Probably the most shocking/interesting line from the article in my opinion:
The first Kentucky Christmas meal sold for a pricey $10 (almost $48 in 2014 money) and contained fried chicken and wine; now, KFC’s Japanese Christmas meals cost about $40 and come with champagne and cake.
I'm given to understand that many fast food chains serve alcohol in Europe. McDonald's, for example, sells beer in Germany and both beer and wine in France.
In the US, McDs is a house of horrors. Look at the Palo Alto location: bathroom from hell even the devil wouldn't use, terribly underpaid/unmotivated staff and worse decor.
Yep, US McDonalds are the worst I have ever seen. Pretty much everywhere in EU they are clean and tidy, maybe except UK, with theirs bearing the closest resemblance to US ones. But the ones in Germany, France or Poland are as clean as any proper restaurant.
I was in a smaller city in Spain on a Sunday, late night, and the local BK was jam-packed with teens. More than I've ever seen at any fast-food joint in my life. I must admit, though, since I've accompanied some friends in W. Europe as they eat there, they are cleaner and the staff, more motivated (than in the US).
Maybe(and this is just a guess) it is because even the staff at McDonalds that is working at the worst possible positions knows that they don't need to collect food stamps to survive, that whatever happens they have 21+ days of paid holidays per year and unlimited sick leave with free healthcare. I mean, the pay might be shit, but at least you are not worrying about what will happen if you get sick.
How long ago did you see the UK ones? ~5 years ago, the style of them was overhauled. Now, they're really actually pretty nice. They sell some really decent quality food.
The first Kentucky Christmas meal sold for a pricey $10 (almost $48 in 2014 money) and contained fried chicken and wine; now, KFC’s Japanese Christmas meals cost about $40 and come with champagne and cake.