 2008 8:20 PM
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@The Unicorn: I always figured that if we can't have our burger fries, the terrorists have already won.

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johnfrank
October 24, 2008 5:28 PM
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This is old news in Los Angeles. McDonald's has been sauce rationing for years here. However, I've never seen it posted on the door/window before.


They use a similar sign in L.A., but more gramatically correct. It is hidden by the sauce dispensor behind the counter, mostly it seems as a reminder to employees.


I wonder what the \"sauce asked\" quantity was to reach the the tipping point for them to post this notice? How much sauce can one person carry?

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1 replies
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DaynaRT
October 24, 2008 5:44 PM
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@johnfrank: Old news in Chicagoland too. This was the policy when I worked at a McDonald's in the mid-nineties.

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coan_net
October 24, 2008 5:30 PM
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I've seen this for mean years - in which I think it depends on local stores if they want to do it or not.

For example - I know my local Wendy's does this - but if I go though the drive-thru and ask for the extra sauce as I get my order and leaving, they will normally throw it in there without charging me.

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ludwigk
October 24, 2008 5:30 PM
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Sounds about right. I've been to McDonalds (about 10 years ago, haven't eaten there in many years) that operate this way. They explained, \"you can have x sauces with your nuggets, but each additional is $.10\". x was usually 2, as I always ordered the 10 piece, or 2x 4 pieces, which was periodically on \"insanely cheap\" special sales, and thus the cheapest per-nugget option on the menu.

The grammar is fairly ass, but at least its free of typos.

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2 replies
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pgh9fan
October 24, 2008 5:34 PM
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ludwigk @ludwigk: ...but at least its free of typos.

When complaining about grammar, it's best to keep yours correct. (See it's vs. its.)

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Suttin
October 24, 2008 5:47 PM
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Damn, I didn't know the period could go on the inside of parentheses. Damn you English! DAMN YOU!

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bgbg
October 24, 2008 5:32 PM
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This has been the case for as long as I can remember at many LA area McDonald's. I remember in college many friends asking for extra sauce to stockpile at home, so I can't really blame them.

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tande04
October 24, 2008 5:32 PM
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Wonder if who ever made up the sign is a MGMT (the band) fan?


Odd how its set off at the end after already saying it was from management.

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6 replies
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AgentTuttle
October 27, 2008 3:14 AM
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@tande04: I caught that too. They are trying to still come off as cool even though they are bowing to their corporate overlords.

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smackswell
October 27, 2008 8:33 AM
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@AgentTuttle: They're making money. What do you expect?

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ian937262
October 24, 2008 7:59 PM
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@tande04: Yeah! Love to see all the MGMT love here. Kudo's to you sir.

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FLEB
October 24, 2008 6:02 PM
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@tande04: I see it like kind of a final triumphant cheer.

!WOO! !GO MGMT!

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JonThomasDesigns
October 24, 2008 6:00 PM
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@tande04: Exactly what i was thinking ... i love me some MGMT

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 5:34 PM
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I used to work at McDonalds back in high school ('98-2000) and we had this policy then. Best way around it is to pay, then when you receive the food ask for the extra sauce, most, if not all cashiers will not want to take the added time to ring up a $.10 sauce charge. Works especially well when you pick up your food at the drive thru.

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lightaugust
October 24, 2008 5:36 PM
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So, is this an official mcdonald's thing or is this the local manager deciding and printing it up... i mean, usually they've got like, a picture of the Hamburglar on there or something. I think people understand that in recessionary times you just can't go doling out hot mustard sauce like so many bailout dollars, but a little consistency would be swell.

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3 replies
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LoadStar
October 25, 2008 12:22 AM
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@lightaugust: Official McD's policy (from the training manuals) is to provide 1 sauce for a 6 piece, 2 sauce for a 10 piece, and 4 sauces for a 20 piece. There's no official policy about charging for extra, however.

When I worked there, as long as you stuck to giving the correct amount of sauce to begin with, if the occasional customer wanted a second sauce tub, it wasn't a big deal. I have noticed in the years since I've worked there, the employees have either forgotten or not been trained in this, as more often than not I get 2-3 sauces for a 6-piece.

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kairi2
October 24, 2008 7:04 PM
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@lightaugust: If they are so hard up for a dime per sauce, then I doubt they are going to waste their valuable pennies on logos and colored ink and such. Times be rough, yo.

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
October 24, 2008 5:53 PM
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@lightaugust: Didn't they drop hamburglar years ago because he was teaching kids it was ok to steal?

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JoseRZ
October 24, 2008 5:36 PM
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They have been doing this here(Corpus Christi, TX) since I was in high school 1999. But it was different amounts. 4 got 1(had to ask), 6 got 2, 12 got 4, and the 20 got 6. But we actual have a plastic sign .

@corinthos
asking at the window would still get you charged. And paying with a twenty for 10cents would get you ones, pennies and dimes for change.

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3 replies
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Anonymous
October 29, 2008 3:03 AM
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@JoseRZ: Where in Corpus did you work, because nowhere have I ever been charged or seen a sign like you discribe untill this year. Not to call BS on your story but on the south side it has just started - 7cents for jelly, 15cents for sauce. The MDs on Saritoga and Weber is the first in town that I have seen and that started in Feb.And yes I have ate all over town, never seen it till recently.

