I know, who the hell eats at McDonald’s when they’re on vacation right? Well, I’ve made it my personal jihad to check out McDonald’s in the different countries I visit for their localized menu items.
It’s like stamp collecting – how do you explain it? I can’t, an inexplicable urge came over me and I told the tuk tuk driver: “Bring me to your leader!”
I meant bring me to the nearest McDonald’s.
The first regional difference is their sauce – instead of chilli sauce, their chilli sauce is infused with garlic. Nice! There is no regular chilli sauce here.
McDonald’s is renowned for their signature Big Macs. The Big Macs in Sri Lanka comes in two variants – beef and chicken (due to the religious constitution – Hindus don’t eat beef).
The staff is very friendly and accommodating – but perhaps only to foreigners, since I noticed they were decidedly cold towards a local who was short LKR 50. I paid for her; it’s only RM 2, not a big deal to us, my good dead for the day. 😉 I also got a free Coke from this scratch and win contest they’re having. It was either a drink, a t-shirt or a trip to South Africa to watch…you guessed it, cricket!
I ordered a McRice with Chicken (LKR 220 or USD 2.20). It also comes with the option of fish (since Sri Lanka is an island in the middle of the ocean) or vegetables (a sizable community here is vegetarian).
The chicken is nothing to write home about – it’s just a piece of fried chicken breast.
However, they do have a rather tasty sauce of onions with gravy that adds that extra dimension of taste to the chicken. The rice on the other hand, is really something I would take the time to draft a long correspondence back for!
The interesting thing about their rice is that it’s heavily flavored by various spices and comes with a side serving of shallots. I notice that Sri Lankans loves their red onions. It’s served at almost every meal!
I also got a Vegetarian Burger with Cheese (LKR 360 or USD 3.60). It’s obviously not for vegans due to the cheese but it tastes good – like the Vege Burger I had in Melbourne.
I was stuffed at that point but I insist on trying all their different menu items so I had a Chicken Big Mac (LKR 410 or USD 4.10) to go. It’s unusual, tastes like a McChicken instead of a Big Mac, but with two all-beef chicken patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.
The other thing I noticed about McDonald’s in Sri Lanka is that they don’t have proper sealed sauces for take away.
They use a flat round container instead. This is how it looks like beside a LKR 5 coin. I’m not sure if this is a recipe for botulism but since it’s Maccas I guess they should have reasonable standards, even in Sri Lanka. 😉
McDonald’s in Sri Lanka is quite expensive when you consider the currency exchange. I paid the equivalent of RM 12 for a Chicken Big Mac. I don’t know how it rates on the Big Mac Index by The Economist magazine, but it’s certainly not cheap.
Posted: 10:04 PM Sri Lanka time.
Woh…chicken big mac…first time hearing it…didn’t even know there was such a thing that exist until now…
how did u even manage to stuff all the food down ur belly??? i thought the portion look quite large…
I’m not a fan of fast food.
But during my conference trip in Bali, the same dishes and rice was served tds*-ly!!
(tds* in Latin= THREE TIME DAILY! )
I burst into tears half way thru’ the congress! I ordered delivery for KFC and McD!
actually, it’s kinda funny when I think back. lol
i’m first here i guess?
bro the fried rice/spice rice there looks really good. 1-10 how’d u think it fare?
The rice didn’t look too appealing to me. Hahaha but vegetarian burger looks good! Hahaha they should have it in Msia! And, eh you traveling alone ?
HB, your meal seem not bad for when I was in Beijing the city of many people, getting a table was not easy. The moment sat down other customers would eye you in Will You Eat Fast So We could Use Your Table that kind of looks.
I like trying many places with Mcdonalds for all have special food of that country.
HB, your meal seem not bad for when I was in Beijing the city of many people, getting a table was not easy. The moment sat down other customers would eye you in Will You Eat Fast So We could Use Your Table that kind of looks.
