# How McDonald's Has Destroyed America, Part One.



## Rusty Shackleford

Did you ever wonder? Luckily for you, Rusty is here to wonder for you.

This is part one of a series I am writing just for you folks!

Part One: Diners.

 McDonalds has completely fucked this country. How you ask? It's quite simple. The great American diner. Opens at 5-6AM for the hungry folks heading to work in the morning. They would stop in, sit at the counter, have coffee and eggs, chat with the other locals, maybe read the sports section, and the waitress behind the counter knew everyone by name, and their regular order. Now? Nope. Now the American worker is sitting in a drivethru, waiting for a greasy sausage and fegg biscuit, to eat on the way to the job. The Diner was the American staple for so many years. Where are they now? Sure there are still plenty around, but are there regular customers anymore? Nope. Maybe a few, but not like it used to be. What other countries were run through by diners in all the towns? The Diner defined America and our way of life. A family owned business, and more often than not, relying on local product to feed the hungry citizens of the town. As diners go the way of bulk purchasing to keep up with McDonalds, the local producers aren't selling like they used to. 

You may be following where I'm going with this by now, but if not, stay tuned for the next installment.

~Your ever-vigilant watchman,  Rusty Shackleford


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## Trakternut

Ya  know, Rusty, them old diners were a community of themselves.  You had folks who came in regularly, just like a shift at a plant.  6 AM might be Mike, Bob, and, Richard who sat at "their" table.  6:20, Mark and Bill came to the counter, and so forth through the day.
  I remember one place here where a certain customer never varied his breakfast. The cooks could see out through the windows and when his car pulled up, his breakfast was on the grill. He'd barely get halfway through his first cup of coffee and here it came, toast the way he  liked it, eggs, all that.  Yup! Diners are the best!


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## snow dog

I quit visiting McDonalds when they started employing cashiers, who's English is their second language and they are not very good at speaking and less at counting.


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## AAUTOFAB1

I havent eaten at a Mcdonalds in a very long time(1-2 years)like most fast food,its not that good,and its never to late to support your local dinner.


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## Rusty Shackleford

Trakternut said:


> Ya know, Rusty, them old diners were a community of themselves. You had folks who came in regularly, just like a shift at a plant. 6 AM might be Mike, Bob, and, Richard who sat at "their" table. 6:20, Mark and Bill came to the counter, and so forth through the day.
> I remember one place here where a certain customer never varied his breakfast. The cooks could see out through the windows and when his car pulled up, his breakfast was on the grill. He'd barely get halfway through his first cup of coffee and here it came, toast the way he liked it, eggs, all that. Yup! Diners are the best!


 

Don't ya miss that? Even when I grew up, there was little diners, you would always see most of the same cars in the parking lot at the same time each day. Gone now.


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## JackieBlue

We still have quite a few diners here and they're open 24 hours.  Packed with customers all the time, especially on the weekend mornings.  What I miss is the look of the old time diners.  Some still look like this, but very few.


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## EastTexFrank

I haven't been in a McDonald's for a long, long time.  I mean probably 5 years and that was a "one off" visit with the grandkids.  No, the Golden Arches don't make a whole lot of money off me.  

Mind you, since I usually don't eat breakfast, the local diner doesn't see me very often either.  I'm one of those that usually sneaks in just before they stop serving to have "brunch".  I maybe eat lunch there about once a week as I'm not much of a large meal eater in the middle of the day either.  Now, I'm there every Friday or Saturday night when it transforms itself into one of the best steak, chop and chicken restaurants around.  It's not cheap, actually it's pretty darned expensive for this part of the country, but oh my, it is good.


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## Alonzo Tubbs

In the South, we have the modern equivalent of the diner.  Waffle House.  The staff always knows the customers by name; their children, job and usual order.  I once took a nonbeliever to breakfast.  Her comment was that we hadn't gone out and purchased a meal, we had visited my freinds and had a little breakfast with them.