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outinthedark
October 24, 2008 5:58 PM
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@JoseRZ: I think you misread...his local McD's is charging $0.20 not him paying for $0.10 with a 20...sounds as if you were one of the asshats that would give someone change like that.

I have asked at the window as well and have not gotten charged so I believe you are mistaken. Not all locations are as the one you worked at 2 decades ago.

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JoseRZ
October 24, 2008 7:05 PM
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@outinthedark:

It was less than a decade ago. But we only did it once to a repeat abusive customer. Curse and yelled at us when we inform them of the policy. They went out of their way to pay with a large bill. While saying Loudly it was a \"expletive joke to charge\". It was McDonalds with a playground. So kids got to hear that nice exchange. I guess you would say we where trying to fire the customer hoping they would not come back. Did'nt work. At are MCD's we would get in trouble if the manager saw us just give the customer more sauce.

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grih
October 24, 2008 5:37 PM
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Can i get like 1/2 of one sauce and 1/2 of another?

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SuvarnarekhaLazork
October 24, 2008 5:39 PM
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10 cents is actually cheap. For years they charged a quarter. Then in the last year or so they went free. I love the sweet and sour and get it every time to put on my burger, even if they charge me.

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shaman66
October 24, 2008 5:40 PM
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Considering how regularly they screw up my order, without so much as a \"Sorry bout that\", this will be just another reason for me not to eat at the Poison Arches.

Thanks Consumerist!

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howie_in_az
October 24, 2008 5:41 PM
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People still eat at McDonalds?

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7 replies
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mikestan86
October 25, 2008 3:51 PM
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@howie_in_az: I'm actually eating McDonald's as I am typing this.

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Corporate-Shill
October 25, 2008 3:01 AM
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@howie_in_az:


Yep, regular visitor. Regular. The closest McDs is about 60 yards from the front door of my business. Sometimes I even visit twice in one day.

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kaptainkk
October 24, 2008 7:07 PM
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@howie_in_az: I used to and now I can't remember the last time I ate at MCD! It's disgusting and you feel like crap after eating their food. That should give you a hint as to why you should not to eat that garbage. ;-)

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little stripes
October 24, 2008 9:35 PM
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@kaptainkk: ...I ate at McDonald's 3 nights ago and felt just fine.

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lordargent
October 24, 2008 6:36 PM
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@howie_in_az:

Nuggets are pretty much the only thing I can eat there.

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little stripes
October 24, 2008 6:23 PM
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@howie_in_az: There's always someone, isn't there?


I love their cheeseburgers, or double cheeseburgers if I'm extra honey. I usually get it to go, then go home and slather it in real honey. Because I am weird and it is awesome.

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UnicornMaster
October 24, 2008 5:44 PM
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I have to agree with their sauciness. Those little containers are expensive and wasteful, and some people end up with dozens of packets in their refrigerator. Now if they ever did that at Taco Bell I'd be screwed. I need at least 2 per taco.

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Raiders757
October 24, 2008 7:02 PM
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@DeanOfAllTrades:


LOL. I eat two per taco as well. I also have a candy box that I use the top and bottom to help keep my extra TB sauce, Ketchup, and Arby's sauce neatly ordered in. Sounds a little strange, but it helps keep things more organized, which is something we lack in my household.

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shaman66
October 24, 2008 6:18 PM
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@DeanOfAllTrades:

You say that like McDonald's is giving away food.
They charge people thru the nose for menu items.
2 bucks for a coke that cost them 15 cents to \"make\"
and you're arguing for them over sauces?

I sincerely hope you either work for McDonalds or were being sarcastic. Any other option doesnt speak highly of your reasoning skills.

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madanthony
October 24, 2008 6:45 PM
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@shaman66:

You do realize that the \"15 cent coke\" only includes the cost of the cup and soda, and not the labor or rent on the building, which are probably a bigger chunk of their expenses?

Obviously, fast food places are profitable, but looking at one part of their expenses and deciding it's an outrageous profit is silly.

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shaman66
October 24, 2008 6:54 PM
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@madanthony:

I managed 2 pizza places for about 4 years total. The drinks are an *example* of how you are being gouged already. A Big Mac sandwich is 3 bucks!.. Want a combo meal? Thats 6 bucks.

For a company to hammer profit out of every single customer, food quality, service and everything else be damned, then to ask for additional fees as ludicrous as whats happening on wall street right now.

Making a profit as a goal is not a bad thing. Gouging people for sub-par food, then asking for a handout on complimentary items is just sad.

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little stripes
October 24, 2008 6:23 PM
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@shaman66: Oh, come on. For one, 10 cents is pretty reasonable. And as the commenter above mentioned, it helps cut down on waste. A lot of people don't use half the sauce they get/request, and they either toss it or it sits in the fridge 'til it goes bad. Now people will think, \"Do I really need 3 sauces for 5 nugets?\"

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Cat_In_A_Hat
October 24, 2008 7:06 PM
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@little stripes: As a child I could find very creative ways to use one sauce per nugget and a whole packet of ketchup on a few french fries (this was before I knew about the poison I was eating that led to my issue with my weight as a child). 1. Dip that little bugger in, 2. take a bite, turn sideways,3. slather once again with sweet n' sour, 4. take another bite, 5. submerge remaining piece in along with fingers, 6. take the last bite, 7. begin process all over again with new nugget. Gotta love the good ol' days. I haven't eaten there in 10 years (with the exception of the hashbrown I had last year at a McDonalds in Naples, Italy, which made me remember why I hadn't eaten there in 10 years) and will never eat there again!