I like trying many places with Mcdonalds for all have special food of that country.
HB, awesome Garden Big Mac. I do like Garden Burger at time to stay healthy and your photo of it made head out to get some to make at home.
hb, u went there for business trip?
Me too me too!
Alws go to McDs in every ctry i went!
DA BAO FOR ME..!!! =X
HOW COME MALAYSIA’S NO HAVE SUCH YUMMO BRUGERS ONE???
T__________T
Big Mac Index (from wikipedia)
Five most expensive (as of 4 February 2009)
Norway – USD 5.79
Switzerland – USD 5.60
Denmark – USD 5.07
Sweden – USD 4.58
Eurozone – USD 4.38
Five most affordable
Malaysia – USD 1.70
Hong Kong – USD 1.71
China, People’s Republic of – USD 1.83
Thailand – USD 1.86
Sri Lanka – USD 1.95
🙂
the chicken breasts look horrible lor but i may love the rice and red onions 😀 gee Sri Lanka.
Cheong Hao: It is very large…I think I puked it up last night. I’m about to puke now too, ate too much today in my determination to try all the Sri Lankan dishes. :S
cynthia: Haha! Yeah, you told me. I like to check out the McD’s in different countries – this one has a lot of similar menu items, except for the three I ate. 🙂
shutterbug86: I’ll rate it an 8. I love the spiced rice with red onions on top. It’s delicious! 🙂
chefmel: It tastes great though. 🙂
Yup, travelling alone, backpacking (not really la since I’m staying at Holiday Inn) though Colombo and the outskirts – have been to all the districts here and some outlying places. 🙂
Vickie: Haha! That happens in all highly populated cities, I reckon. 🙂
Michael (Mike): Garden Big Mac? I haven’t had that before. 🙂
xSean: Nope, it’s my vacation! 🙂
thenomadGourmand: Comrade! It’s nice eh? To see what each country has on it’s localized menu. 🙂
Jan: Hmm…I doubt it’ll be good when it arrives though. 🙂
annant: I don’t know, the rice is cheap but burgers are damn expensive over here. I can’t figure out why. Hmm…
paul: Eh, that’s not right. The Big Mac over here (burger only, a la carte) is LKR 410 which works out to USD 4.10. It should be in the top 5 most expensive instead of the least expensive. The Economist better come and do a survey again. Heh! 🙂
jg: Sri Lanka is awesome! It’s a very nice place, chilling by the beach, with barbed wire and the navy with assault rifles just a meter away, and HUGE waves. 😉
1st time i’m seeing rice in macd. they look quite alright. sorry to hear that you’d lost rm1100, that’s really a huge sum of money. just be extra careful next time ya..
Based on economist, the cost of Big Mac is only LKR 210 as compare with LKR 410 u paid. Either Economist is wrong or u kena cheat 🙂
(http://www.oanda.com/products/bigmac/bigmac.shtml)
cindy khor: Yup, the rice here is not regular rice either. It’s spiced rice with lots of red onions. Very nice!
Yeah, oh well, I won’t let that ruin my vacation. I’ll just make do with what I have! 🙂
paul: Eh, The Economist is wrong. 😉
Haha! Seriously, I took a photo for proof. Here it is uploaded to Twitpic:
http://twitpic.com/fub03
LKR 410 or USD 4.10. I shall email The Economist about their error! 🙂
Veggie burger looks good. So does the rice. Wish we had those at the McDonalds here I might actually go there then because I really like veggie burgers, and don’t eat red meat. However the chicken looks kind of gross. Anyways enjoy Sri Lanka.
bigwillie: Yeah, it’s pretty good stuff. I like McDonald’s in the states though, you guys have a lot of stuff we don’t. Cheers! I’m enjoying my vacation! 🙂
Wow. The rice sure seems like an exciting thing to try. I have to say our localised version of McD sucks. They could’ve been more creative by infusing even more local delicacies into their(Malaysia) menu. After all we’re a multi-racial country with an abundance of ‘interesting’ foods. 😉 The possibilities are endless!
