McDonald's — Restaurant in Santa Monica

Let me preface this by saying I respect efficiency, consistency, and good business. McDonald’s, for the most part, delivers. The fries? Crisp and golden. The burgers? Hot, fresh, and prepared like clockwork. The service? Adequate. No one’s rolling out the red carpet, but they’re polite, and the food shows up fast—no complaints there.

But then there’s him. Mr. Nothing. The immovable object. The monument to human stagnation. I’ve been to this McDonald’s about 30 times, and each time, without fail, there he is. Not ordering, not eating, not even pretending to do something useful. Just sitting there, staring into space like he’s waiting for the world to end—or maybe it already has, and he just didn’t get the memo.

Listen, I’ve been around. I know people. I’ve seen men with a purpose, whether it’s running an empire or staying three steps ahead. This guy? He’s got nothing. No spark, no drive, no ambition. He’s like a ghost of someone who gave up halfway through a thought 20 years ago. And his presence? It’s disruptive. It kills the atmosphere. I come here for a quick meal, not to feel like I’m stepping into the set of some low-budget existential drama.

I don’t know what McDonald’s policy is on loitering, but this guy needs to go. Permanently. It’s bad business letting someone turn your dining area into their personal vacuum of ambition. Clean it up. Serve the food. Let people eat in peace.

And Mr. Nothing, if you’re reading this: get a hobby. Or a job. Or some purpose. Because right now, you’re just a walking cautionary tale, and I didn’t ask for that...

Food came fast. Order was hot and accurate. The workers are so upbeat and nice. The restroom for the men was clean but they kinda run low on toilet paper often. Speaks to the traffic they get though. The kiosk inside before you hit the counter is the best feature. You can pick your order on one of the four kiosks. Its bright and clear with their whole menu on it. Pay with credit or debit card at the kiosk, take a table number sign and wait for your order to be delivered to you. Of course I had to try this and I believe the restaurant nailed it. Fast, accurate, and delivered with a smile. Lobby stays open for eating inside until midnight. No cash via kiosk. You can select your meal and it will give you a ticket/receipt that you bring to the front counter to pay. That's why the kiosk is better for credit and debit cards; select food, swipe card, and walk right to your table with a plastic number to wait to be served. There is Apple Pay and Google Pay as well as the chip and swipe terminals. Even on kiosk. Last thing, keep your receipt when you pay, it has the online survey option where they'll give you a code for Buy any burger, get the same or one of equal value (or cheaper, but not greater value) for free. There are 5 and 6 dollar burgers here. A free 6 dollar burger everytime u do a survey? yes, please. No limit to the number of surveys (except one redeem per visit), every receipt has it even the kiosks. The one on 2nd street by the Santa Monica Pier has a buy one get a specific burger. Here u can choose...

One of the most consistently awful (and otherwise least consistent) McDonald's around. I know a McDonald's might usually get mediocre reviews on average but this one really deserves it.

You'd think with the astronomically high prices compared to a few years ago they'd be doing better.

I used to come here to this specific McDonald's as a kid so you can consider this a 20 year review.

It's gotten to the point where unless you order at the perfect time, it will be a guaranteed disaster. Egg shells in $5.29 McMuffins. Soggy and stale fries. Weird tasting food and even drinks. I'm not claiming to be an expert on this but I'm pretty sure they're definitely mismanaging something related to food storage because their McChickens and McNuggets have that "off" flavor to them as if the chicken's been left out and even their mayonnaise has an extra sourness that shouldn't be there. And something's got to be wrong with the water they mix into the drinks because my Coke will sometimes taste much worse than tap water. Funny enough though, the rare times that their ice cream machine isn't "down" or they're not pretending it's down, that's always tasted OK (and of course anything packaged/sealed like BBQ sauce is fine too.)

There are multiple times where I took a bite and actually just had to throw away the food.

As for the service, I've definitely seen a McDonald's with more rude staff, but at least they're more attentive and competent.

I'm going to try to remind myself to avoid this location...