Given how popular and widespread they are, it's likely you've set foot in a McDonald's at least once in your life.
Edinburgh alone has more than 10 restaurants serving up fast food to hungry customers.
While you may think that every McDonald's is the same, there is a huge variety from restaurant to restaurant in terms of staff and cleanliness.
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To investigate which of the Edinburgh McDonald's were the most — and least — popular, we took a look at TripAdvisor, where each one has been assigned a rating out of five based on scores from visitors.
We also took a sample review from each one, to give you an idea of what customers think.
According to the online travel company, here are all of the Edinburgh McDonald's restuarants ranked from worst to best.
Meadowbank, 59 London Road
Rating: 2/5
Number of reviews: 1
With only one TripAdvisor review take this with a grain of salt, but the Meadowbank McDonald's comes in at last place on this list.
What one customer said: "I've not had issues with the food quality when I've ordered my food in-store. Sometimes they take the mick with how long it takes to get served, if they get too many orders online they seem to fill those and make you wait rather than taking less online orders."
Craigentinny Avenue North, 63 Seafield Road
Rating: 2/5
Number of reviews: 28
With more than half of its TripAdvisor reviews giving it a one-out-of-five score, it is safe to say that many visitors to this McDonald's weren't happy with their experience. Particular sore spots include the "terrible staff" and "awful food".
What one customer said: "Visited yesterday, for a take away. Outside the resturant was a disgusting mess, rubbish everywhere... total disgrace. INSIDE WAS WORSE. I was met by tomato sauce splatted all over the floor, the floor tiles black and sticky, chips, rubbish everywhere, the place was empty, no queue no tailback or waiting customers,in the drive through, just a totally unacceptable disgusting mess, a total disgrace. I filled in the, “ tell us how we did”, and ticked to be contacted, NO ONE DID. Clearly, people still think this third world condition, is acceptable to eat at / from. Well not me. I Will NEVER return, I strong suggest other do the same. Appauling filthy state."
Telford Road, 74 Telford Road
Rating: 2/5
Number of reviews: 29
Out of 29 reviews on TripAdvisor, 16 of them gave the McDonald's on Telford Road a 1/5 rating. Users called out the "total lack of customer service skills" and "cold" food — with one even declaring it the "worst McDonald's in Edinburgh".
What one customer said: "Nipped in for a quick bite, before a long drive. Received an incorrect order, surly staff would not correct, and the food had obviously been left out too long as partially cold Staff more interested in chatting to each other than bothering with customers. Appalling, and floors were needing a clean."
Kinnaird Park, 32 Newcraighall Road
Rating: 2/5
Number of reviews: 36
Another 2/5 McDonald's, the one in Kinnaird Park doesn't fair much better than the last few in terms of reviews. Visitors slammed the staff in particular, calling them "incompetent" and "embarrassing" — while one even went so far as to call it "horrific".
What one customer said: "Meal took a while, bit slow, thought quality was terrible. Fries were cold, not fresh, tasteless. Burger nice but not warm, not fresh either. Nuggets good but in a bag not a box, awkward for eating in. I had a tea got no milks sugars with it, no dips came with nuggets. I had to go up to counter to get my milks and dips. Atmosphere ok but machines were constantly beeping and it was annoying!!!. I love McDonald's but this visit just wasn't great, don't think il be back."
Corstorphine, Corstorphine Retail Park
Rating: 2.5/5
Number of reviews: 14
Moving up to an average score of 2.5 out of 5, the reviews for the Corstorphine McDonald's fare slightly better. While the majority of TripAdvisor users slammed its "inedible" food and "rude staff", some praised its cleanliness and menu variety.
What one customer said: "Food is constantly cold and inedible, service is shocking when you speak with a member of the management team. Also I would highly recommend never using Uber eats from the McDonalds as they never deliver the right order, to get a refund you need to go through Uber."
South St Andrew Street, 1-5 South St Andrew Street
Rating: 3/5
Number of reviews: 1
Like the Meadowbank McDonald's, the South St Andrew Street branch only has one review, so there is not a lot to work with. They praised its location and food, though questioned its cleanliness.
What one customer said: "The location is very convenient on the Prince Street. Good for a quick meal. A bit unclean on a rainy day."
New Market Road, 2 New Market Road
Rating: 3/5
Number of reviews: 5
The five reviews for the New Market Road McDonald's are fairly evenly split between raves and slammings, with the branch being called both "really good" and "the worst McDonald's".
What one customer said: "After shopping at Asda decided to buy a McDonald’s for lunch. This is a small restaurant however service was ok. Ordered a chicken wrap meal with coffee. Coffee was hot but the wrap and chips were cold. I also thought that it wasn’t value for money as I only got 1.5 pieces of chicken in my wrap - usually at other McDonald’s I get more. Wouldn’t get food from here again."
Straiton, Straiton Retail Park
Rating: 3/5
Number of reviews: 38
Unlike the divisive New Market Road branch, most TripAdvisor reviewers agreed the Straiton McDonald's is pretty average — though many agreed that the staff were "rude".
What one customer said: "This recent visit was at about midnight - I was working so nipped in for a coffee and a quick loo stop. The girl behind the counter told the guy she handed the cheeseburger too told him *I spat in that* clearly meant to be a joke but it put me off a bit."
South Queensferry, 6 Builyeon Road
Rating: 3/5
Number of reviews: 82
There is a broad range of opinions about the South Queensferry McDonald's on TripAdvisor. While some called it the "best Maccies" and praised its "first class service", others slammed its "chewy" fries and long delays.
What one customer said: "The food was good and fast, despite it being extremely busy. The thing that made it a 3 was that there were a few people without hairnets serving the food. They had different uniforms on, so may have been more senior staff, but they were definitely serving food."
Princes Street, 137/138 Princes Street
Rating: 3/5
Number of reviews: 143
Given its central location, it's unsurprising that the McDonald's on Princes Street has the most reviews out of any branch in Edinburgh. Recent reviews have dragged its score down, criticising its "absolutely filthy" interior and "rude and cheeky staff".
Princes Mall, 3 Waverley Bridge
Rating: 3.5/5
Number of reviews: 99
The best-reviewed McDonald's restaurant in Edinburgh is the one in Princes Mall. With most reviews giving it a score of either 3/5 or 4/5, a 3.5/5 average is probably as good a rating as you could expect a McDonald's to have. TripAdvisor users commended its "well-managed" staff and quick service.
What one customer said: "It is a pleasure and a surprise to find such an inclusive restaurant. I arrived to dine in with my adult son who has autism and learning difficulties. The staff member on the door immediately understood the situation and when I was using the QR code to log into Track and Trace, guided my son to our table, using his name and appropriately settling him. His agitation stopped and I successfully logged in and then ordered our meal. Thank you for your inclusive supportive approach."