Haha…. I always love MCD no matter where is it xD
I think Malaysia is still the cheapest on the Big Mac Index.
nice post. the rice is special ya =]
😉 🙂 🙂
Looks yummy
But the price surely quite expensive
Right now in Melbourne (not so sure about the rest of Australia)they’re having these very luxurious beef burgers- Mighty Angus and Grand Angus. The beef patties of both burgers are made from 100% Angus beef. The difference between the two is their toppings. Mighty Angus- Relish; Grand Angus- Gourmet Salad. Personally I prefer Mighty as I’m a relish lover. So gonna tapau these back to Malaysia, man. 😀
Cheers: Indeed! We should have a more localized menu. Bubur Ayam McD doesn’t cut it. 🙂
Tony Wan: Heh! I’m a big fan too so I go to McD in every country I visit. 🙂
Simon Seow: Yeah, it actually is! 🙂
Jacqueline Ang: Yup, it’s the Sri Lanka localized menu – very nice, with the authentic red onions (they really love the stuff over here). 🙂
mknace: Yeah, it’s more expensive than Malaysia but still worth a try. 🙂
SW: OMG!!!!!!!!!!! That sounds awesome! Can. You. Tapau. For. Me. Please. ??? 🙂
If logistics allow, I will tapau some and save one each for you. 😉
SW: Thanks! I would love to sample those two. 🙂
i love it, HB. I am an omnivore. like a bear. have eaten excelent vegan meals from friends I’ll eat any thing.But morre carvivore,
dont give me a BLT with out the B I love grilled mushrooms. But dont slap one into a hb bun and tell me it is a whopper. hope all is well. I enjoy your site, HB. Thhanks
thanks hb, for educating me via your site about living KL and ML . Not being a smart ass, at all.. Thanks. It is easier to be friends the more we know each other. D’accord? tom.
tom r: I love bacon too! Heh! Best thing since sliced bread (perhaps even better). This is McDonald’s in Sri Lanka btw, which is pretty far from Malaysia (3.5 hour flight) and it’s closer to India and Pakistan.
Yup, I totally agree, my friend. 🙂
i purchased 4 big mac meals from your sri lankan outlet in welisara on 27/04/2010,and found out iso lettuce that they are using chinese cabbage! My kids were quite sick after the meal and when i asked the manager he said ‘theres a shortage of lettuce in sri lanka’ ! mind you KFC, located a few miles away had lettce!thay should be ashamed of them self.i intend to bring this to the notice of the local newspapapers.i would like a reply asap as i would like to know if you are aware of this rather sad situation
russell diaz: Hello there! I’m just writing about it, I don’t own McD in Sri Lanka. Try contacting them via their official site? 🙂
Hay get your facts right dude! 🙂 Sri Lanka is not a Hindu country like India. It’s mainly a Buddhist country (75%). And the reason they have veggies in rice isn’t because most of ppl are vegetarian. In fact most of people eat meat. But because Sri Lankan version of ‘fried rice’ have veggies. And also Sri Lankans eat vegetable curries & meat as ‘THE’ combination with rice. Next time you should ASK someone about the facts that you imagine about a country or culture before you assume things based on your limited knowledge.
And as for the 50 Rupees, Wouldn’t some one react the same for RM50 or $50? I’m not saying the crew was right but 50 bucks is a big amount in SL. The fact that you use it as some thing that would not happen in your country makes me laugh.
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This is to inform my dissatisfaction on my visit to your Rajagirya outlet. Today morning I ordered one Egg burger from ‘drive through’ and the sales girl over there was so friendly and polite. After paying, the sales girl asked me to wait for few minutes and the burger will be given to me. I was waiting for almost 25minutes to collect my burger and still I did not get it. I walked in to the outlet and wanted the refund. The cashier over there took the bill and gave it to the duty manageress (I guess) and with a roudy face she refunded the cash. I did not want to take it up at that time as I was in a hurry to go. Frustrating was none of the staff apologized as I have done something wrong. Since she was the duty manageress she should be an example for other staff. Pls train them to respect customers.