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SinisterMatt
October 24, 2008 8:17 PM
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@Cat_In_A_Hat:

You can also double dip without biting the nugget. That works too.

Cheers!

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The_Red_Monkey
October 24, 2008 5:45 PM
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I have seen signs like this for years. Its nothing new. Except around these parts they charge 50 cents for each extra sauce.

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cmdrsass
October 24, 2008 5:46 PM
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Nothing to do with any recession. Many independent operators charge for extra sauce or for sauce that doesn't go with the menu item you selected (BBQ w/FF for example).

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Snarkysnake
October 24, 2008 5:48 PM
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I don't expect stuff for free,but dammit, I like two hot mustard and a barbecue with my 10 piece.Since I like it and they don't want to meet my needs,then I will just find another dish to fill that rumbling void.

BTW- They already cured my McRib addiction with their hide and seek \"here for a limited time\" (because it meets McD's needs at the moment),BS . Haven't had one in years.

Huge companies suck.

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nffcnnr
October 24, 2008 5:50 PM
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@tande04: i was thinking the same thing! Now i have an \"Electric Feel\" ear worm going.

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Outrun1986
October 24, 2008 5:50 PM
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Hmm, my family was charged for mayo at a McDonalds here...

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downwithmonstercable
October 24, 2008 5:51 PM
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Just go to Jack in the Box instead. They have ranch. And when you ask for it with your medium fries, they give you like ten handfuls of little ranches. It's awesome.

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
October 24, 2008 5:52 PM
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The local Chic fil'a does this and I find it hideously annoying.

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th1nwhiteduke
October 24, 2008 5:53 PM
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Nothing like making things look even worse than they really are by acting like stuff that's been going on for a decade JUST started.

Maybe this is a good thing, people might stop eating disgusting fast food on the principle of that 10 cents...?

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sassbrown74
October 24, 2008 5:53 PM
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The best part of this: !MGMT!

Talk about passive aggressive notes!

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Ein2015
October 24, 2008 5:55 PM
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This wouldn't be an issue if they'd stop giving a ketchup packet per fry...

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Zanorfes
October 24, 2008 5:55 PM
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Hey, at least there's not an extra charge for the \"secret\" sauce.

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jsbeagle
October 24, 2008 5:57 PM
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1 sauce is not enough for a 6 piece nugget.
It was barely enough to slather on a southern style chicken sandwich (which doesn't include a \"sauce of choice\" now anyway).

All of this used to concern me until I spent a week alternating between hugging the toilet and sitting on it this past January after eating a chicken sandwich. All three of us who ate one was sick for days. Haven't been to one since. By not eating there again it may have been the healthiest occurance of e-coli ever.

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jamesmusik
October 24, 2008 6:01 PM
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They've been doing this for years... how exactly is this noteworthy?

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Guard
October 24, 2008 6:01 PM
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This has been going on for about 3+ years in my area, with these exact same limits. However, i'm usually nice to them and don't mind paying the extra for the sauce (I use a lot of BBQ on my chicken!), and they'll throw in the extra packets for free.

However, the McDonalds in my area (Northern KY) all say that the extra BBQ sauce costs 25 cents a packet. 10 cents is a deal!

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Egg Yolkeo
October 24, 2008 6:12 PM
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Anyone else find this confusing?

A five piece gets you two sauces.
A six piece gets you only one sauce?

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1 replies
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mbz32190
October 24, 2008 7:47 PM
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@Egg Yolkeo:

There are two different things on the sign...the 5 piece with the 2 sauces are chicken selects, which are more like strips. I guess they decided nuggets need less sauce.

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cubsd
October 24, 2008 6:14 PM
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You know they are serious, it's signed by !MGMT!

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winstonthorne
October 24, 2008 6:18 PM
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!MGMT!

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malcs
October 24, 2008 6:18 PM
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I want moar sauce!

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little stripes
October 24, 2008 6:21 PM
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Eh. 10 cents is reasonable, I think. And I think this policy will also help with waste -- a lot of the time, people will say \"extra sauce!\" but only use one packet. And then toss the rest.

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ohnoes
October 24, 2008 6:22 PM
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No! Being overseas, one of the things I miss was all the sauce you needed.

Except that I like the nuggets at Wendy's better. Let's hope that they don't go in the same direction.

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Robobot
October 24, 2008 6:24 PM
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The McDonald's closest to me has done this sort of thing for as long as I have been infrequently going. Some of the guys behind the counter will actually slap people's hands away or pull the bins of utensils, sugar packets, etc. back if non-customers try to grab something.

You want something besides ketchup? Pay up or go away.

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jantonbusch
October 24, 2008 6:24 PM
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I used to take inordinate amounts of hot sauce from Taco Bell when I was a kid. By the end of the summer, we had a garbage bag full. Wasteful, I realize now, but I think I can understand where McDonald's comes from.

If you go to Olive Garden, they charge you $2+ for a little dish of runny marinara for your breadsticks.

On another note, my local McDonald's has had a similar \"sauce policy\" long before the \"s\" hit the \"f\" on the \"s\" market, etc.

