At the Saint Louis meet, the subject of McDonald's breakfast came up. I was shocked to learn that on the east coast, they don't serve biscuits and gravy. I assumed that it was a nationwide thing. What parts of the country does McDonald's serve this delicacy?
I'm in Michigan and I don't recall McDonald's serving biscuits and gravy, but the Subway in my hometown actually does (and started before Subway launched breakfast nationwide).
Maybe it's just a southern/midwestern thing. I assumed everybody loved biscuits and gravy. McDonald's actually makes pretty good biscuits and gravy.
I wouldn't generally lump Southern and Midwestern food together. (Cue Alps saying the Great Lakes area isn't Midwest...) I had never even heard of chicken and waffles until Lay's made it a flavor.
There are great parallels between Midwestern cuisine and Southern cuisine. Barbecue is the greatest example.
I've never seen biscuits and gravy at a McDonald's around here. The only fast food place I know of that carries such a thing is Hardee's.
One thing I know is that the gravy isn't the same at every McDonalds that has biscuits and gravy, possibly based on region.
I'm used to what my local McDs has, which I would describe as thick and spicy with small pieces of sausage, with the gravy already poured on top of the two halves of the biscuit when you receive it.
I was disappointed with what I got at a McDs in southern Indiana (at I-64 and SR 64.) That gravy had bigger pieces of sausage in it, but was thinner and really bland. And it was served differently as well, with one uncut biscuit sitting next to a separate container of gravy that you had to open and pour yourself. My Dad has reported seeing the same thing in Texarkana when driving through there last fall.
Some gravy would be good with chips (al a northern England's standard way of eating chips - and KFC finally has it here)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fb%2Fbc%2FGravy.JPG%2F320px-Gravy.JPG&hash=69aadef02413f9e54ea5c2b9483ec6bbcc2bc3da)
but with biscuits
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.cdnds.net%2F13%2F37%2F618x415%2Fodd-chocolate-digestives.jpg&hash=5fdc420764c57c407b166aa1583b098d3742c60b)?
That's silly - no wonder you won't find it within 5000 miles of here!
Oh wait, you mean scones and Béchamel sauce made with dripping (and maybe with sausages) rather than butter...
Yeah, I still see why McDonalds won't carry it this side of the Atlantic! Even with a different name, that won't sell.
I don't think the US franchised fast food places we have here (McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Subway) do regional variations in Britain and Ireland. Except maybe on the soda fountain. Given that we have various regional cuisines, and various regional quirks (especially when it comes to what accompanies chips), you'd expect a little bit of variation. That said, a UK-based chain like Harry Ramsden's Fish and Chips will simply cater for all different taste in chips (except perhaps the south Welsh desire for curry sauce - though if many independent chip shops carry it) and peas (mushy if you are northern, normal if not) throughout the country and part of the appeal of these national chains is consistency.
Quote from: bugo on March 19, 2014, 04:42:20 AM
There are great parallels between Midwestern cuisine and Southern cuisine. Barbecue is the greatest example.
I guess that's the difference between "eastern" Midwest and "western" Midwest. Local cuisine to me is based on Greek, German, Polish, and Scandinavian influences.
I don't think I have ever been to a Mickey D's with biscuits and gravy
Quote from: corco on March 19, 2014, 12:30:37 PM
I don't think I have ever been to a Mickey D's with biscuits and gravy
Next time you're in Tulsa I'll treat you to some.
Quote from: corco on March 19, 2014, 12:30:37 PM
I don't think I have ever been to a Mickey D's with biscuits and gravy
I have not either. The most "southern" thing on the McDonald's menu around here is the fried chicken biscuit offered during breakfast hours.
Nice to see heart disease, inc., still has a loyal following.
Biscuits and gravy is a rarity in the northeast. More adventurous breakfast-focused places will have it, but forget finding it on a standard diner menu. Ditto chicken-fried steak and countless other southern staples.
I asked the biggest McDonald's breakfast aficionado I know (a well-known politician) whether he has ever heard of McDonald's selling biscuits and gravy. His reply:
QuoteI believe it has only recently been introduced locally. however, b/c it is not an egg mcmuffin, I would personally not likely ever encounter it...
Maybe it's a gradual roll-out. The one near my house didn't have it last time I went there a few weeks ago.
Regarding chicken-fried steak, IHOP offers that. I had it last week (for lunch) and it was quite tasty. The hash browns were so-so, but the chicken-fried steak itself was good and very filling.
This is probably something left up to the individual franchisee.
I managed two different Burger King restaurants. One, a stand-alone location, did not offer biscuits and gravy. The other, located inside a casino, did not offer many menu items, but did have biscuits and gravy.
I remember when my local BK had all you can eat biscuits and gravy for $1.99. Needless to say, that was a breakfast staple whenever I would get out of bed early enough to get there.
Biscuits and gravy have been available at local McDonald's for years. It's not a new roll out thing.