Thank You,
Sahan
WHEN THE OPERATION TIMES IT COULD BE HAPPEND…DO NOT WARRY
I picked two burgers from the Rajagiriya outlet on my way to the Colombo Drag Race 2011 held 5th Nov(note the date), one was a chicken and other Fish O Fillet, the first bite on the fish burger got me grasping for fresh air as there was this typical odour of the spoilt fish used for the preparation. had to discard the burger in disgust…. shocked of the brand promiss!
Then checked chicken burger before the bite and seemed Ok for consumption and was fine, remember I started consumption within 10 minutes of picking up and had been given food unfit for human consumption, the problem seems to be with the this outlet as I never had this experience with Col3 outlet. The French fries given with both packs were half cooked or and not crispy at all. My comment comes six months after Sahans, no improvements at all… a mismanaged outlet bringing disrepute to the brand !
I’ve had the same issues as Sahan on the delivery and also when it was delivered it was stone cold. No apology either. They don’t serve quarter pounders either. A pretty poor example of a McD.
i want job mcdonalds
guys dont panic .trouble with a sahan is normal , this kind of things happen every outlet . onethings is good that we have a mcdonalds outlet in sri lanka .forget about fast food service . atleast you will get burger in there . sri lanka is a still getting devolope. experienceless staff is working . let them get it well. every mistake is become experience . i am hoping to get testy of our country mcdonalds when iam going sri lanka for vacation . but also i wish all the staff of mcdonalds will get good training and they will learn how to serve to the customer . good luck ..
Hi,
This is to inform that I am so disappointed about your staff. I usually go to the Nugegoda outlet. Every time I order a happy meal what I get is a Chicken Burger, Soft drink, Chips & a Toy. So far none of the cashiers have asked what burger (Chicken/Beef /Veg. etc.) I want. Therefore I was under impression that every happy meal contains a Chicken Burger.
I went to the Col.03 outlet today; purchased a happy meal came to office and when I started consuming; I found that it is a BEEF BURGER. I had to throw it away because we (my family) do not bring beef to our house & we never eat beef.
I was not aware that you serve Beef with the happy meal as your happy meal menu does not state what sort of Burger that customers can ask for. What will happen if I am a person who is allergic to Beef? Will I get compensation from your company? I don’t think so.
I checked with few of my friends and they too said they get a chicken burger when they order a happy meal & they too were not aware of other types of burger are being served with happy meals.
Please either train your staff to ask what the type of burger is wanted when a person orders a happy meal or display somewhere in the outlet that you give beef as well. I also found that some of your staff is very rude and when they greet customers they do not mean it. (Specially the col.03 outlet).
I don’t think I will step in to any one of your outlets again.
dear sir/madam,
i am writing to you regarding for a job. i am just after my A/Ls.
i would be glad if you could give this matter to your consideration.
awaiting for your early reply.
yours faithfully,
razzan.
I need a Job in Urs and i had a qualifications so replay me My No;077-5588279
open your new branch in Kandy city i think you have a good market in kandy.(KCC or Peradeniya road Good aria For your Business Place)
These days Sri Lanka people Muslims are scared about your HALAL certificate because of the mayonnaise you are putting to burgers as the rumuor has been spread throughout Sri Lanka that the sauce contains some pick’s fat. I hope you will cure the prejudice.
thank you
kind regard
Rishad
We do not need HALAL foods in Sri lanka
mr nisal, you will not loose for not having Halal food. it is the business in mcdonalds that will lose as muslims are huge part of their sales. good no?
also on toys, i am surprised why Mc donalds displays all the toys on their advertising but you dont have an option to choose. in other countries like in the UK / China or HK you will find all options available. Why not only adverstise one toy in your boards which you have available? Sri lanka mc donalds is the lowest grade compared to other countries.
i need part time job in you
PUK donald
I ate burgers from the McDonals. I like it.
