THE county of Rutland is the last in the UK to get a McDonald’s, but are its residents ready? Fit in with this guide to the New World fine dining experience:
Make a reservation
One cannot simply turn up at a McDonald’s restaurant and expect a table. Call at least two months in advance to make a reservation for yourself and your companion. If they laugh, call back claiming to be a celebrity like Charlize Theron.
Dress formally
The maître d’ of McDonald’s is known for his sneering putdowns and refusal to admit anyone who does not meet his sartorial standards. Men should wear black tie and women should wear ballgowns with no bag larger than a clutch.
BYOB
McDonald’s restaurants are not licensed so patrons should feel free to bring their own alcohol along. It’s up to you whether you try and outshine other customers with a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982, or go for elegant simplicity with a crate of Red Stripe.
Try the specials
Every gastronome knows the standard McDonald’s menu by heart, but the limited-edition specials are for the truly discerning. One day, you’ll tell your grandchildren about the day you dined on a Spicy Chicken McNuggets sharebox, the taste sensation that has never truly left you.
Knee somebody in the face
Dining late? A side order of violence will add extra savour to your Big Tasty with Bacon. Choose someone whose face offends you, deliver a heartfelt knee to the nose and then leave. McDonald’s seats are all wipe-clean, unlike at The Ivy.
Always tip
Your name will be mud if you commit the dreadful faux pas of failing to tip your waitress at least 20 per cent. If service has been especially good, you can award them an extra star by commanding them to kneel and saying ‘By the authority of Mayor McCheese, I grant you a star’.
Never take children
McDonald’s is a restaurant for sophisticated adults with cultured palates, not snotty children. Happy Meals are for collectors and connoisseurs.