One caveat is necessary.  The word diner has been applied to some pretty non diner kinda joints. Once, while dating a high falootin' (sp) stripper, we went to the Buckhead Diner for breakfast.  $120.00 out the door.  Once.

Lem Foutes would have cried.  I know I did.

So there PG.


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## JackieBlue

When I was in Cooperstown a couple of months ago, we went to the Cooperstown Diner.  It was on the list of "Places To Eat in Cooperstown" so we decided to give it a try.  When we saw the outside, we were hesitant because it looked so small.  But hunger can make you try anything sometimes.  When we went inside it was so small with just a few tables squished together and a teeny counter to eat at.  Remarkably though, for some reason it didn't feel uncomfortable at all.  I ordered pancakes, because I believe when you are on a vacation/trip you should be able to splurge on your normal diet.  They were delicious!  Everything there looked yummy.  And everyone was very friendly too.  If anyone visits there, I would suggest going.  Here's a pic of the outside.


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## Trakternut

Too bad  you didn't get some shots inside, JB. Would have been something to see.


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## JackieBlue

Trakternut said:


> Too bad  you didn't get some shots inside, JB. Would have been something to see.



Yeah, I know.  I should have.  It was nothing fancy inside but it was quaint.


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## Galvatron

Rusty my friend you for the first time in me knowing you made sense and here is the thing......


You my friend have just found your calling in life....imagine it...."RUSTY'S GRILL HOUSE".....get local support,start small and mostly do your research with the locals.

Yes it will take $$$ but if you plan well and draw the right attention you can make it happen.

Honest m8 this could be your calling.......just when i pop over for a free "Galvi Bacon Burger" do not put in any of your special home made sauce

Make it happen.


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## CityGirl

Galvatron said:


> Rusty my friend you for the first time in me knowing you made sense and here is the thing......
> 
> 
> You my friend have just found your calling in life....imagine it...."RUSTY'S GRILL HOUSE".....get local support,start small and mostly do your research with the locals.
> 
> Yes it will take $$$ but if you plan well and draw the right attention you can make it happen.
> 
> Honest m8 this could be your calling.......just when i pop over for a free "Galvi Bacon Burger" do not put in any of your special home made sauce
> 
> Make it happen.


 

Galvi beat me to it. Really, Rusty, maybe this is what you need to do. In a recent post you were saying you wanted to work with people. Well, here ya go. The perfect solution...self employed, working with people.... Many successful businesses have been launched by people because they wanted to bring back some of Americana. With your personality, you would have a loyal following in no time. Simple, good eats with the right atmosphere are a winning combination. If you are missing diners, others are too. Go for it! I'll attend your grand opening and I bet you could count on several more FF members to show up, too.

P.S.  Now you can change the thread title to How Rusty will save America


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## pirate_girl

Alonzo Tubbs said:


> In the South, we have the modern equivalent of the diner.  Waffle House.  The staff always knows the customers by name; their children, job and usual order.  I once took a nonbeliever to breakfast.  Her comment was that we hadn't gone out and purchased a meal, we had visited my freinds and had a little breakfast with them.
> 
> One caveat is necessary.  The word diner has been applied to some pretty non diner kinda joints. Once, while dating a high falootin' (sp) stripper, we went to the Buckhead Diner for breakfast.  $120.00 out the door.  Once.
> 
> *Lem Foutes would have cried.  I know I did.*
> 
> So there PG.


hahaha!!
Thanks Mistah Tubbs for finally posting.

Speaking of diners- Lester's in Bryan Ohio.










[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Remember the TV series Alice, and "Mel's Diner? Well,              it has been said that Lester's Diner,  a fixture since the 1960s in              Bryan, Ohio, was the model  that the producers of the TV show used              for "Mel's." [/FONT]                   *




[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTf9jM438Qg"]YouTube        - Lester's Diner[/ame]

*


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## JackieBlue

Hey Rusty, you could always come to NJ.  We're considered the Diner Capital of the World".

http://www.visitnj.org/dining



> With more than 500 diners scattered all over the state, New Jersey is the diner capital of the world. Join us at these comfortable eateries where the menus are as thick as telephone directories and you are certain to satisfy any craving.


