McDonald's (Boston, MA)

It was inevitable that I was going to feel compelled to review the lobster roll at McDonald’s at some point this summer. That point arrived today. First off, let me establish that I’m generally supportive of McDonald’s. I enjoy (well-made) McDonald’s on a road trip. I made ads for them for 5 years. I got to know their business and their people and I don’t think they’re the great Satan that so many people make them out to be.

I also have history with the lobster roll at McDonald’s. Years before it became a national sensation the lobster roll was offered up in Maine and I worked on that business. I have a great memory of being in a meeting at the Freeport McDonald’s where we were all going to try the lobster roll for the first time. They brought up a fresh tray of rolls around 11:00 and they sat in the sun while the owners argued about coupons for a few hours. By the time we finally got around to eating they were in questionable shape but nobody said anything. Cut to about an hour later when one of the junior account guys passed out on the table in a huge crash. We all laughed and laughed. Sure, it was pretty sad when he died at the hospital later that night, but I’ll never forget that crash at the meeting. Boom! Down goes Frazier!

Anyway, I enter this review with low expectations and warm feelings towards McDonald’s. Furthermore, I didn’t go to one of those fancy new McDonald’s – I hit up the local “locks on the bathroom doors” McDonald’s in Downtown Crossing. I suspect that they don’t sell a lot of lobster rolls in a day.

Crustacean: Sadly, my first bite included a piece of shell (I sure hope it was shell). Otherwise the (not fresh) lobster wasn’t bad but it was on the flavorless side. It did have a cute piece of mini-claw as featured on the translite. Overall the lobster wasn’t great but it wasn’t awful either. 20 points

Components: The lobster salad was just meat with a little mayo. McDonald’s eschewed the butter-grilled New England hot dog bun for a small torpedo roll with little seeds (I sure hope they were seeds) that seemed suspiciously like the McRib bun. The lack of butter hurt the flavor and the bottom bun under the lettuce was dry. There was leaf lettuce that felt/tasted suspiciously like the McChicken lettuce. Hey – I think they’re just using stuff that was already lying around the stock room! 10 points

Construction: It was kind of slapped together, but that’s what you expect from an urban McDonald’s.  The lobster portion was pretty generous considering the $7.99 price point. 10 points

Total score: 50

I’m not going to say that the lobster roll at McDonald’s was good. It most certainly wasn’t. But it wasn’t terrible, either, which is pretty impressive for McDonald’s. Don’t go out of your way to get one, but if you happen to be at a McDonald’s and you feel like taking a risk, go for it.

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