On November 19, 2022, Juan Buis tweeted this picture absolutely loving the design of this reusable packaging that’s being introduced at McDonald’s in France, the reusable packaging went viral on the Social Media Platform. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, retweeted him and said: The anti-waste law doesn’t just mean the end of plastic straws. In France, changes are underway to change our consumption patterns and reduce waste. […]
The Rise of McDonald's in France
Fast Food and France doesn’t seem like a good match, as it’s the country of fine dining, Michelin stars and long-lasting dinners in cozy bistros. When McDonald’s came to the country in 1997, the French were skeptical. About 80 top chefs in the country made a newspaper ad in the country’s biggest newspaper saying that they thought it was Preposterous that McDonald’s was coming to France, they said: “This is absolutely ridiculous we need to stop this fast food thing.” But they folded, like everybody else on the planet, nonetheless the company remained controversial for decades. In 1992, it launched a poster campaign showing the French chef Paul Bocuse dreaming about a Big Mac while examining a pile of chickens.
The chef sued McDonald's for 2.7 million dollars, Bocuse said: “[…] How can I be seen promoting this tasteless boneless food in which everything is soft.” The Lawyer added, the ad would be: “An intolerable insult to the pope of world Cuisine.” Seven years later, it got much worse for the fast food chain. At the time the World Trade Organization in the US were trying to force Europe to accept imports of hormone-induced beef, Europe resisted and the U.S. in turn imposed heavy duties on certain luxury products. One of the items targeted was Roquefort cheese from France. French sheep farmers were angry, So they went and wrecked a restaurant of the chain which was currently under construction in the small French city Meaux.
The Horde was led by the activist and sheep farmer José Bové, the McDonald’s incident made Bové a national hero and leader of the French anti-globalization movement. He published a best-selling book two years later and in 2007 he ran for president later he went into European politics all on the back of hating McDonald’s, despite Bové’s Crusade, McDonald’s could not be slayed. It had a competitive advantage over brasserie’s, bistros and cafés, the restaurants were designated as takeout joints, this meant the value added tax was 5.5% versus the 19.6% at gastronomic restaurants. The food was cheap, and the French economy was bad as always. Another Factor played a much bigger role though. McDonald’s always has been good at inserting itself into the local culture of the country it operates in, but nowhere has it succeeded on such a scale as in France.
The company realized that French customers were different from American ones, Americans visited McDonald’s more often at any time of the day alone opting for takeout. In contrast, the French came in groups, spent more money per visit and more time in the restaurants, they went there during regular lunch and dinner hours. French McDonald’s wasn’t treated like a takeout place, but more like any other Bistro, many say: “sitting down to a meal is a Cornerstone in French culture”, so McDonald's adapted. In the U.S. the restaurants are designed to attract people from far away, the golden M glooming high calling you to the Drive-In. The interior is typically a bit uncomfortable, intended to minimize customer visiting time and maximize purchasing turnover. In France the restaurants are typically Sleek, modern, and comfortable, you can find cozy Corners for larger groups of people. McDonald’s in France almost doesn’t feel like fast food, products are locally sourced and there are unique offerings like the Mcbaguette but also a Croque Mcdo. McDonald’s does this everywhere of course, but they do it very well in France.
There’s also a funny review of the world-famous Ladurée Macarons in Paris on TripAdvisor. The reviewer concludes: “The macarons taste the same as the ones sold at McDonald’s across the road, […] except for four times as much as the price.” The person who wrote the review is not just angry they are onto something, the macarons at McDonald’s are manufactured by the same company.
Today McDonald’s is called Mcdo in France it is a cultural institution and even has its own slogan: “Venez comme vous êtes” it means “come as you are”. France is considered to be one of the biggest and most profitable markets for McDonald’s in the world.
The EU’s war on plastic
So Mcdo is special but why would they come up with reusable dishware, it seems like quite the hassle, well the root of it all is the EU. Sometimes people don’t realize how powerful the EU actually is the European Union’s executive body, the commission can issue directives these directives are goals which must be achieved by all member countries, but every country can decide on how to get there. A particularly famous directive is a big EU move to reduce the impact of plastic on the environment. This includes the ban of plastic straws or plastic spoons, but in truth it goes much further than plastic straws becoming paper ones. For example, the directive makes single-use plastic producers pay to clean up single-use trash, and finally the important point it forces member countries to find ways to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics such as food containers and beverage cups. France is always extra and top of the class in combating plastic. They’ve gone way above what was expected, in France from early 2025 new plastic packaging has to be made of 100 recycled plastic and since the beginning of 2023 single-use packaging is banned from French fast food restaurants which brings us to this.