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## pirate_girl

Rusty Shackleford said:


> Did you ever wonder? Luckily for you, Rusty is here to wonder for you.
> 
> This is part one of a series I am writing just for you folks!
> 
> Part One: Diners.
> 
> McDonalds has completely fucked this country. How you ask? It's quite simple. The great American diner. Opens at 5-6AM for the hungry folks heading to work in the morning. They would stop in, sit at the counter, have coffee and eggs, chat with the other locals, maybe read the sports section, and the waitress behind the counter knew everyone by name, and their regular order. Now? Nope. Now the American worker is sitting in a drivethru, waiting for a greasy sausage and fegg biscuit, to eat on the way to the job. The Diner was the American staple for so many years. Where are they now? Sure there are still plenty around, but are there regular customers anymore? Nope. Maybe a few, but not like it used to be. What other countries were run through by diners in all the towns? The Diner defined America and our way of life. A family owned business, and more often than not, relying on local product to feed the hungry citizens of the town. As diners go the way of bulk purchasing to keep up with McDonalds, the local producers aren't selling like they used to.
> 
> You may be following where I'm going with this by now, but if not, stay tuned for the next installment.
> 
> ~Your ever-vigilant watchman,  Rusty Shackleford


We have a diner right here in town.
Jim's. Been here for eons.
Also a place called The Grind, but it's more a coffee house I'd say.
It's where folks gather regular and yes.. know everyone on a first name basis.
It's much better to go to those places than a fast food joint.


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## JEV

McDonalds has not, and cannot, destroyed America. Just like guns don't kill people. People can/will destroy America and people can/will kill people (with or without guns). People make conscious decisions on how to live their lives from what and where they eat, to how they handle conflict resolution. You give way too much credit to the power of McDonalds while giving a pass to the choices people make. You can blame McDonalds advertising for all the fat kids eating Happy Meals, when it's the lazy parents in child centered homes who give in to their children's whining and complaining just to shut them up, and feed them the shit that makes them fat...the brats are in charge of the family and know how to get their way. If people want McDonalds that's their choice, but there a lot of people (myself among them) who like real food cooked in diners and Mom-n-Pop restaurants, and we patronize them on a regular basis when we are not cooking at home.

This thread is a classic "fixing the blame" instead of "fixing the problem" scenario. Go out and make a difference to change the status quo if you're not happy with it.


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## Trakternut

JEV,makes a good point!
We have several family eatin' joints here and I much prefer those to the fast food joints. 
 There's one called The Pantry which is, more or less, a lunch counter in a small shopping center here. They have tables out on the floor so there's plenty of room.  The owner serves a plateful of good food for a reasonable price.  Her bisquit gravy has LOTS of sausage in it and comes with two eggs served how you like  'em along with a full order of B&G.


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## tsaw

Back when I was a child, growing up in Algonquin IL, me and my best friend would travel around on trains.  We got on the wrong one - (one taking us far from back home) and  the conductor asked us where we were heading. 
He made a unscheduled stop and let us out at the next town. 

We were hungry, so we stopped into a private diner. 

Hamburger SIXTY CENTS - CHEESE BURGER .80 cents.

The friendly people asked us what we were doing there, two young boys with no parents,  and made sure we got on the correct next train back home.

A Macdonals of today would have us lost - far from home.


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## pirate_girl

tsaw said:


> Back when I was a child, growing up in Algonquin IL, me and my best friend would travel around on trains.  We got on the wrong one - (one taking us far from back home) and  the conductor asked us where we were heading.
> He made a unscheduled stop and let us out at the next town.
> 
> We were hungry, so we stopped into a private diner.
> 
> Hamburger SIXTY CENTS - CHEESE BURGER .80 cents.
> 
> The friendly people asked us what we were doing there, two young boys with no parents,  and made sure we got on the correct next train back home.
> 
> A Macdonals of today would have us lost - far from home.




