The Round Table at McDonalds

Summer 2013

McDonalds, as the first of the successful fast food chains, has become a universal symbol of our commercialized world that goes beyond the gustatory fare.  This essay is about one store in North County San Diego that recently was renovated-- what it was before and what it has become.

I know about this restaurant as I am part of an informal group of mostly retired men who got together there after our morning tennis game.  What we coveted was the eight seat round table in the outdoor area with benches that allowed an extra guy or two to squeeze in if necessary.  On any given day the conversation could vary between sports, politics, philosophy or current events, depending on who showed up and what was happening.  We are as different as can be by most every dimension, yet we all play a form of round robin doubles tennis that requires a degree of cooperation that softens our differences.

While this group ranged in age from the fifties to nineties, this outdoor space was shared with a play area featuring a slide that went right through a giant Ronald McDonald.  So, while we old guys were expounding, bantering, arguing and laughing, a couple feet away there was this other random community, this one of toddlers who were doing their version of social interaction-with less arguing-but their pleasure expressed by unrestrained squeals of delight.  And just like we older guys, the kiddies who met for the first time there, made a quick connection so their enjoyment was amplified by it being shared by their instant friends.

With the renovation all of this is gone.

No more round table that allowed us to sometimes be loud without disturbing too many people, and no more play area for the kiddies to revel in.  For some reason there are no tables for more than four, and most telling of the times we live in is that the slide has been replaced by some video games to amuse the children.

We guys can find another location, even if it doesn't have this perfect setting to facilitate our socialization.  But what about the kids.  I've seen two year olds learn that the other kid is just like them, and start to play together under the comforting presence of parents in nearby tables.  And then there's the joy of the older guys, whose own children are far away in time and distance, who could for a while be touched by this innocent laughter.  While we talk about the horrors of the world that we have known, the children at play remind us of something else.

Did anyone praise or thank the franchise owner and the corporation for providing this setting?  No, the tragedy is that we don't appreciate the good things in life until they are gone.  And could it be that the playground represented a financial risk, as even though it was designed with every safety precaution, accidents, even tragedies, do happen.  In the subsequent lawsuit would the inevitable weak link in the chain of security for the kids be viewed in hindsight as culpable irresponsibility of the owners, who then could be faced with economic ruin?

Let this not be seen as criticism, but of  appreciation for all of the benefits provided by this owner and corporation at this site.  For others, both in the private and the public sphere, let it be an expression of how simple design can provide a setting where magic can happen, whether for a three year old or a person of ninety. We should find a way to show our appreciation, whether by legislation lessening the financial risks of random tragedy; or at the least, being aware of such corporate beneficence when it does occur, and perhaps making the effort to thank those who create it.

A year later

The store was renovated to allow an extra lane for the drive through, which is the higher volume modality.  When I talked to the manager he said that the franchise owner is keeping his play area in his other facilities. But it just didn't work for this location.

The crowd has found a way to bring tables together and seat six, even eight, but they are inside and our conversions reverberate to the whole adjacent area, whether they are interested or not.  Once, a man got angry at my political opinion, but more often people walk over and say they enjoyed listening to our discussions.

But I can't help feeling sad when I watch the children siting on a stool pressing the buttons on the games on the video screen.  They are absorbed, but there isn't a hint of the pleasure of children discovering someone to enjoy a sliding board with.  I swear there were some instant love affairs sparked among some of the three year olds, or at the least moments of pure pleasure.  That setting is gone and those with eyes buried in the video games will never know what they missed. 
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Coincidentally, Atlantic Monthly has this balanced article evaluating the effect of touch screens, such as those that replaced the little playground available in full, The Touch-Screen Generation