We’re Starting To Take This Personally

LMAO!

Is their business doing that poorly that they have to run specials? I guess it wouldn’t surprise me…its 2008 and people eat healthier now. McDonalds is a dinosaur. I don’t think I’ve eaten there in 5 years.

McDonalds is an evil empire!
That has little to do with the specifics of this post but it has to be said

Many people ARE eating healthier these days but unfortunately I don’t think McD’s business will ever feel the pinch. As the economy worsens, they may even benefit by selling such cheap food.

BTW are they effected by the recent tremendous beef recall? Beware of the burger!

meat is murder!

Meat is delicious.

I think I’ll head over there at lunch to see what kind of special they’re offering me & my fellow civil servants.

i dont like fast food often..but.. that dollar menu double cheesburger..is hard to argue with..if your a meat eater..
xoxo

meat is tasty! but i wouldnt call what McD sells meat. more like grade F nasty.

I did a taste test today, getting a #5 combo at Dunkin’ Donuts (bagel with bacon/egg/cheese with medium coffee and optional hash browns for $6.30) and a #1 combo at McDonalds (b/e/c biscuit with coffee and hashbrowns (didn’t get receipt but think its around $4.00)

The DD coffee was much stronger, although there is nothing wrong with McD’s. I do give the edge to McD for the hashbrowns. The sandwiches are very similar, except DD will ask you if you like the bagel toasted; I did, and that won my favor.

I still do not care for their donuts as much compared to places that make it on-site.

hey ‘meat is tasty’ and ‘delicious’… take a field trip to a knock box and report back how fun it is. take pictures.

Agree with post #5 – civil servants rock!

Also, you cannot beat the dollar menu for an excellent drunk dinner for under $5. Too bad the McD’s on 7th is so crummy.

Sometimes you just need some cheap food after drinking the excellent neighborhood brews (Chophouse, specifically).

I was curious so i asked what the Government special was – 99 cent Big Mac or Egg McMuffin on Mondays or Fridays (I think thats what they said)

I am guessing someone from the FBI asked them not to use the name FBI because inside the store the sign just has GOV pasted over where it seems as though it must have previously said FBI

Maybe we can all avoid the E Street McDonald’s and hope they decide to pack it up. Maybe they will decide they are too close to the boomin’ 7th St. McDonald’s. That would be wonderful.

Avoid the E St. McDonalds? Nice pipe dream there Kelby. Veggies, like smokers, are in the minority. The only difference is that meat eaters can still respect veggies, while nonsmokers demonize smokers.

Why don’t you stay on north 7th and Chop’t, and I will stay on E at McDonalds?

hey Blah,
veggies respect meat eaters too. we just don’t get too close, because you might eat us! (after bolting us in the head while in a knock box).

Tho delicious, a salad at Chop’t is more fattening and has more calories than a Big Mac and fries. Those chef-inspired salads are loaded with cheese, croutons, and more yummy bits — then smothered/drowned in oil-based dressings. Veggie friendly — yes. Heart friendly — not so much.

As with anything else — know what you’re ordering, dont be afraid to ask to change items to meet your dietary needs, and “on the side” is always a good option.

The E Street is one of the few African American franchises McDonalds in our area. In fact, this guy was on a HUGE bill board up on North Capitol street area about a year ago celebrating the AA franchise owners in our area.

Those who have been in this Penn Quarter for some time know that there was a McDonalds in this location previously. The area was then a construction zone/vacent for FAR too long. The reopening of McDonalds is most welcome. This store is friendly for tour buses. Tour guides can even call ahead and make a reservation so that the place is full staffed when we arrive with 50+ students. [phone number redacted]

I’m also pleased that this place has not become a hang out for street people. Of course, they are present but they don’t seem to stay for hours on end.

Egg Mcmuffin + Ranch Dressing = poor man’s egg’s benedict.

To Tour Guide:

I have no problem with the E Street McD’s – in fact, I hope they can teach the 7th & G Street franchise how to keep their restaurant customer-friendly.

I was wondering – since the FBI no longer offers tours, what are the attractions that bring your tour groups to that corner of E Street?

Also, is the owner of this franchise a DC-resident?

The tour industry continues to exhibit resident unfriendly behavior at this McDonalds by parking tour buses and vans in the driveway to the Artisan garage, leaving them running, locking the door and leaving them there with out a driver.