Yep, remember the good old days?
Lester's in Bryan still has the table jukeboxes.
There used to be a diner downtown here.. it was called The Lineup.
Smoked my first cigarette there after school with a coke, and sat my bangs on fire with one of those old silver Zippo flip lighters.


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## a5gunner

I try to only have it a couple times every few months.  Some people go everyday which is crazy, but if its just once and a while that isn't as bad.


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## tsaw

pirate_girl said:


> Yep, remember the good old days?
> Lester's in Bryan still has the table jukeboxes.
> There used to be a diner downtown here.. it was called The Lineup.
> Smoked my first cigarette there after school with a coke, and sat my bangs on fire with one of those old silver Zippo flip lighters.



I sure do remember them days. Them were the days when the bottom of the table was full of pieces of gum. 

And that old Zippo lighter? My dad used one. And so did I.

That lighter is making a comeback. My 18 yr old daughter and her friends whorship the thing. Some can do the cool trick where you snap it open and lite it at the same time.


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## JEV

tsaw said:


> Back when I was a child, growing up in Algonquin IL, me and my best friend would travel around on trains.  We got on the wrong one - (one taking us far from back home) and  the conductor asked us where we were heading.
> He made a unscheduled stop and let us out at the next town.
> 
> We were hungry, so we stopped into a private diner.
> 
> Hamburger SIXTY CENTS - CHEESE BURGER .80 cents.
> 
> The friendly people asked us what we were doing there, two young boys with no parents,  and made sure we got on the correct next train back home.
> 
> *A Macdonals of today would have us lost - far from home.*


 That's just plain bullshit, and you know it. You probably watch PMSNBC, CNN and listen to the lies on NPR as well. There are far more people who go out of their way to help the old, the young and the plain fucking stupid, than are ever written up about or presented on the nightly news or on cable. Morons performing sadistic acts and zombies walking the streets looking to munch on brains is what sell newspapers and brings the braindead to the TV screen, and they are a minuscule fraction of the global society, but these news outlets (?) would have you believing that the streets are crawling with them. Watching and listening the lowest life forms in the world do outrageous things makes the braindead feel good about themself that it did not happen to them, and if you buy into that you have drunk from the urn of their Kool-Aid. I put my faith in ordinary human beings, and not the sensationalists who want you glued to the screen just waiting for the next bizarre act to occur almost instantaneously before your eyes.


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## mak2

Damn McDonalds, or NPR.........or, oh hell I dont know what is going on anymore.


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## tsaw

You missed my point entirely. BTW, I don't even have TV, and I don't listen to  NPR. What you missed was - that if two young boys were at a Macdonalds eating today, there would be nothing wrong with that.
No one would think twice about it. Kids go to Macdees all the time.
The title of this thread is:
*How McDonald's Has Destroyed America, Part One.* 
I posted the differences between now and when I was a youngin.
As far as the rest of your rant... 



JEV said:


> That's just plain bullshit, and you know it. You probably watch PMSNBC, CNN and listen to the lies on NPR as well. There are far more people who go out of their way to help the old, the young and the plain fucking stupid, than are ever written up about or presented on the nightly news or on cable. Morons performing sadistic acts and zombies walking the streets looking to munch on brains is what sell newspapers and brings the braindead to the TV screen, and they are a minuscule fraction of the global society, but these news outlets (?) would have you believing that the streets are crawling with them. Watching and listening the lowest life forms in the world do outrageous things makes the braindead feel good about themself that it did not happen to them, and if you buy into that you have drunk from the urn of their Kool-Aid. I put my faith in ordinary human beings, and not the sensationalists who want you glued to the screen just waiting for the next bizarre act to occur almost instantaneously before your eyes.


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## loboloco

It was a different, and I think, better culture back then.  It's still there, but you have to hunt for it anymore.


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