With McDonald’s Down in the Polls, Will Booze Help?

With “billions served,” McDonald’s and its Golden Arches have come to be synonymous with American culture: We are the “fast food nation,” the Big Mac is universal, children all over the world order Happy Meals with Chicken McNuggets, and the language is understood everywhere.

But fresh off a victory over other quick service restaurants in breakfast loyalty and four “Bests” in the latest Zagat survey — for French Fries, Drive-Through, Value Menu and Breakfast Sandwich — the home of Ronald McDonald has suffered a major setback. In Consumer Reports’ first-ever fast food survey, In-N-Out Burger was ranked the nation’s fast food favorite. McDonald’s, along with large competitors like Burger King and other fast food icons like KFC and Taco Bell, got low marks from consumers.