Sunday, January 1, 2012

Lunch on the run at @McD_Canada while on the hunt for #EqualCanada #Cbias

McDonalds Ironwood Plaza
I've never really been one for fast food, even before I was gluten-free, though I've always had a weakness for McDonalds cheeseburgers.  The hubs however, has a bit of a love affair with fast food and eats out a little more than he probably wants to admit.
McDonalds Playplace
In the past, we have taken the boy to the Ironwood McDonalds (in Richmond, BC), as its the only location that still has a Playplace, but we've always just had a beverage and shared some fries among us all.   Now that we are re-introducing wheat, dairy and soy into the boys diet I'm excited about heading out for more than fries.

So when my Mom and I were out with the boys doing a few errands and lunchtime was upon us, I knew exactly where I wanted to go.  We drove across town to Ironwood to pick up some coffees and chicken nuggets.
McCafe Entrance
I haven't tried the coffee since McDonalds unveiled their new McCafe branding, though I'd heard good things about both the taste and flavour.  I was happy they had decaf, though I did find that it tasted a little bit old (which frequently happens with decaf).

My Mom uses sweetener in her coffee, so when I was ordering ours, I inquired about Equal sweetener and found they didn't carry it.  I was surprised to find that they only have one sweetener option available.  I explained to the cashier that it would be great to see more sweetener options as many people are very specific about their sweeteners and also mentioned that Equal is available in Canada in two varieties, including the popular sucralose option.  In general I think that having more options for something as simple as sweeteners can really make a difference to the customer and as such is good for business.
McCafe Coffee's

To ensure that my opinion was heard I inquired about a comment card, however that cashier didn't seem to know what I was talking about and the assistant manager simply informed me there was no comment box available and that decisions 'like that' were made at a national level and would require discussion at the highest management level.  After explaining that was exactly why I wanted to leave a comment, the assistant manager was able to confirm that I could leave my comments on the website listed on the back of the receipt and that she would pass my comments on to her superiors.  Of course, I followed up with the online form when I returned home.

While I was ordering food and discussing Equal sweetener with the staff, my Mom and the boys had a quick play in the playplace before we ran home to enjoy our delicious McDonalds take-out.

You can connect with Equal and McDonalds on Twitter @EqualCanada and @McD_Canada and on Facebook at Equal Canada and McDonalds Canada.

“This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias, however all opinions are my own.