This Mcdonalds is unique because there are no chairs and tables anywhere near the stand-alone mall restaurant. There are also no self-serve computer order kiosks. Eating in is not an option. Note that I came around 9pm on a Monday so maybe they took all the tables away earlier.
Years ago when I visited this location, they had many chairs and tables just outside and inside the restaurant. Due to the awful area, a lot of homeless people were hanging around just sitting. Not necessarily eating. Now with the chairs and tables gone, there are barely any of them hanging around so I guess it's for the better. It didn't eliminate the problem entirely because as soon as I stepped out of the restaurant area I was asked a couple times by several people for a "rolling paper", extra change, or a lighter. Also, I noticed some of the windows of the restaurant were broken and boarded up with plywood. Yikes.
It was VERY hot out (30 degrees!) So I decided to visit this McDonalds for a cheap but delicious frozen treat. I wanted to try their new peach smoothie but they ran out of it. I came later at 9pm so it's not surprising but it's still disappointing because I love peach smoothies. I settled for their strawberry banana smoothie. The smoothie I bought was delicious so I think it is very much worth it. It was refreshing and I could actually taste the strawberries and Banana flavors in it. In my opinion, a medium size is just enough to cool you down on an extremely hot day. Overall, their fruit smoothies are good! Good price too as it was "summer drinks day" time so it was only $2 for a medium one ($2.38 after tax and cup fee).
Service could be better. There was a group of homeless looking people in front of me counting every dime, nickel and quarter to pay for their food so it took a really long time to wait to get my order in. There were 4 cash registers. Usually, another staff member would jump in and take another order using the other register but none came. Only one register was available and there were no self-serve kiosks. I had to wait 5-6 minutes to wait and get my order in even though there was only one order in front of me. Once I got my order in, it took a little longer than expected to get my smoothie, maybe 3-4 minutes. Usually it would take 1-2 minutes if it was not busy like this visit. I have a feeling that this Mcdonalds is either understaffed or just slow.
Overall, I'd avoid this location if possible. Slower than expected service, and the type of people that are walking around in the area are not very, say, totally normal. Also there's nowhere to eat your food at the restaurant or near it. Kinda inconvenient. It's a decent grab and go place for the kind of stuff where you can walk and enjoy your food such as smoothies. Only giving 2 stars for the reasons stated above. I recommend you go to the slightly better Mcdonald's nearby instead. It's by Main Street - Science World skytrain station but only one short subway stop away from the Chinatown - Stadium Skytrain Station by the mall. read more