The Super McDonalds

It seems this is the week for McDonalds' posts. I just stopped at the McDonalds on Paxtang, near the Harrisburg (East) mall. It has the superhero theme. It looks like they remodeled it since I was there last. It seems less crowded. They have a station with 3 places to play video games and NO FREE WiFi. They have Waypoint, which seems to confuse the employees.

They also have no playplace, though they do have the cool graphics and the video consoles. While I am ranting, the McDonalds in the food court of the Harrisburg (East) Mall charges $0.52 for refills. Who has heard of a McDonalds charging for refills since the 70's? So I will now make a complete search of the area looking for free WiFi.

Arby's Free Wednesdays

I wish I had started this blog sooner to share this with you, but all summer Arby's has been offering something different for free (with purchase). At the beginning of the summer the 3 younger girls would only eat the kids meals and the free shakes. Today we went and everyone, but the 4yo, ate the chicken club. They are actually enjoying the food, Mcdonalds for the food, Arby's for the taste.

Anyway the one we have been going to the most is the one on North Progress Road at the 81 interchange. They even let us order chocolate milks as the drinks to get the sandwiches. The favorite is, strangely enough, the roast beef. The like the fancier foods, but the regular roast beef, plain is the one they like the best.

Garfields

Sunday we went to Garfields, at the Capitol City mall. I was pleasantly surprised. The food was reasonably priced and good. The chicken strips tasted like they were made in house, not bought frozen. They were juicy and tasty. The kids menu was pretty typical, but they liked it - Kraft Mac & Cheese for the pickiest. They also have the entire table covered in paper so the kids can use the entire table for coloring.

Sunday, all day, is also kids eat free. 2 kids per adult, which is nice, since some places we can't get the 3rd kid a meal with the free deal. The also have happy hour all the time, $1.50 drafts and you don't pay for kids drinks. Nothing worse than being surprised that the chocolate milk refill cost you an extra $2 (for 3 kids does add up fast). While this is out of our way, when we are down that way, it does give an alternative to Italian Oven.

Italian Oven

The Italian Oven in the Capitol City mall is one of my favorite places. I have never had to wait for a seat and Saturdays until 4pm, kids eat free. Free is always good. The table is covered in paper so the kids have the entire table to color on, there is free bread to keep them occupied and the kids menu is good. Not kiddy, the kids menu has things like grilled cheese - on Italian Bread, not white. You can also get a kids portion of any pasta/any sauce. I like Italian food, so I am currently eating my way through the menu.

The kids typically get grilled cheese and the older teen can get a meal for under $10 easily. The also have a deck, but we haven't gone out there yet. Milk refills are free and they can have a pasta straw, if you ask. The bathrooms are in the back of the restaurant, in plain view, so I let all but the youngest go by themselves, they like that. This place will be on my return list for awhile.

McDonalds – Front Street

If the McDonalds on 22 is the best IMHO in the area, then Front Street is the worst. To be honest, they could have improved, but I doubt it. This is the closest one, but they don’t have a playplace, which is good. A couple of years ago, we swore off going since 2 years ago they messed up 8 of our orders in a row. Every now and then I stop in for breakfast, since it is on the way to work, and I regret it every time.

They are slow, rarely get orders right and the front line people are more interested in the constant drama behind the counter than the people out front. No reason to take kids here, the times when I am looking for a specific toy to complete a set, they are usually less than helpful.

Halifax McDonalds

Halifax McDonalds currently has Happy Meals for $1.99 and they have a playplace. It is reasonably clean. The kids like it because of the slide and the legos and character seats. However, they do not have FREE WiFi (Waypoint), do not have the free kids cones and don't have a drink station. As a parent, I try to avoid this one, but I do work up in Halifax so it is nice to stop for lunch when I have the kids, but they seem to be behind all of the other McDonalds. They were the last to get the Mac card swipers and don't have a seperate McCafe area, though they do have the coffees.

Travelling & McDonalds

It really surprised me how accustomed I have become to free WiFi and McDonalds. Almost all of them in the Harrisburg Area (almost, only because I haven’t been to them all to check) have free WiFI. We went on a rolling vacation (mix of vacation with college visits across PA for a week) and none of the McDonalds had free WiFI and some didn’t have WiFi at all. I am typing this at a McDonalds in Clarion and they have Waypoint. Not sure how much it is, but it isn’t free. So I am connected to the Clarion Hospital Free WiFi 2 blocks away. It is slow, but at least I can check my email. So be warned fellow Harrisburg travelers, we have it good.