Family Fun at McDonald's UK - Family

Family Fun at McDonald’s UK

As a mum I’ve always seen McDonald’s as a quick, convenient stop off for tea. Our little treat is usually on a Thursday night after gymnastics. It’s on the way home and it’s too late to cook anything once we’ve got back. After all, that’s all that McDonald’s is for right?

Well, no, not anymore.

This summer, McDonald’s have opened up their doors to families and have been putting on free, fun events across the country to help keep the children (and adults) entertained over the long summer holidays.

Getting stuck in

This week Charlotte and I visited a local McDonald’s in Dunchurch and, with some of our friends, got involved in one of their family events. We were greeted outside with bunting and balloons across the store which amped up the excitement and once we got inside, the activities all looked fun too. There was a really good range of crafty bits and bobs laid out. As a magpie for all things arts and crafts, even my eyes lit up with the gorgeous origami paper, sequins and pipe cleaners in an array of different colours. Further along the table was a member of staff making balloon models and another painting faces. The kids dived in straight away and happily stuck, coloured and sprinkled all sorts of things on the craft table whilst the parents could catch up and lament about how long the school holidays are.

The thing which really made the event more magical was that the staff were great with the kids and seemed to be really enjoying themselves. After speaking with Glynn, the franchise manager, I realised the reason they looked engaged was because they were! Rather than being prescriptive about what they can and can’t do, McDonald’s UK are letting the staff choose the activities they put on in store. They are able to train up on their particular skill to ensure their balloon modelling or crafting is top notch and their enthusiasm really shows through and gets the kids involved. The store manager even sat down with us to get involved in some colouring and showed us the interactive colouring sheets that work with the McDonald’s app and come alive.

McDonalds Manager getiing involved with crafts

Time to eat

We obviously couldn’t go to McDonald’s without getting some food, but what surprised me was the range of children’s food available. As Charlotte is gluten free, her options are limited but she loves her burger without a bun and can still tuck into cucumber sticks and fruit bags for a healthy balance. The other children munched on chicken wraps, chicken nuggets and fish fingers and even veggie wraps were available with water, milk or Fruit Shoots to keep the thirst at bay. To make life much easier, most stores now operate table service, so your meal can be brought to you by a member of staff. This means you no longer have to leave children and bags at the table whilst you dash up to the counter to pick up your food. As a single mum this is a Godsend as I didn’t want Charlotte out of sight, but also didn’t want to lose my table!

These family-friendly events are happening at McDonald’s restaurants all across the country, and not just over summer, but over other school holidays and weekends too. We had a great time and will definitely be looking out for other events happening in our area.

For more information or to find out your local participating store, head over to McDonald’s UK website here

This blog post is a paid collaboration with McDonald’s Uk and BritMums

25 Comments

Emma Jones
05/09/2019 at 8:16 pm
Reply

We had a great time too, the children especially loved having their faces painted.
1. admin
  07/09/2019 at 9:12 am
  Reply
  
  Freddie’s was amazing! He has been heavily featured on my insta stories as a tiger ?
  1. Stephanie
    09/09/2019 at 8:41 pm
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    Oh these sound great, I love the fact that the staff are choosing the activities to do.
    1. admin
      11/09/2019 at 10:12 am
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      It’s great isn’t it, definitely seems like they were enjoying it too!
Wendy
06/09/2019 at 8:18 am
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Oh this looks like fun! My boys love a happy meal and they love craft time so I will have to see whether there is one of these events local to us xx
1. admin
  07/09/2019 at 9:12 am
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  Was so much fun, hope one local to you is participating! X
Zena's Suitcase
06/09/2019 at 9:46 am
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We all know how important it is to have things to entertain the kids, even when they are eating. It’s lovely to see McDonald’s offer these events to families and it looks like you all had an amazing time
1. admin
  07/09/2019 at 9:13 am
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  Was so useful to have things to do whilst waiting for food! Even the adults loved getting involved too!
Lyndsey O'Halloran
06/09/2019 at 7:49 pm
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These events sound great. I’ll keep an eye out for anything happening near us.
1. admin
  07/09/2019 at 9:13 am
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  Definitely, it was really good fun!
Rebecca Smith
06/09/2019 at 9:41 pm
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It is great that McDonalds are putting on family events such as this. They look like such a lot of fun.
1. admin
  07/09/2019 at 9:14 am
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  Was such great fun! Thanks for reading c
Sabina Green
07/09/2019 at 9:43 am
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What a fab idea! I love that Mc Donald’s are doing this. I agree with you McDonald’s is always a great family treat, this makes it even more exciting!
Cath - Passports and Adventures
07/09/2019 at 10:04 am
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This sounds like such a great idea. I love how the staff are getting involved and it can only be helping with their own customer interaction skills. And a cheeky McDonald’s can’t be knocked when your hungry and don’t want to cook.
Jenni
07/09/2019 at 10:24 pm
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I had no idea McDonald’s did this. What a nice thing to do for the community.
Melanie williams
08/09/2019 at 6:28 pm
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To be honest we are not a fan of McDonalds, but looks like a fab family event idea they have put on xx
Bella and Dawn at Dear Mummy Blog
09/09/2019 at 8:03 pm
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I think it’s great that they offer table service and you can order nearby! Especially when events like this are happening and you don’t want to miss a thing or leave the kids. Great balloon modelling and activities!
1. admin
  11/09/2019 at 10:12 am
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  Agreed! It’s such a lifesaver!!
loopyloulaura
10/09/2019 at 9:04 am
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We went to an event in Basingstoke McDonald’s and it was excellent. I always wanted a party there when I was a child but now you don’t have to wait for a party invite!
1. admin
  11/09/2019 at 10:13 am
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  I never had a party there either but always wanted one, no we can treat ourselves ?
Bryony yyyy Shaw
10/09/2019 at 4:45 pm
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Looks like you had an amazing time! Love the photos too!!
Anosa
11/09/2019 at 3:16 pm
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I love a good McD burger but did not know they had added so much fun to their franchise, I think it is good what they are doing, making something fun for the families.
Kerry
12/09/2019 at 1:23 pm
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These events sound great! It makes it a real eat out experience rather than a quick bite. Love it!
Susan Mann
13/09/2019 at 1:50 pm
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That looks so much fun and the kids are having a ball xx
Chloe Busby
17/09/2019 at 12:24 pm
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We love going to McDonald’s events! So much fun! Love your photos from the event xxx