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wiggatron
October 24, 2008 6:25 PM
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First time I've ever seen actual documentation on this sort of thing, but I've experienced it for at least the last 10 years.

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 6:40 PM
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I don't eat chicken nuggets but I like a BBQ sauce with my fries. I always order it that way too and most places around here don't charge for it. Once I went through the drive-thru, ordered a BBQ sauce and didn't have one in my bag. Then the girl gave me a hard time saying she'd have to charge me for it. That's why I specifically order one (in case they charge). I said \"That's fine, how much is it?\" ready to get my change...she just rolled her eyes and gave it to me. I now avoid that location because they give me a hard time...and have wilted lettuce :(

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bdsakx
October 24, 2008 6:57 PM
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I don't think they're asking for much! I went to a McDonald's and Burger King while on vacation in Amsterdam last summer, and you can order any size fries, but still get only one measly pouch of ketchup. It's like 0.35 Eurocent for subsequent pouches. Needless to say, I was so happy to be back in America where we get all these little fringe benefits like ketchup dispensers, free refills, air-conditioned sitting areas, and people that speak English. Hey, 10 cents for extra sauce? no problem! Put it on my American Express!

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Cat_In_A_Hat
October 24, 2008 7:01 PM
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As a child I could find very creative ways to use one sauce per nugget and a whole packet of ketchup on a few french fries (this was before I knew about the poison I was eating that led to my issue with my weight as a child). 1. Dip that little bugger in, 2. take a bite, turn sideways,3. slather once again with sweet n' sour, 4. take another bite, 5. submerge remaining piece in along with fingers, 6. take the last bite, 7. begin process all over again with new nugget. Gotta love the good ol' days. I haven't eaten there in 10 years (with the exception of the hashbrown I had last year at a McDonalds in Naples, Italy, which made me remember why I hadn't eaten there in 10 years) and will never eat there again!

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katylostherart
October 24, 2008 7:06 PM
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eh, this isn't a new strategy.

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ponycyndi
October 24, 2008 7:09 PM
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The McD's here has been charging .25 ea (.27 with tax) for extra sauce and dressing for 8+ years now.

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frodo_35
October 24, 2008 7:12 PM
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A few years ago the subway in huningdon tn was bought by some immigrants and they only issue black olives 6 at a time. They will give you all you want but the poor employees feel pretty stupid lining up the 6 olives over and over again.

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MisterE
October 24, 2008 7:13 PM
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New World Order. Get used to it.

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StevePJobs
October 24, 2008 7:19 PM
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I think the deal is fair enough. I don't even use a whole container of Spicy Buffalo Sauce with a a 3pc Chicken Selects meal. It's not just a wimpy ketchup-sized packet after all, it's plenty.

I like the part where they say \"ketchup and mayo still free!\"

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Froggmann
October 24, 2008 7:20 PM
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The McD's around here have been doing that for years.

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Adisharr
October 24, 2008 7:20 PM
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I'm sure the extra $ 0.10 is going to impact our economy.

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jamesn1
October 24, 2008 7:26 PM
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It's pretty annoying when The Consumerist reports that a hand made sign on the door of a single restaurant is a world wide policy. The McDonalds with the sign on the window is cracking \"down on sauce scofflaws,\" but since no one has picked up the phone to call McDonalds corporate to ask what corporate policy is (I'm assuming this hasn't been done, since there's no reporting of it) it's misleading and irresponsible to report it as generically \"McDonalds\" as if this policy applies to all 31,000 locations.

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Spiny Norman
October 24, 2008 8:11 PM
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Freedom loving peoples of America unite under the Taco Bell banner! 3 items: 7 hot sauce packets. Never fails...

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trk182
October 24, 2008 8:18 PM
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This is not new, they've been doing it in Houston at every Mc D's I've been to in the last 5 years.

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Killians1978
October 24, 2008 8:26 PM
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Like other commenters have mentioned, in Buffalo, NY, the Mickey D's have been doing this for years, especially the ones near high schools. Typically they would charge as much as a quarter for an extra pack of sauce.

Also to repeat sentiment, it's just plain ridiculous how much waste these little packets generate. So many are used halfway and tossed, and an extra sauce cup either goes in the fridge for months at a time or thrown out with a half pack of fries.

I have no problem with this cost-saving measure.

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tinmanx
October 24, 2008 8:40 PM
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They've been doing that in my local Mickey D's for many years. And that's also about the time I stopped going there.

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privateer
October 24, 2008 8:44 PM
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I wonder if this counts for salsa. McDonald's has shrimped them down significantly in the past few years. My breakfast burrito would be naked without enough salsa. Naked!

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corinthos
October 24, 2008 8:52 PM
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I wish I could buy their sauces at like the grocery store. I like their hot mustard and sweet and sour. I tried those recipe sites for them but they don't work.

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 9:08 PM
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I'm sure the restaurants hate me, I use my drink cup over and over again (I do wash them) — I'm sorry but I'm sick and tired of them charging $1.89 for a large drink! I'll usually use each one about 4 or 5 times, then purchase another one...

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 9:09 PM
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I'm glad about this. There's no reason to take any more sauce then that.

I used to work at Taco Bell and people would ask for WAY too much sauce all the time.

I was working the drive thru one day, and someone asked for more sauce twice, and asked a third time and told me to just fill up the bag, and he held it up like it was Halloween.
Ridiculous.

