My daughters diary
McDonald's
The picture above was taken at a McDonald's restaurant at an internet terminal and was send to our email address.
Apple loves McD. It's the first brand she learned (Tesco was the second, but that's another story) and the letter M is the first letter she recognizes (the second, third and fourth were A, B and C).
She is always ready for a meal at McD. Not only because it tastes good (in her book), but because it's always bright and colorful in there. Most importantly it's always easy to find kids to play with at McD.
I was expecting her to pronounce the name as "Macy" as most kids do in Hungary, but she decided to call it "Donald's". She would call out this name at any opportunity when she sees the sign on the road. And when we enter the restaurant she would scream out loudly "Donald's!" as well.
Although, we never encouraged such behavior, we did take here to McD when she asked for it. It's not about the happy meal toys either, although she doesn't mind playing with them.
I'm not worried about the health issues at this point, as the frequency and the quantity of the food consumed is minimal.
Whatever McDonald's does they do it right. They clearly managed to grab kids' attention and despite the negative PR against them parents don't mind going there either.
If you look at other restaurants, they are not designed for kids except for the one at IKEA. Most of them have gloomy lights for ambience. High tables and chairs. No space to play. No bright colors. And music that makes you go sleep. This is so damn frustrating for a kid and to most parents with kids too.