A McDonald's in Frattocchie, near Rome, has three 2,000-year-old skeletons on display in its dining area. The remains were unearthed in 2014 during construction of the restaurant, and instead of sealing the site back up, McDonald's Italia chose to incorporate the archaeology into the building. The company described it, to Newsweek in December 2022, as the first McDonald's in the world capable of contributing to an archaeological area. If a fast-food outlet can double as a museum, it's fair to say the old rule about never eating at chains abroad deserves a rethink.
The snobbery is real: plenty of travellers treat a visit to a familiar fast-food brand as a wasted meal in a destination full of local flavour. But there's a decent case for the other side. Menus are localised almost everywhere, so a trip to the counter often means new items rather than a copy of the home version. Paris has its "McDo" in the Pigalle neighbourhood, serving burgers with goat cheese and Comté alongside the familiar fries. Japan sells a breakfast pie with butter and mochi. Anthony Bourdain's famous rule — eat where the locals eat — arguably applies, since fast-food giants are part of daily life in France, Japan and dozens of other countries. McDonald's itself operates in nearly 100 countries.
There's a budget angle too. Late in a trip, when you're three months into a European adventure and slightly homesick — a scenario the source writer knows personally, having eaten at McDonald's in almost 30 countries — a cheap, reliable meal takes the pressure off. It's a low-cost way to stretch the last days of a holiday without giving up a day of sightseeing.
Chains are also a practical answer for two groups who rarely get taken seriously in food-focussed travel writing. Picky eaters still want to see the world, but an adventurous itinerary doesn't come with an adventurous palate by default. And for travellers with dietary restrictions, a familiar menu removes a genuine source of stress. Peanut allergy rates are highest in Western countries and rare in much of Asia, while veganism — outside India — is largely a Western phenomenon. In places where local cuisine doesn't cater easily to those needs, a chain restaurant offers a safe, clearly labelled meal, freeing you up to enjoy everything else the destination offers.
None of this means skipping the local food scene. Balut, the fertilised duck egg beloved in the Philippines and much of Southeast Asia, remains the kind of dish you'd only ever try at a local spot. The smarter framing is that a holiday isn't diminished by one dinner you already recognise — sometimes it's the cheapest, safest or even most interesting table in town. Ask the Frattocchie skeletons, which have been dining with tourists for a decade now.