McDonald's (Tuttle Crossing)

Folks, the reigning Arches champion in the Dublin, Ohio area is still the 161 and Frantz location. However, I do believe the Tuttle Crossing franchise could give it a run for its money. I visit this one often as it's closer to work and the food is always pretty decent.

In the fairly recent past, I would regularly hit the drive-thru for an artery-clogging two double cheeseburgers (that's four patties) and a medium fry for a bargain $3. But I never exactly felt light on my feet after eating such fare, so I've decided to dial it back a bit. Yesterday I went with what is fast becoming my favorite meal: the #10 Crispy Chicken meal.

I'm not sure when the Crispy Chicken Sandwich got "revamped" to use marketing speak, but it's a quality mid-day treat. Past whole-breast chicken sandwiches always had an inordinate amount of gristle. However, none could be found on my Tuesday sandwich (or the previous example I had last week at the go-to location). This sandwich is quite tender, with a lightly-spiced crispy outer layer that seals in the juices nicely. It sits upon a premium honey-wheat roll, adorned with lettuce, tomato, and a generous dollup of mayo: exactly what I like in (on) a sandwich.

So the sandwich was top-flight, but I couldn't give the restaurant four stars because the fries were lukewarm. Now this is not usually a problem with this location, but I've got an obligation to our lard-loving readership to tell it like it is, and the fries weren't all that.

Otherwise, Tuttle is a nice location. The seating area seems small, but it's creatively configured to hold more people than you'd think, with plenty of nooks and crannies to give a little more privacy than the airplane-hangar arrangement common to most fast-food places. The two TVs in the joint were tuned to a daytime soap rather than the typical ESPN or CNN, which I thought strange, but not so much as to make me lose my mind and start eating at TGI Fridays or something.

You'll do well to avoid the drive-thru at peak hours, as I swear it starts to form a spiral around the building. I guess the mall shoppers are the laziest folks around, because there's never more than a few people in line if you actually walk inside. "I can wait here all day, so long as I don't have to get out of my bucket seat. And I'll take the salad... watching my figure"

McDonald's, Perimeter Loop

6830 Perimeter Loop Rd
Dublin 43017



Seriously, there's a McDonald's off Avery Road. Caspar and I had time for a quick, greasy lunch today, and Arches is always on the short list of stops. Given that I've already reviewed our favorite McHaunt, we thought we'd try another location -- for your sake. I suggested Tuttle, and Caspar noted there was one in the Perimeter area. I told him he was daft, that there's a Wendy's and a BK, but surely no Arches -- how could I have missed it all these years?

Well it is indeed there, we dined there, and here are some observations. First, I've missed it all these years because the big golden M in the red field is not allowed to exist in this part of Dublin. All signage is brown and small, including signs to get back on the freeway (it's close to Muirfield, meaning rich golfers and golfer wannabe's don't like to know where they're going). So lost in a sea of brown and brick was a McDonald's situated in the Giant Eagle shopping plaza.

Once you've sighted it, getting there is still another challenge when going north on Avery -- you make a right into the shopping plaza and then need to make an immediate left, cutting across traffic turning into the plaza from the southbound lanes. Messy, but no great obstacle if great grease is to be had. Unfortunately, the dining experience left much to be desired.

The place is the Toyota RAV-4 of McDonald's franchises: too damn small to be useful. I ordered my Big Mac meal (I always go with that at a new franchise to test their version of the flagship product) and turned to grab a seat... and found there were none. The restaurant has an odd L-shape, and I wandered around the corner and that side was packed too. No seats. At 11:40. It seemed to have the same amount of capacity as your average Subway strip mall franchise. What the hell do you do at a fast-food restaurant standing there with your tray when you have no place to sit? I was heading over the counter to get a bag when eagle-eyed Caspar spied a hidden (unwiped) bar-height table by itself between a wall and the vestibule. Fortunately the folks coming in behind us all ordered to-go. Perhaps they knew the drill.

Caspar's shorter stature was an obvious hindrance at this location. The drink lids are located unconventionally above the drink dispenser, which is easily missed if your eye-level is lower. Also, the bar-height table and stools were ill-equipped with foot-rests. There were none on the table and the ones on the chairs were quite low, such that Caspar's feet had nowhere to perch.

"What the hell do you suppose that is?" is not one of the top questions I like to have asked of me during a meal, and we agreed to pretend to not notice whatever it was that was stuck to Caspar's tray. In general, the place had a decent decor and was fundamentally clean (no old dirt), but there were numerous places where small, new messes were not attended to. So why three grease spots instead of two?

Because it's all about the food. And the food was pretty good. The Big Mac was a very good specimen of its kind: fresh bun, served hot, sauce evenly applied, and juicy patties. The fries were typical Arches, which is to say quite good. We were served quickly by friendly staff, and as we exited, one of the cashiers yelled out to us to have a good day (mind you we had not made eye contact such that she'd feel compelled to say anything, she just called after us). Nice touch.

If you get friendly service and a good hot meal, the rest becomes less important. I don't think it can replace our staple location on 161, but it'll do in a pinch.

ADDENDUM: This does not typically concern us, but it's worth noting that all three aforementioned McDonald's locations (Tuttle Crossing, 161(Bridge St), and Avery/Perimeter have Wi-Fi access.

McDonald's (161 and Frantz)

337 W Bridge St, Dublin, OH

Several years ago, I was involved in an investment club. I researched a stock that I thought was ready to take off: McDonald's. It was down to about $14 a share, held down due to uncertainty over the looming war, the looming fat-food lawsuits, and a growing awareness of healthy eating. We didn't buy, but we should have, as it now trades for close to $60. Whatever else McDonald's is, it is quintessentially American, and will adapt. It is also a hated franchise among the latte-quaffers in every office in America, which perhaps endears it to me even more.

The go-to McDonald's for us lately has been at Rt. 161 and Frantz Rd. This is an older franchise, and a place that gives us results. I will vary my order at the Arches in direct proportion to how long it's been since I've eaten there. If it's been a while, it has to be the Big Mac. Wednesday's Mac did not disappoint, and was probably the freshest, most delicious specimen of that species that I have tasted. The mitigating factor for that visit was the fries, which were uncharacteristically overfried. I'm willing to overlook it as a fluke, but will have to keep my eyes out for a trend.

You'll do well to arrive before 11:45 or after 12:30, but even at peak times, lines are reasonable. It's always a clean restaurant, and the counter service is top-notch, for fast food or anywhere else for that matter. Considering that the restaurant industry averages over 100% annual turnover, it's hard to be consistent, but these folks have done it well for years.

There's no real issue getting in or out, or with parking as it's located in the Kroger plaza, and pull-thru spots are usually available close-by. The only strange thing about the place is the vestibule, which is so narrow that patrons often get stuck behind the door they just opened if they chose the wrong interior door. There's no Playplace in the modern sense, but it does have a children's area with a few activities in the back.

All-in-all, a good example of a proud American franchise.