It would be so nice to have Mc.Flurry especially the Orio one. Since you have the ice cream it would be a small addition.
Thanks
mc donlds is of tasty foods.but may of them are just junk foods..mal nutrition
As a fast food court i always prefer mcdonalds than anything….anyway i have ideal place in Kottawa(near southern expressway entrance)for a fast food court….Near Kottawa there isnt any fast food court,so it will be a good advantage to your company if you put a McDonalds in there….call me for further information 0777753369
makdonal has a tasty food. I like it. i am THEEKSHANA
hi I Like to work in your staff. so i want to know the qualifications you need. please give me details.thank you
Can you help me to find a good part time job in mc Donald’?
I WORK MCDONALDS FOR SAUDI ARABIA.I LIKE TO WORK IN THE SRILANKA MCDONALDS.
i wish to work on sunday in macdonal sri lanka
i need part time job in macdonal sri lanka
i want a part time job in mcdonalds in sri lanka
Why dont u open outlets in outstations.We will be happy if u open outlet in Galle.
hey,guys i just wish to work in McDonald’s. if you’ll have any vacancies there? just contact.
Last Tuesday, that is on the 20th of August 2012 I went to McDonald’s Nugegoda with two friends. We were about to leave the restaurant when we noticed something that we considered strange and inappropriate. A man of about 30 years of age walked inside the men’s washroom with a little girl that did not look older than 10 years. Therefore the three of us decided to wait until the girl and the man came out of the washroom. Some five minutes later we heard the girl screaming and she started banging at the door of the washroom. One of my friends ran to the washroom door, opened it and let the girl out. She was crying when my friend pulled her out so she questioned the man as to why she was crying to which He replied that the girl was his daughter.
When the man took the girl to the front of the McDonald’s I followed him and saw that there was a woman with the girl and she identified herself as the mother. I thought that I should inform the mother of what happened and told her that her daughter was taken into the men’s washroom and that she was banging at the door. She did not take any interest in what I was saying. Another five minutes or so later we saw that the child was sitting with the two adults who claimed to be the parents and two other women. We thought it was highly peculiar for a man to take the girl inside the washroom when there two other women in the company. Therefore we asked a staff member whether we can talk to the management and I thought that may be the mother did not understand me earlier because I myself was shocked and was not too coherent. However when I tried to talk to the mother in private again she started yelling at me saying that I did not have the right to question anything as the man in question was the girl’s father. I tried to tell her about parental abuse but it was in vain as she kept on screaming.
Meanwhile, my friends were telling the management about the incident and the management who were seated in the adjoining booth interfered in the incident and asked me not to make a fuss about something was merely a miscommunication. Most of the management smirked at me and treated the matter as an inconvenience, an unnecessary problem that I was creating. The management kindly asked me to keep quiet and took me outside of restaurant where the supposed parents and the party followed and yelled some more before attacking me.
My friends and I lodged a complaint in the Kohuwala Police Station about the incident and gave them all the information we had about the supposed parents and the others. The reference number of the complaint is WIB 176/39
However I was not satisfied with the response that McDonald’s gave to our concern about possible child abuse. They merely wanted calm us down and get rid of us. Only two members of the staff properly listened to us and even they were not willing to do anything more than that.Therefore I decided to inform the higher management about the callous attitude the McDonald’s staff showed about the matter. However after meeting the higher management I am surprised and thankful that the lower management showed even that little interest. A Mr.UdeshWijesooriya who claimed to be a director of the Abans blatantly informed me that they had no right to question the father and when I asked him what gave him the confirmation that the man in fact was the father he merely repeated that they could not question him on that. When I asked him if they have complained to the police about the incident he said they have not and that they do not have to do that.