Quote from: bugo on March 21, 2014, 04:00:01 AM
Biscuits and gravy have been available at local McDonald's for years. It's not a new roll out thing.
I'd say it's more of a regional thing.
I recall biscuits and gravy have been available at Pittsburgh McDonald's before. Can't say for sure right now, as I haven't had the chance to get to a McDonald's recently during breakfast time. :spin:
If they don't have them in your area then you're missing out. Most McDonald's food is bland, but the biscuits and gravy are actually good.
I've never seen this at any New England McDonald's. I have seen them offer a lobster roll before though...but in Maine.
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on March 22, 2014, 12:05:04 PM
...............I have seen them offer a lobster roll before though...but in Maine.
McLobster here too in the Maritimes.
Never heard of Biscuits & Gravy......but they serve Poutine!
Quote from: english si on March 19, 2014, 12:18:08 PM
Some gravy would be good with chips (al a northern England's standard way of eating chips - and KFC finally has it here)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fb%2Fbc%2FGravy.JPG%2F320px-Gravy.JPG&hash=69aadef02413f9e54ea5c2b9483ec6bbcc2bc3da)
but with biscuits
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.cdnds.net%2F13%2F37%2F618x415%2Fodd-chocolate-digestives.jpg&hash=5fdc420764c57c407b166aa1583b098d3742c60b)?
That's silly - no wonder you won't find it within 5000 miles of here!
Oh wait, you mean scones and Béchamel sauce made with dripping (and maybe with sausages) rather than butter...
Yeah, I still see why McDonalds won't carry it this side of the Atlantic! Even with a different name, that won't sell.
I don't think the US franchised fast food places we have here (McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Subway) do regional variations in Britain and Ireland. Except maybe on the soda fountain. Given that we have various regional cuisines, and various regional quirks (especially when it comes to what accompanies chips), you'd expect a little bit of variation. That said, a UK-based chain like Harry Ramsden's Fish and Chips will simply cater for all different taste in chips (except perhaps the south Welsh desire for curry sauce - though if many independent chip shops carry it) and peas (mushy if you are northern, normal if not) throughout the country and part of the appeal of these national chains is consistency.
Well, depends what you are defining with 'scones' and 'Béchamel sauce' - when I make my own biscuits and gravy, the biscuits don't have cheese in them and the gravy I make with flour, butter and milk, then I add the sausage crumbles as well as some of the dripping as well as a bunch of ground black pepper.
I've found there's a lot of variation in the way people make their own variety. My mother's roomate doesn't use butter at all, she makes her gravy with flour, milk, sausage and dripping, no butter. I'm partial to the way I do it, but then, that's why I do it that way.
Bugo, Hardee's biscuits & gravy blow McDonald's B&G right the fuck out of the water, and I've never been in a Hardee's (or Carl's Jr, for that matter) that doesn't serve them, regardless of where. Arby's B&G are excellent as well, again, way better than McDonald's, and I don't recall having ever been in an Arby's that doesn't serve them, either.
Quote from: Crazy Volvo Guy on March 22, 2014, 11:48:15 PMWell, depends what you are defining with 'scones' and 'Béchamel sauce'
Well yes, that was my point about your use of 'biscuits' and 'gravy'. I might count the gravy as gravy, if the main liquid ingredient was meat juices, rather than milk, but the various recipes I found were for sausagey Bechamel Sauce, with maybe some variants like no butter. And 'biscuit' is a scone - the recipes are identical.
Quotethe biscuits don't have cheese in them
I've never seen scones with cheese in them.
Scones here typically come split in half with jam and cream, but they are the exactly the same thing as 'biscuits' (which aren't biscuits as they don't go soft when stale).
Quoteand the gravy I make with flour, butter and milk
That's Bechamel sauce
Quotethen I add the sausage crumbles as well as some of the dripping as well as a bunch of ground black pepper.
OK, that's in addition to the butter, rather than instead of.
QuoteI've found there's a lot of variation in the way people make their own variety. My mother's roomate doesn't use butter at all, she makes her gravy with flour, milk, sausage and dripping, no butter.
which is what I described...
Biscuits and Gravy? I think you have to ask for it here. I do know that every time I get a McMuffin meal (the only thing I actually eat from there!), they ask if I want to add grits to the meal. Well, of course!
Quote from: english si on March 23, 2014, 05:43:20 AMAnd 'biscuit' is a scone - the recipes are identical.
We have both at many places here. It just costs $2 more when they call it a scone.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 24, 2014, 08:54:30 PMWe have both at many places here. It just costs $2 more when they call it a scone.
Well of course it does - it's a poshness premium in the States!*
It's like how lardons are more expensive than bacon, despite the only difference being the way it has been cut (small cubes, rather than thin slices) - but 'lardons' are French, and therefore that little bit more pretentious-sounding, so you can charge more.