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 9:13 PM
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I like two barbeque sauces with my burger (which I order plain - saving them on the costs of extra condiments). My local McD allows one sauce per item. Usually, I ask for the sauce after paying when the food shows up. Most of the time, they give it to me for free.

The few times I get a stickler for the rules who wants to charge me the 10 cents for the extra sauce, I make sure to put the 10 cents on my credit card. Gotta love those 20 cent swipe charges.

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 9:32 PM
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I believe it's done by the individual store. I've not seen this at McDonald's in Missouri, but 8 years ago I went to California and they had a whole chart on the wall (similar to the one in the pic), which I thought was hilarious and pathetic.

Culver's will not give you any napkins, salt, ketchup etc unless you ask. Then, when you ask, they give you about 100x more than any human would ever need, which kind of makes the whole \"don't give anybody anything\" rule stupid.

I went to a local Burger King drive-thru with my brother, who ordered a burger, and when she asked if he wanted any condiments he asked for BBQ sauce. She said \"Sorry, BBQ sauce is only for chicken items\". So, anybody putting BBQ sauce on a burger must be crazy.

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jdmba
October 24, 2008 9:38 PM
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I wonder if they will lose money if you charge the 10 cents to your amex.

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jeebussez
October 24, 2008 9:42 PM
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Many of the McD's in my area have been doing this for years. They're franchises, so YMMV for each store.

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jmanPA
October 24, 2008 9:45 PM
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I guess I am a purist, but I am just as troubled by the \"English\" in this sign as by the fact that McDonald's chooses to charge us for their sauce. What does this sign say?

\"We are now charging for sauces that exceeded what's provided in the list below\". Does the past tense \"exceeded\" mean they are they now charging retroactively for the sauce?

I am glad to know that I can get one or two sauces \"of choice\" So I guess if I pays my money I gets my choices?

I am also so glad that Ketchup and mayo are still free! Free Ketchup! Free mayo! Free Tibet! Free Willy!

\"Any other sauce asked and there would be a ten cent charge\" Let's assume that McDonald's has yet to invent a sauce that can \"ask\" and speculate on how there \"would\" be a ten cent charge. Does that mean \"there WOULD be a 10 cent charge but because we don't like you, the charge is now 15 cents. And hey, let's UNDERLINE THE AMOUNT so people will know WE MEAN IT!\"

I know the management is SO sincere about this as because they are sorry they have caused not just one but several \"inconveniences\". If they could figure out how to charge for those too, they would.

I agree with other posters that the corporate \"!MGMT!\" probably doesn't set this policy. After all, this is likely just some poor franchisee trying to squeeze a few more dimes out of his or her customers.

This sign make me think of the old commercial some of you may remember: \"What do you want, good grammar or good taste?\" Looks like this Mickey D's has neither.

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abz_zeus
October 24, 2008 9:49 PM
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I talked to a franchise owner here in the UK about this a while back and here's his explanation. Certain McDs are company owned others are franchised, in franchised they pay for everything, as separate list items, the sauce being charged effectively being per tub. So whilst the margins are good, the sauces can eat into the margins (McD make money selling the sauces to the franchises); but a company owned store isn't charged the same way or some such so they get at cost thus can give them out

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winterdude
October 24, 2008 9:49 PM
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The McDonald's I work at has always had this policy since opening in 2005.

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WiZZLa
October 24, 2008 9:50 PM
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A lot of places do this (and normally charge 25 cents), however, this franchise decided to put it on paper.

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amkls704
October 24, 2008 9:51 PM
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Uh this is a new rule?

Our mcdonald's has been charging for sauce for at least 2 or 3 years.

Call me weird, but I think mcdonalds french fries and double cheeseburgers are excellent with mcdonalds bbq sauce :p

they've always charged me .11 for a packet of bbq if I didn't get nuggets, and they've always charged people for more than two around this area at least.

dang, you guys have been getting free sauce handouts and we've been paying for a while. we must have been the \"test market\" haha :p

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pojken
October 24, 2008 10:05 PM
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In 1999, I was living in Lund, Sweden and they had the McRib. Yes, I love, love, love it. Any how, I ordered it, but in true Swedish \"lagom\" style, they only put a squirt of BBQ sauce on top... leaving the grey meat matter exposed and tasteless.

I headed up to the counter, asked for another pack (though, two would have been better) and was told there was a charge (of about 15 cents). Shocked, I tell you! Had they properly made a sopping McRib, I wouldn't have needed to order more BBQ sauce!

Hehehe... I paid for it anyway - glad to have some minor indulgence in a foreign land. I'm cool with paying for sauce so long as it's reasonable.

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johnfrombrooklyn
October 24, 2008 10:06 PM
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I went into McDonald's yesterday in NYC. Some homeless dude walks up and put every single ketchup packet in his coat pocket and walked out. He took hundreds. I'm not sure if he's living on those things but it was 1/2 funny and 1/2 gross.

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discounteggroll
October 26, 2008 2:14 PM
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@johnfrombrooklyn:

I went into McDonald's yesterday in NYC. Some homeless dude walks up and put every single ketchup packet in his coat pocket and walked out. He took hundreds. I'm not sure if he's living on those things but it was 1/2 funny and 1/2 gross.

younger Pete from \"The Adventures of Pete & Pete\" spotting? Quite possible

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 10:09 PM
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I have vowed to stop going to McDonald's in my town. Their prices in comparison to more upscale restaurants like Culver's or Good Times is too narrow. Why waste my hard earned money on a piece of McDonald's cardboard when for $0.10 I can get a fresh meat patty from Culver's made to order.

