Hoco’s over, after hours of partying you decide the night is still young. Your next destination is somewhere to eat, but where? The football game’s over, the next location is to fill your stomachs, where do you go? You and your friends are feeling hungry during your hangout, what are you going to eat? You’re feeling hungry in your room and there’s no food in the kitchen, what are you doordashing? Now be honest, McDonald’s wasn’t your first choice.

Let’s face it, Mickey D’s just isn’t as good as it used to be. The restaurant defined by golden arches is losing its shine among newer generations. Teens now flock to Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, Chipotle, and other popular fast food chains. McDonald’s isn’t the most common appearance in the North Atlanta cafeteria, halls, and classrooms. You’re more likely to find white paper bags adorned with the Chick-Fil-A logo throughout a normal school day. 

The world’s largest fast food chain simply has lost it’s glow, especially in Atlanta. When this generation was younger we saw McDonald’s as a company with must-have toys, a catchy melody, to-die-for fries, and more. It seems with growing older the delightful vision of going to McDonald’s turns dim and into a feeling of nostalgia. Although McDonald’s has definitely made its mark in America it has too many flaws. The food quality is different at every restaurant, and many times the quality’s bad. Fries are either too salty or barely salted, burgers (cheese that doesn’t melt and bread that grows stale) get messed up frequently, the sweet tea is watery 7 times out of 10, and the ice cream machine rarely works.

Another issue with McDonald’s is their horrid customer service.The effortless jobs given by employees, some of which are unprovoked, makes the fast food restaurant a popular laughing stock amid social media platforms. Coming across a worker with an attitude is a ticket to an incorrect or messed up order. Service like this created the bad reputation that McDonald’s holds, and it’s often associated with fights and misconvenience. 

McDonald’s popularity levels with the teenage population continues to lower as it is often compared with Chick-Fil-A, which is extremely popular in Atlanta and with students and teens. More people eat at Chick-Fil-A and other restaurants due to the greater quality of customer service and food. There may be the guarantee of lower prices when choosing McDonald’s, but why settle for the possibility of food gone wrong? Although it’s still widely liked and eaten, there’s no doubt that McDonald’s flopped in terms of teen popularity.