photo: Jíří Zemen, PrahaIN.cz/McDonald’s on Wenceslas Square
Every kitchen has its own and is somewhat typical. In the Czech Republic, for example, we are very fond of sauces. But some foods have spread worldwide and you can eat them in almost the same form all over the world. Fast foods in different parts of the world have very similar tastes. McDonald’s is one of the most famous ones. The branch on Wenceslas Square regularly replaces the lunch menu of local, relatively expensive restaurants. PrahaIN.cz went to the location many times in August.
It is one of the largest fast food chains in the world. It was founded in 1940 in America. However, its popularity increased approximately fifteen years later, when fast food was taken over by Ray Kroc, incidentally the son of Czech emigrants who were born in Stupno, not far from Pilsen.
The famous chain thus also has a Czech footprint in its history.
It did not reach the Czech Republic until 1992. The first branch was opened in Vodičková street, where it is still located today and also appeared in the film. The scene from U mě dobrý with Bolek Polívka and Jiří Schmitzer takes place there. There are now over 100 branches in the Czech Republic.
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Anyone who has ever visited this fast food restaurant in the center of any European city has probably stood in line, there is always a high attendance. We have experienced it in a number of European cities: Vienna, Amsterdam, Wrocław, Munich, Belgrade, Bratislava and many others.
That there is interest in this chain in the center of Prague is repeatedly confirmed to us every time we walk through Wenceslas Square. There is one at the top of this boulevard near the National Museum. We entered it several times to find out how it is with the visitors.
We’ve never seen an empty one, and almost every time it’s crowds of foreigners. But we cannot say that we would not find a Czech here.
During our last visit, we asked several customers who were waiting for their food or had already finished their meal, what were their reasons for visiting this particular fast food restaurant.
The reason that about six people told us was that they know what to expect from the food.
“It’s an impossible task for them to spoil the food,” the Asian told us, using the words mission impossible in English, just like the name of the Tom Cruise movie series.
“It’s the same everywhere, we like a cheeseburger,” said the other guys in the group with the girls just nodding.
Another two women talked about the fact that they don’t like Czech food, they say it’s too dense for them. When asked if they had tried any Asian restaurants here, they answered that not yet, they have only been in Prague for a short time.
“Why are you asking me that, yes, it’s my favorite fast food, that’s what you wanted to hear, right?” laughed another stranger.
But there were also people who talked about the price.
“It’s cheap, fast, no work,” said two boys from Sweden, and several other McDonald’s customers echoed their words.
McDonald’s on Wenceslas Square. Source: PrahaIN.cz
The cheapest meal on Wenceslas Square
And the truth is that this fast food is probably the cheapest way to eat on Wenceslas Square. You can get a menu with a burger, fries and a drink here for under two hundred crowns. The well-known cheeseburger, like everything else, has become more expensive, but for an undemanding eater, three pieces will cost less than 130 crowns.
We can speculate about the quality of fast food, but the fact is that for such a price you simply cannot eat in the restaurants on Václavák.
For example, the Turkish restaurant Mangal, which is located opposite McDonald’s, offers the cheapest main course for three hundred kroner, most dishes are around four hundred kroner on average.
If you walk down from the fast food towards Můstek, you will come across Krušovická Šalanda, for example. Even here you can’t eat cheaper than 300 without drinks. Czech classics such as sirloin or goulash cost 299. Chicken broth costs 100 without a crown.
The house next door is even more expensive. Restaurant – Café Svatého Václava offers sirloin even for 499. Goulash the same, broth 169 crowns.
But there is not only Czech cuisine on the famous boulevard. You can taste something from Italy, for example, at Ristorante Italiano Buschetto. But even here, lunch and a drink will cost the customer more than twice as much as fast food. Bolognese lasagna is available for 369, carbonara for 299.
2023-09-03 05:51:04
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