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cybercjh
October 24, 2008 10:22 PM
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God, I wish people would learn how to spell and form coherent sentences. It's embarrassing! Signs like this make our country look stupid.

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ShariC
October 24, 2008 11:13 PM
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@cybercjh: What level of education is necessary to work at McDonald's? Do you believe people in other countries who work at fast food places are doing a whole lot better?

Before criticizing the grammar of the grunts in the U.S., you might want to study a few other languages so you can see that they make mistakes, too.

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Anonymous
October 24, 2008 10:28 PM
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That's been the policy in Australia for years.When I worked there I was never petty enough to charge people, but managers were always pushing us to do it.It used to be 30c but it's probably even more now

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nelsonj1998
October 24, 2008 10:50 PM
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Try to charge me for condiments and I'll take a refund for the whole meal. Then I'll go across the street to BK where condiments are free with your meal.

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garbagehead
October 24, 2008 11:01 PM
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MGMT?


I love those guys...but I find it hard to believe they would put us on sauce rations...
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ShariC
October 24, 2008 11:07 PM
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Given that one piece of commonly offered advice in these hard times is \"steal free condiments\", we can expect more of this sort of thing as people try to make off with much more than their fair share.

The vast majority of extra condiments taken get wasted so this is a good way to encourage reasonable use.

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Byronotron
October 24, 2008 11:08 PM
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Why would anyone in their right minds eat at this place? It's disgusting! I'm sure you can eat ANYWHERE ELSE for a similar price point. Y'all must really hate your bodies...

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El_Fez
October 24, 2008 11:11 PM
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So if the ketchup is still free, why the hell is the sauce costing money. Does Heinz give McDonalds it under the table or something? Can I walk in and ask for 136 ketchup packets?


Stupid McDonalds.

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D-Bo
October 25, 2008 12:04 AM
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Just like the BK post this is hardly news and is in fact a common occurrence. I don't really see it as a consumerist issue...

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HClay
October 25, 2008 12:27 AM
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Even though it's still free, I've noticed in fast food places (including McDonald's) that they've 'forgotten' to put ketchup in with my order on many occasions. And I mean with obvious stuff, such as, you know, fries. They forget to even ask if I want any, so I only get my ketchup before reaching my seat if I remember to ask for some myself.

Either it's a conspiracy to save money through condiments, or I just go to the crappiest locations.

Oh, and for anyone wanting to stop by McD's in Toronto, ON:

The best McDonald's may very well be at Broadview & Danforth (which is, aside from one time, exempt from the above complaint. The girls there are awesome and treat everyone well, especially the elderly regulars). Even if you're not a regular fan of their food, you know that you will eventually, at some point, find yourself with an inexplicable craving for Chicken McNuggets, and so it's important to know a good location in the event of a McMergency.

The worst location? Consistently shoddy service and a revolving door staff of ADHD-afflicted teenaged morons and pimply-faced 22-year-old 'managers' can be found near Coxwell and Danforth, next to the public library, which I find a bit ironic. I have an extra special story of crappy service from that location to top all of the other bad experiences they've left me with, but it would make this long post just that much longer.

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DikembeMeiztombo
October 25, 2008 12:51 AM
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I have to boycott one of my \"local\" McDs because they charge 39 damn cents for a sauce. And dammitt, I like to pour some sweet & sour on the edges of my double cheeseburger.

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Grrrrrrr, now with two buns made of bacon.
October 25, 2008 1:07 AM
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Given the present state of things, I doubt this will have much of an effect on sales.

Happily, all of the McDonald's around here still have the double-cheeseburger on the dollar menu and none of them charge for extra sauce.

I suppose if are the spiteful type, you could collect ketchup and mayo packets, and with the money you save on not buying ketchup and mayo ever again, you could buy extra McNuggets sauce.

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eskimo81
October 25, 2008 1:23 AM
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They've been doing this for years, and I find it to be very petty and small of them. It just causes me to lose respect for them.

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Anonymous
October 25, 2008 1:41 AM
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I work at a local McDonald's, this the formal policy there too. Now, do we always charge people? No. But some people want like 10 sauce packets and you don't need one per nugget or select.

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Corporate-Shill
October 25, 2008 2:58 AM
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I only need ONE sauce for my 10 piece McNuggets. Am I doing something wrong?

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Anonymous
October 25, 2008 3:04 AM
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KFC tried to charge a friend $.05 for sauce one time, he said \"Great, give me 100 of them\" They said, awww, never mind. He said, No, I want to see a manager and I want 100 sauces. He gave them $5.00, and made them count out 100 of them, then he drove around their parking lot and tossed them out the window. It was a huge mess.

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The Brain
October 25, 2008 3:21 AM
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I've seen this in the past, but only at McDonalds. Screw them. It takes a LOT of sauce to make their chicken parts taste good. They have no right to tell me how much I should be using. I've actually demanded refunds on an entire order just because they wouldn't give me the sauce I wanted.


In other news, Burger King will give it to you \"your way\".

