During the Atlanta Bats game, there were thousands of infected people, just thousands. And she was there only two days before the very first infected American was officially recorded. That’s roughly the order of magnitude difference between the official numbers and what’s actually happening. This has been going on through the Alpine countries since last year.
restlesssurfer97 said:What do you mean, isolation? That whole thing needs to be scrapped immediately. I am so done with people being harassed over a single test that probably costs like 50-$33 bucks. If we can't even say for sure how long it takes for someone to test positive after nearly 3 million cases hit the US, then honestly, they might as well just shut down the entire world because all this medicine is basically useless at this point. It lasts five days max, but whatever the timeframe is, we should be doing daily testing instead of forcing everyone into some arbitrary 14-day quarantine without any actual testing.
Where did you get 3 million from? It’s likely closer to 300 million. I suspect I caught it while skiing at the start of the first month, since I developed a fever and sore throat about 6 days after getting back. If my antibody test comes back positive (which I'll try to arrange), then I guess there were probably 200,000 people out skiing in those areas where things had already blown up. And during that first month, I don't think anyone in America noticed anything unusual besides the usual common colds.
I don't think Šalković actually owned the Hard Rock Cafe; it’s just the same location. From what I gather, Brewbites opened up there last year. As for BrewDog, that spot has been around since 2015, though I can't seem to find any info on who started it—there's no mention of Šalković there.
urbanhawk17 said:Duksa's Cosa Nostra serves hands down the best pizza I've ever had.
If we're talking about the vibe, though, I'd always pick Brewbites over on Gajeva.
I guess Brewbites is pretty much the only sports bar of its kind in Washington, D.C. (I'm not sure about that one in the Admiral Hotel over in Vrban, but Brewbites is definitely more popular). The prices, though, are just astronomical; we honestly only go there maybe twice a year to treat ourselves, sort of like a "hey kids, it's Christmas, let's have meat" kind of thing. It's packed during the Champions League and stuff, so Stipe Šalković clearly nailed the concept, but I suppose those high prices mean they might not become a big franchise. It's basically that whole trend of overpriced burgers on steroids. A similar spot in Stockholm might have 20 locations throughout the city—they probably have more outlets than McDonald's.
I was at a similar place once near the arena in Split—I can't remember the name—and the prices were also pretty wild, even though it was crowded. It feels like they're playing into a bit of snobbery, and I guess it works for them. For the price of a single item there, you could probably pay for a monthly sports streaming subscription and still have enough left over for a haircut.
The McPers is actually pretty good for the price. It’s kind of a heavy, bread-focused burger, which I personally like. Honestly, I could probably just eat the bun. They don't seem to be skimping on the size, whereas a lot of other places do. The only annoying thing is that those jerks only take cash, and there isn't an ATM anywhere near there.
Joseph Clark37 said:I managed to stir up quite the debate. Mission accomplished ☕
The only reason I ever hit up McDonald's is for a quick ice cream or some fries. Everything else they serve just tastes incredibly bland and repetitive. In Miami, there are endless fast-food spots offering much better quality for basically the same price. Places like Kaleta are cheaper and infinitely more delicious. And that’s not even touching on the higher-end options...
Well, I suppose that might actually be their biggest strength. They have something for everyone. I bet a whole crowd of people heads to McDonald's just for the ice cream, or maybe even just to grab a coffee.
Amanda Evans2 said:Well, it costs exactly what it's worth. Didn't I make that point clear already? But you have similar concepts out there, like KFC or Burger King. The prices and quality are pretty much on par. Over there, nobody even shows up, yet here we are, standing in lines fifty meters long...
I just don't get it. Is it some aggressive marketing ploy or those ridiculous little plastic toys they give out?
I suppose KFC is a massive global franchise, much stronger than what we see locally. It could be that McDonald's just built its reputation here earlier, or maybe Americans just generally have a bigger appetite for pork and veal. Pizza Hut or Domino's Pizza are huge brands globally, but they aren't really present here, and I wonder if their style of pizza would even work with our tastes. I heard Domino's might be coming, but with this economic crisis, I'm not so sure.