Or maybe it is just as what the scones come with is more expensive? Maybe the clotted cream is imported (that adds lots to the cost)?
*I hope it costs an extra dollar if you say 'scone' to rhyme with 'own', rather than 'on' as additional lar-de-dar tax.
When I lived in Hawaii, the McDonalds' over there offered saimin, a Japanese noodle soup (Top Ramen is a bastardized saimin). I wonder if that's still the case.
Grab what you can now, as McDonalds may have a strike soon! That rumor about unions asking McDonalds to pay their help 15 dollars and hour may be fact soon.
It would never happen. Here's why:
If the current staff at McDonalds did want to form a union, and the union demanded $15 an hour, and McDonalds said pound sand, the unions would say their members will strike.
McDonalds would say...OK, go ahead.
McDonalds employees tend to be teens or adults that are making a few extra dollars, or teens or adults trying to earn money for school, living expenses, etc. If they went out on strike, they would be earning nothing.
In the meantime, McDonalds gets a ton of applications from people every day, because you need very few skills to handle the main duties at a McDonalds. And many people that are applying for jobs at McDonalds are doing so because they don't have the skills or qualifications to work elsewhere, or simply haven't been able to find steady employment elsewhere.
So...while the union employees are striking outside, McDonalds will continue to be fully staffed. The union employees will quickly learn that their paychecks have stopped, and now their employment with McDonalds has stopped too.
Strikes at McD's are particularly unlikely in the short run, since the employees are not yet unionized. They're getting support from unions, and some employees may belong individually to unions, but no union in the U.S. is authorized to bargain with McD's on behalf of its employees. And McD's hasn't yet rolled out the full Wal-Mart playbook on staying non-union in the U.S. Employees can walk out without union representation, but as Jeff points out there's nothing stopping McD's from firing them and hiring permanent replacements.
Getting back to biscuit and gravy, I'm not a fan of either, so I don't speak from much experience. But I suspect McD's optimizes its biscuits for eating behind the wheel, giving priority to minimizing crumbs falling into your lap (not well enough for me) over taste or texture, though the latter are adequate for me on the rare occasions where I eat a McD's biscuit sandwich. ISTM a sit-down-only place would be a better place to look for the perfect biscuit and gravy, if you're into that kind of thing.
Carl's Jr. and maybe Hardee's list on their websites the stores where biscuits are available, so maybe they focus more on better biscuits. But I don't know if gravy is an option.
Biscuits and gravy are in fact available in at least one of the McDonalds in Florence. Maybe others, but I cannot attest to that. I am not touching the other topics.
iPod touch 5G
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 15, 2014, 11:34:09 AM
In the meantime, McDonalds gets a ton of applications from people every day, because you need very few skills to handle the main duties at a McDonalds. And many people that are applying for jobs at McDonalds are doing so because they don't have the skills or qualifications to work elsewhere, or simply haven't been able to find steady employment elsewhere.
That is not true. Not everyone can deal with the public.
Quote from: bugo on May 16, 2014, 10:16:30 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 15, 2014, 11:34:09 AM
In the meantime, McDonalds gets a ton of applications from people every day, because you need very few skills to handle the main duties at a McDonalds. And many people that are applying for jobs at McDonalds are doing so because they don't have the skills or qualifications to work elsewhere, or simply haven't been able to find steady employment elsewhere.
That is not true. Not everyone can deal with the public.
Most of the crew in the back actually cooking/heating the food does not interact with the public.
Quote from: oscar on May 15, 2014, 12:52:36 PMCarl's Jr. and maybe Hardee's list on their websites the stores where biscuits are available, so maybe they focus more on better biscuits. But I don't know if gravy is an option.
Every Carl's and Hardee's I've ever been to, regardless of where, has had biscuits and gravy on the breakfast menu. They are served the same way McDonald's B&G are served, with the gravy in a bowl on its own, but they are better than McD's.
For many years, the nearest Hardee's that was on any route we traveled was in Abingdon, Va. We always left on vacations very early in the morning (well before sunrise) and any time we would pass through Abingdon, we would stop at the Hardee's there so Dad could get a steak biscuit. When Hardee's opened restaurants in this area, he was pleased, as there ended up being a couple of Hardee's within a half-hour of here.
Quote from: Crazy Volvo Guy on May 16, 2014, 02:52:45 PM
Quote from: oscar on May 15, 2014, 12:52:36 PMCarl's Jr. and maybe Hardee's list on their websites the stores where biscuits are available, so maybe they focus more on better biscuits. But I don't know if gravy is an option.
Every Carl's and Hardee's I've ever been to, regardless of where, has had biscuits and gravy on the breakfast menu. They are served the same way McDonald's B&G are served, with the gravy in a bowl on its own, but they are better than McD's.
I know of a Dairy Queen in VA that serves B&G. Some of the best B&G I've had at a fast food place.
Most of the DQs around here serve biscuits and gravy.