McDonald’s

The restaurant and bathroom weren’t filthy, but they weren’t particularly clean, either. One of the employees came out of the toilet stall, then went back out without washing their hands. There were no paper towels and the toilet paper was almost out. One of the drink station ice machines wasn’t working. It was only partially stocked. My order was right on the receipt, but made wrong when I got it.

Typical McD at an Interstate highway exit. It was clean. Girl behind the counter was neither friendly mor unfriendly.

A friend of mine was moving to Philadelphia and I agreed to drive out there with her for essentially one reason: a BILLGRIMAGE. This obviously included a stop in Hope, and it obviously included eating at McDonalds.
While the McDonalds in Little Rock might have been more appropriate, our schedule dictated that mealtime would take place in Hope. And so, not a McDonalds fan at all, found myself eagerly anticipating those Golden Arches.
The Hope McDonalds, conveniently right off of the freeway (highway in AR, I guess) and on the way to the Clinton Childhood Home, is recently renovated and very new and shiny. They had a flat screen tv (showing Fox News) and plants and chic wood booths and green paint. Very fancy.
I ordered the new mushroom swiss angus burger, which was surprisingly good and much better than I’d have guessed I’d be able to get at McDonalds. And, of course, our meal was beyond affordable.
The disappointing part? NO MENTION OF BILL CLINTON. Come on, McDonalds. We’re in HOPE, ARKANSAS. This is BILL CLINTON. Arguably the most famous McDonalds lover on Earth? Or at least one of. Can’t you even have a photo of him? The Culvers in Edgerton, Wisconsin had a Brett Favre poster.
So, it was an amazing journey, but the Hope, AR McDonald’s didn’t really pull its weight in our Billgrimage as much as it could have. Still an experience worth having though.