10th and E Street for tourists = mecca!

1) Ford’s Theater (closed but the Park Rangers are usually outside with a talk that keeps students interested)
2) Petersen House where Lincoln died
3) Souvenir shops on 10th street. Some of the cheapest places in the city to buy T-shirts, hoodies, etc
4) Hard Rock cafe
5) Spy museum
6) ESPN zone
7) Madema Tussauds wax museum (10th & F)
8) For foreign visitors, H&M is popular too

Finally, while both nearby Smithsonian museums (American Art and National History) have cafes inside, the E street McDonalds is MUCH cheaper and faster too. Kids much prefer familiar food.

If you observe a motor coach idling for more than three minutes, please call the police. You do everyone a favor.

Many motor coaches have a phone number painted on the side. Call that number. These dispatch people are usually 24/7. Be prepared to give the coach number (usually painted on above the door among other places). Your report of the exact time/date/location/coach number goes into the driver records.

If you are into face-to-face methods, go into the Hard Rock cafe and ask to speak to the driver. Be patient, they can usually identify the driver (or group leader) for you.

OK, to be clear:
1) I eat a lot of meat, and I’ve never eaten at chopt. So I’m not sure what incorrect assumptions #13 read into my comment, but they are incorrect.
2) I smoke an occasional cigar, so I’m not sure what incorrect assumptions #13 read into my comment, but they are incorrect.
3) I’ve ‘been in’ the PQ area by way of being in the DC area since I was born, so I am familiar with the McDonald’s on E St. before construction of the Artisan, and I assure #16 that the idea that all people who new about it welcome it back is absurd. In fact there was a previous post lamenting the return of the McD’s on E. I will locate it if you ask me to.

I don’t oppose McD’s because they serve meat or because the E st. location is owned by an african american who lives in MD and is disrespectful of the neighborhood. I oppose the E St. McD’s because I am not fond of McD’s food in general, I live on top of the McD’s in question, and the owner has told his contractors on many occasions that they can perform construction at illegal hours. To my knowledge the owner has never responded to residents complaints of construction at illegal hours (and certainly not to my complaints) which is why I say he doesn’t respect the neighborhood. Finally, the store doesn’t appear to be doing well, hence the FBI/Gov’t specials. I’m sure they will do well if they hold out until the warmer season when there will be many tourists eating there. Living as close to the E St. McD’s as anyone posting to this blog, I have only eaten there once; the first day they opened, just to see if maybe the food tasted better when I was sure the kitchen was clean. For the record, it tasted as bad as every other McD’s, and I’m sure it took a few days off my life.

I would agree they seem to not be doing that well, but I have only been in 2 or 3 times – I understand they did strike a terrific deal with the Developer though – they actually owned the property and the developer, I understand, bought the air rights above them, paid them for their down time while under construction and rebuilt their store.

Its quite a different market they have returned too after being closed for [3?] years. There was a time when that McDonalds and the Wendy’s next to it were about the only option to get something to eat if you were working late and you had to basically climb over homeless people to get in the front door.

Construction noise is a serious concern. Constuction permits are issued only for 7AM to 7PM Monday to Saturday. Work outside these hours requires an after-hours permit.

If you experience a violation, please contact the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) at 202-442-4400 or just call the city at 311 or 911. You will help everyone! Expecting owners to respond to neighbors compaints is nice. But if you are not satisfied, contact DCRA. Keep a record of the time/date/name of your contacts. DCRA is surprising good.

The link to DCRA’s press release from October 2007 is below. Notice the additional restrictions on permits if a contractor has a history of complaints.
http://newsroom.dc.gov/file.aspx/release/12056/Dispatch%20-%20V2I12%20.pdf

Tour Guide – Do you really believe that DCRA is surprisingly good? They have been perhaps the worst agency in the District for a long time.

