I hadn't been here in about five years; today I was quickly reminded why.
First, the drive-in access is completely insane. Unless I'm blind, the Northgate Way entrance is completely blocked off from Northgate Way's westbound lane(s) by a lengthy barrier curb that forces you into the parking lots of the adjacent businesses (was it always like that?). You then have to navigate multiple streams of traffic within those parking lots (which is NOT a trivial endeavor), exit, turn back onto Northgate (because said parking lots don't actually connect with the McDonald's lot, natch), and hang an immediate right from Northgate into (finally) the Macdonald's parking lot.
2. This location has been extensively remodeled, and was even closed for a while, but the weird curb by the order mic that almost always manages to take a bite out of your rims in spite of your complete awareness of it and best efforts to avoid it: completely unchanged! How'd they do that?! They must've really had to put in some effort to preserve that.
3. The waits between stations seemed much longer than the waits at individual stations, but this might have been a byproduct of the fact that the guy in front of me was apparently ordering for nine people.
4. Employees were reasonably quick and efficient, although they seemed sad and depressed; but who can really blame them if they have to work here?
5. My small order was pretty expensive, but that's how it goes now.
Then more waiting (six minutes for me) and navigating multiple traffic streams within the parking lot, and if you're lucky, someone will eventually let you back onto Northgate and you can drive home. Don't count on it, though; Seattle traffic has worsened markedly in just the last year or two, due to decisions from City Hall that include the increased use of "road diets" ; the installation of hundreds of pointless, overly elaborate new bike lanes; lower speed limits across the city; speed bumps everywhere; and the addition of an increased number of (usually unnecessary) unmetered or only partially metered mid-block traffic lights whose various functions and (frequently unexpected) actions have no demonstrable relationship with the existing traffic flow.
As in most blue cities, these things are done not to increase traffic efficiency and reduce the use of fossil fuels, of course, but to make getting anywhere in a car as stressful, inconvenient, and time consuming as possible, in order to force drivers into the supposed panacea of public transportation. Also as in most blue cities, City Hall does nothing to keep public transportation safe, so you're literally forced to take your life in your hands to satisfy the blue fetish for public transport packed with homeless people, criminals, and drug addicts. Be careful, as Seattle drivers would much rather risk accidents and constantly block you and cut you off than take a few seconds to let you back into traffic.
6. The food was OK, I guess. Not bad, not great. read more