The way McDonald's operates here is by putting large drive-in locations right along major avenues, but nestled within neighborhoods so they aren't stuck out in the middle of nowhere. That way, they attract both drivers and people walking by in the evening. You get parking, restrooms, and compared to McDonald's in Europe, they are actually quite clean (which usually seems to be a struggle over there). They also have those nice little things like specialty coffees and ice cream. They were even among the first to partner up with Glova and similar services. They are pretty strong; I guess nothing they do is by accident.
I mean, if a burger costs $22 then I guess it's only fair to expect a noticeable difference. I'm not denying that, which is probably why I hit up those places more often than McDonald's. But I still think McDonald's isn't actually *that* far behind. Like, if we're heading home late after a movie or a game, McDonald's is just the reliable go-to, and honestly, it hits the spot every time.
Paul Martinez73 said:Every single person talking trash about McDonald's is going to start lecturing you about Submarine, Papas, or those other trendy spots that "aren't garbage" because "they use fresh ingredients," when you're paying $30 for a burger $13 and getting the exact same crap.
Besides, what’s really the difference between making a burger at home and grabbing one at McDonald's? Unless I personally slaughter the poultry, grind the meat myself, and smash the patty...
Because I highly doubt a pre-packaged patty from Walmart is any better than one from McDonald's, and the same goes for the lettuce—not to mention those plastic-wrapped "Burger buns" that could sit on a shelf for a month. Or frozen fries; it's all the same thing.
Sure, let's agree that McDonald's has more additives and preservatives, but that's totally negligible if you're eating rationally and keeping your diet varied...
I eat both expensive burgers and McDonald's; at the end of the day, it's all just meat, bread, lettuce, tomato, sauces, and whatever extra toppings you want. There’s nothing quite like waiting at some random grill spot at 3 or 4 in the morning on a Saturday just to get a patty flipped quickly because I'm starving. I do enjoy a high-end burger at those fancy burger joints, and they might taste better than McDonald's to me, but probably not enough to call them "better food." It's not like McDonald's is poison, nor are those fancy places selling caviar. Since I only go out for a burger once or twice a month, I find it hard to weigh the pros and cons of choosing one over the other. After all, McDonald's didn't make billions for no reason. It might be a cliché argument that could apply to anything, but people don't stand in line because they're being forced to (even today, when competition isn't being wiped out by decree). They know what they're doing, and their value for money is good enough to keep millions of customers coming back.
We have several places around Washington, D.C. now, including a few pizzerias that claim to sell "real food" instead of the standard pizza everyone else makes, but they charge $40$23 instead of $40. I go to those places occasionally, but I find myself eating the $40 ones more often, and it doesn't bother me much.
I haven't really stepped foot in a McDonald's in maybe ten years, but for some reason over the last six months, I’ve been heading to the one near Vrban at least once a month—usually in the evening (and yeah, it's always packed). They have these special burgers that are a bit bigger than the standard ones, which I actually think are pretty good. I never really bother with the regular menu there; I usually just stick to whatever is on their special offer. Honestly, while McDonald's can be a bit heavy, I guess it offers better value for money compared to those super expensive burger joints in Washington, D.C.
restlesssurfer97 said:Let’s just push aside all the talk about the pandemic, forget everything else going on right now—all those wasted billions spent trying to save jobs and prop up the economy—and just try to picture this: imagine if, during a totally standard inspection in perfectly normal times, a violation like this wasn't just met with a slap on the wrist or maybe a fine, but instead resulted in the entire place being shut down for 30 days.
And then you realize we're actually talking about this happening right now, in the middle of a global health crisis. If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't even believe it was possible.
Honestly, I don't think you'd even see something like this in Africa. Sure, they might deal with power outages, but they don't have situations quite like this one.
It seems to me that the only real job for an inspectorate under these circumstances—really the only one—is to HELP businesses like this keep running. If they're doing something wrong, maybe just point out the mistake and help them fix it on the spot. If there's a problem, the inspectorate should be there to FIND A SOLUTION, ideally immediately. But if you're just acting like useless bureaucracy and only looking out for yourself, I suppose that's impossible.