I did call 311 on one occasion. And after calling 3 times in almost 3 hours, I had to request to speak to the lieutenant to request a response (this was back when you called 311 even when you wanted a response) and when the officer came out, he said that since there were no hours on the permit, they could do work at anytime because that’s the way it is downtown(and they had started at 4AM that morning). Clearly the MPD didn’t know the law. I brought it up at a DNA meeting with the 1st District commander, who said it’s a DCRA issue. I responded that at 4AM DCRA doesn’t answer the phone and come down to tell the construction crew to wait until 7AM, and the MPD should. He disagreed. When I spoke to him just outside the meeting, he said I had caught him off gaurd with the question, and he didn’t really have a solid answer, and couldn’t really say if they would or would not enforce that in the future.

Our building manager did keep a record, and I believe sent it to DCRA, but all they do is give a notice of what the rules are and possibly a small fine. They will never come out at 4AM and stop construction. Even if they fine McD’s, I’m sure McD’s just considers that the cost of doing business because the faster they open, the more money they will make (including covering the fines and then some).

To be clear, construction has taken place even after McD’s opened. The last time was at 6AM when they were jackhammering to removed and replace some tables. By that time a lot more people lived in the Artisan, so when I went downstairs, there are about 10 others who had been woken up and were looking for the culprit. When I asked the workers in McD’s why they were violating the law that states you cannot do that type of work until after 7AM, they said the Owner of McD’s told then it’s fine. He must know the law, and obviously doesn’t care about the people in the same building, and doesn’t care if, by rare chance, he gets some kind of small fine from DCRA.

However, I still encourage people to call 911 (yes, 911 if you want a response in person), AND the DCRA. The only way the MPD will ever help with these types of issues is if they get used to residents requesting the help.

I wish every single business in this area would shutdown and leave, including Verizon Center, the Smithsonians, the restaurants, the tour companies, and the bars.

Clearly, most PQ residents cannot be happy with any sort of noise, lighting, sounds, people, or really anything else.

Perhaps if everything would close down and turn into empty storefronts, then everyone on this blog would be happy, quit complaining, and shut up.

Folks, this is a mixed use neighborhood, something to which many businesses (especially franchisees) only give lip service. The problem for residents is that local businesses make their profits off of tourists and commuters. Only a few good local proprieters (like Haagen Daz) care about developing a good relationship with the residents. Therefore, it falls on the shoulders of residents to – literally – jump up and down in front of the MPD when a business decides to do ILLEGAL contruction during off hours. You have to make a VERY BIG STINK at the time of the problem. It is hit or miss with the MPD, some officers are willing to listen and resolve (though they never ever ticket or fine the violators) and some will do absolutely nothing. Have documentation ready to show the proper warking hourse, be prepared to cite the number and description of the code violation. Make them demand to see the work permit that allows for the ofter hours construction. I suggest walking the streets and looking for a patrol car since you may not otherwise get a response from 911. Also, if the MPD does not respond or responds inappropriately, file complaints down at the 1st District HW. Make sure you geta photocopy. And, follow up with the commanders. And, let your local political leadership (both Mayor’s office and City Council) and DRCA know you have made these complaints. Feel free to videotape any violations, and share it with the local TV – they LOVE these kinds of stories. Until local franchise owners (and, honestly, DC government and developers) decide to be true parters in the mixed use neighborhoods, they are going to try and squeeze their profits on YOUR backs. As a DC resident living downtown, the District only sees you as a source of tax revenue. I challenge anyone who is a local politician or developer or part of MPD to prove me wrong.

PQ Observer has it right! Most of the businesses operating in this neighborhood do not seem to realize that this is a mixed-use neighborhood. Most residents I know in PQ understand what that means and are willing to accept noise, congestion and inconvenience as a trade off for the positive aspects of living here. However, many businesses in the area are not willing to meet us part way. Tour Guide, while your advice may be well-intentioned, since I have never seen a tour bus in PQ that did not have it’s motor running while waiting for customers to return, I suspect that this is an industry wide policy that will require much more that a few phone calls to correct.

Thanks, lovePQ.

Residents are willing to work with the business community and government to make this a world-class neighborhood, but they can’t continue to dissrespect us. Many of us have invested our life savings to live in this neighborhood, do they ever consider that?

On a related topic – one rebuttal that I cannot stand is “Well they were hear first” (in reference to certain businesses pre-dating the majority of residential buildings).

Laws are laws and no one is exempt from them just because they weren’t enforced for a long period of time…

When I moved into PQ there were no meters on my street. Now meters have been installed – I am allowed to park in those spaces without feeding the meter because I was here before the meters?