I was shocked by this man’s reaction for he held a very important position in the Abans Group. He could not comprehend that the fact the little girl was taken inside the men’s washroom was itself a form of abuse, leaving aside the fact that she was banging at the door. When I suggested that may be they should monitor the place and make sure that abuse does not occur he repeated that they did not have to. He educated me that it was not how the business works and said that having a washroom assistant as I have seen in other public places is not necessary and that it was not a part of their job.
If you pass Nugegoda McDonald’s next time spend a few seconds to glance at that establishment and you will see how many children can be seen inside, some with their parents and some without them. The upstairs is dedicated to children and even from outside you can see them playing with the toys inside. McDonald’s regularly give away toys to attract children to their establishment and they offer to host birth day parties inside the premises. I believe that as an establishment that targets children and their parents as a market McDonald’s management should take into account how they are going to protect children against abuse. To say we don’t have to is simply unacceptable.
I am 23 years of age and my friends were of the same age, our concern was disregarded and the child’s interest was compromised merely because McDonald’s did not want to attract trouble. As a responsible restaurant that targets little children as a market enticing with them with toys McDonald’s has a social responsibility to set an example of fighting child abuse or at least taking into account children’s interest. Having a washroom assistant near the washroom to aid fathers with their female children is not an impossible task. Taking care of the children is not prescribed by law but I think as responsible adults we should make the society a much more child friendly place. If you trusted McDonald’s to be a responsible establishment that puts your child’s interest when they are in trouble I plead you don’t since as they say THEY DON’T HAVE TO. Take care of your children and help us enforce corporate responsibility. Thank you.
LakmaliHemachandra, NilupuliKnakarathne, OshiSiriwardhana
open an outlet in NEGOMBO city. It’s the best place after colombo, in the island.
Highly Accepted…There is a great potential in Negombo…
Furthermore, Nishani Trust me except for corporate management, staff members of the Mc don’t know the concepts of CSR / ethical concepts even though their targeting kids and children….
I like to work at macdonald in colombo (any where in colombo) if there any part time jobs after 5.pm pleas don’t hesitate to contact me. (im ok for any positionn) please contact me on email
I like to work at macdonald in colombo (any where in colombo) if there any part time jobs after 5.pm (week end i can work full time) pleas don’t hesitate to contact me. (im ok for any positionn) please contact me on email
i think you all going to start a new Macdonalds retaurant in colombo 07 ( near to old race horse ) please let me know is there any part time jobs. week days after 5.pm & Week end full time: saturday after 2.pm sunday full time
i think you all going to start a new Macdonalds retaurant in colombo 07 ( near to old race horse ) please let me know is there any part time jobs. week days after 5.pm & Week end full time: saturday after 2.pm sunday full time. im waiting for your reply
Thanks
Ref Malik: SL really does not need Halal (other than Muslim business organisations). Other religions dont have such restrictions so why should non Muslims go under Halal? I am NOT against my Muslim brothersor their beliefs but it is a matter of choice. Why restrict others to Muslim beliefs?
In fact McDonalds franchisee in SL (Abans) are Hindu and surprisingly they serve beef! Not good….
Dear sir,
I’m chanaka,working at burger king restuarant in KSA as a restuarant manager.I’m going to exit on sep,2013 & have a idea to employ with mcdonalds in same position.Pls,guide me how I apply & give me all information.
thanks,
chanaka,
Dear Sir,
I am willing do a part time job in Mac Donald’s (Kotahena).If there any vacancies please let me know. Presently I am following a training course in Harbor (Colombo).
Thanks,
Darshana
Yes.Its very expensive in our country..Normally we can’t afford to buy these food items.
We rarely pay visit to McDonalds.Some, may even beg their parents to buy (Kids)
This is due to our economic instability.I hope you understand.
I have 4 years experience in Saudi my Donald
My position is swing manager
I need job in Sri Lanka mc donald