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brennok
October 25, 2008 3:50 AM
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Common place around here except they charge .50 before midnight and $1 after for the stores that are open 24/7.

For a 6 piece you get 1 sauce, 10 piece you get 2, and 20 was 3. I don't even know if they still have the 20 piece since I haven't been to McDonald's in probably 7 years.

I must say it is entertaining to watch employees running around trying to see if anyone at work has extra sauces since people hold onto them now if they don't use them.

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dvdchris
October 25, 2008 4:07 AM
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The McDonald's around here have been doing this since the beginning of the summer. The signs in our area seem to be much better written, though.
!MGMT!

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Trojan69
October 25, 2008 4:36 AM
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The local BK charges 35 cents for extra sauce containers, the McDonalds, 25 cents.

BUT...here is one I still don't believe...my local McDonalds charges the same fee if you ask for extra tartar sauce for your Filet O' Fish! This is NOT for a containerized sauce, but for an extra click on the sauce gun in the kitchen!

I now only buy Dollar Menu items at this one. On the happy side of things, the Double Cheeseburger and McChicken are still $1 there.

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
October 25, 2008 5:01 AM
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back in high school i worked at a [corporate] taco bell and the drive through 'rule' was one napkin and one sauce packet per menu item [with the exception of one napkin per nachos item due to messiness]
local management told us to ignore the rule and give people one sauce packet per menu item.
they said the cost savings wasn't worth the risk of pissing off customers. yay!

mayonnaise being free: reminds me of a little problem disney used to have at a water park with the mayo packets - picture a hellman's mayo packet - now picture a circling seagull eyeballing what appears to be a big bin full of shiny silver rectangular fishies near all those picnic tables and lobster colored tourists....

yeah, for the first few weeks they lost thousands of mayo packets day, costing unknown bucks and making those poor gulls sick.
now the ketchup and mustard are out for the taking and mayo is on request at the counter. but they don't charge extra for it - that's added into the price of admission!!!

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly
October 25, 2008 5:01 AM
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@catastrophegirl: error!! that was supposed to say \"one napkin and one sauce packet per TWO menu items\"
sorry!

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emington
October 25, 2008 6:18 AM
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I don't see why people are needing so much sauce?? ._.

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Psicosis
October 25, 2008 8:38 AM
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Ooh girl... shock me like a McNugget meal.

Baby girl... ten cents extra what a sauceless deal.

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edrebber
October 25, 2008 1:54 PM
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I think McDonald's should waive the charge for extra sauce if the total purchase is $10 or more.


There is a big difference between someone ordering a couple items off the dollar menu and someone bringing in their whole family for a meal. McDonald's should consider the cost of alienating family customers by nickel and dimming them.


Suppose the family has sat down and started eating and someone needs more sauce. The customer asks for more sauce and they have to pay to get it. I think this would aggravate many customers and they might take their business elsewhere.

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Lingonmirakel
October 25, 2008 2:00 PM
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In Sweden, we have to pay for all our sauce, even mayo. I think it's 4kr (about 50 cents) per package. Only ketchup is free.

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juggler314
October 25, 2008 2:44 PM
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Most large corporations like McD's will take credit card payment for any amount (I guess they know they have to). Pay for your order, then ask for the extra sauce, then charge that too. Voila - McD's is now losing money even on the extra sauce, yay consumerism.

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Anonymous
October 25, 2008 4:41 PM
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Heh--something to think about..this is less of any sort to recoup the costs of sauces as it is a means to try to discourage people from going overboard on the sauces/ketchup/whatever. Multiply someone getting 5 extra packs of sauce they don't really need by the average customer flow of a fast food place...and you end up with a *lot* of money being spent by the company in order to keep supplied.

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Anonymous
October 25, 2008 5:22 PM
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This happens in a lot of places and has been regular practice for quite some time. I've lived in a few cities (actual cities, not suburbs) over the past several years and a lot of fast food places charge regularly for extra sauces because they know they'll get your business anyway. Or in some lower income neighborhoods, people have been known to take whole handfuls of sauce on a very regular basis. Don't ask me why that happens, I'll let you figure that on your own.

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SJActress
October 25, 2008 5:51 PM
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I have seen these signs at McDonald's restaurants for over 5 years now, both in Texas and Ohio. Where is this a \"new\" thing? What state?

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gonz
October 25, 2008 6:52 PM
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you likka da sauce? Love that the band MGMT endorses the proclamation.

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Anonymous
October 25, 2008 9:34 PM
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back in the early 1990's when I was backpacking around the States and living on a couple of dollars a day we would use free ketchup from McDonald's to spice up our bolony sandwiches and occasionally go into McD's and ask for \"a large fries with 50 ketchups please\", they would always oblige much to our surprise.

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Anonymous
October 25, 2008 11:39 PM
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No way! I still want my McNuggets the way it should be. This recession is really hurting us...bad!

Btw, I found this survey about this recession:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p-XlwgJysoV-gV-D6-1d_XQ

I think it's very important that we take part in it. It wants to find out what people really think and feel about this recession.

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Justifan
October 26, 2008 1:55 AM
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i've seen those.

yea some people are cheap. bbq sauce is like a buck a bottle at wallyworld:P

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Anonymous
October 26, 2008 11:22 AM
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Truly, if the practice irks you enough, definitely wait for the order, then ask for more sauce. Ask for 3-4 different kinds. The pressure to be faster will cause the clerk more often than not to toss them with the order sans charging additionally.

I personally don't mind paying extra for extra sauce, since it means that I can determine how much I can enjoy.

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discounteggroll
October 26, 2008 2:21 PM
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oh and BTW-

zesty sauce @ burger king kicks all other sauce's asses any day of the week.

and they do sell taco bell hot sauce commercially (although the only place I saw it was at a super wal-mart near UCONN)

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aduzik
October 26, 2008 5:16 PM
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I saw a sign just like this last night at a McDonald's in Des Moines. My favorite part, though, is that if you want an extra \"squeeze\" of sauce (and squeeze was actually in quotation marks on the sign) on a sandwich, like mayo, \"special sauce\" or whatever, it would be an extra 50 freakin' cents! Good thing I was just there for a couple of apple pies.

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anker
October 26, 2008 10:56 PM
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This has been going on at my Mcdonalds for over ten years.

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BeFrugalNotCheap
October 27, 2008 12:36 AM
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So what, they've been doing this in Europe for YEARS.

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Anonymous
October 27, 2008 1:42 AM
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Always wait until after money has changed hands to ask for the extra sauce. Then if they insist on payment for it, hand them them your credit card, even if you just paid in cash (pretty sure they pay a transaction fee that would be several times that of the extra sauce). Another fun thing to do, if you can afford to waste the money, is say $.10 each? Sounds like a bargain, I'll take 50. Make sure after they give them to you, you sit at the window and count them out. I did this recently at Arby's- I don't know who was more mad, the people at the window or the one that had to wait behind me due to this stupid policy.

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Fist-o™
October 27, 2008 2:58 AM
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The whole thing is fine with me! I never used more than one packet of sauce, anyway. Any extras inevitably ended up getting thrown away. I actually hated it when some drive-thru window puppet would ransack the sauce bucket as if his hand were \"The Claw\"... (and \"The Claw\" actually ever grabbed anything). Seemed very wasteful to me. I guess at some early point in their lives, they might have actually been short-changed by the sauce giver, and slaked their thirst for justice by getting at job at the offending establishment, and raiding the sauce reserves as if they were Robin Hood of Wendy's.

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zibby
October 27, 2008 12:18 PM
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What part of New Jersey is this? They've been doing this in some of the crappier parts of Brooklyn for awhile now because bums would stroll in and order a 4pc. and demand 10 sauces with the thing. Also, you get 1 (one) napkin in the bag - they don't leave those goodies out.

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CLEADD
October 27, 2008 2:44 PM
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Does this mean I get a 10¢ refund each time they forget to give me the sauce? (Or a straw, or napkins, or ...)

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Phreggs
October 27, 2008 2:59 PM
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Seen a similar sign here in Riverdale, Utah.
Sauces - 11cents
Water - 11cents
Dressings - 69cents

They use the same guidelines as above though

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Paintbait
October 27, 2008 7:46 PM
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As far as I'm aware this policy has been on a branch-by-branch basis. At my weekly gatherings McDonalds is a favorite, and my friends often church up their dollar menu items with sauce. Most of the time they aren't charged extra, but what's ten cents, really? Frankly it's not too much to ask, though the sign on the door is more than a little gaudy. I'd just put it on the menu as \"Extra Sauce, $0.10\" that would really put down the PR disaster..But it's sauce, anyone who throws a harry canary over sauce should probably seek help.

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DanGarion
October 27, 2008 10:00 PM
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Those packs cost money and people abuse and waste them all the time. Now whether this is a franchise or a corporate owned Micky D's is in question. Since I don't think corporate owned ones does this type of charge.

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PrestonBerryworth
October 28, 2008 10:54 PM
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Ths s srs cstmr srvc ss? WW!

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karmaghost
October 25, 2008 3:42 AM
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@PrestonBerryworth: Apparently, is is, as this message has been handed down by \"Management, !MGMT!\"

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kc2idf
October 24, 2008 6:56 PM
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@PrestonBerryworth: It can be.

I had an \"incident\" at a local Burger King where I requested some barbecue sauce after placing my order, and was told that there would be a 10¢/package charge for this. I expressed a willingness to pay that, and was told to get back in the (very long) line while my food gets cold.

Long story sort, when I started to make a scene, another clerk got me my barbecue sauce, no charge. The first clerk later apologized and told me that the manager had told him that, although he was following policy, some common sense should have prevailed.

Incidentally, the barbecue sauce would not have normally been part of my meal (not chicken nuggets), but I like the stuff on my fries because I can't stand regular ketchup.

Between that and two other customer service blunders that I have encountered at that particular BK, I just don't go there any more, choosing instead to go to the one downtown.

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MatildaHaeru
October 24, 2008 9:50 PM
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@kc2idf: If I was you I'd just stay away from fast food before you have a heart attack.

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Justifan
October 31, 2008 6:07 PM
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not sure what you win by eating a lot of sauce. its pure high fructose corn syrup:P

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Anonymous
November 2, 2008 10:57 PM
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I went through the drive thru at McDonalds last night and got some random food + 6 piece chicken nuggets. My girlfriend asked for 2 sauces, and got charged an additional $.10. Came home...turns out they forgot to give us *any* sauce. Mother f-ers!

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