Freedom Fries in Beaune

Ok, so if you can't tell by now, I find France's attitude toward business kind of amusing. Ok, not amusing, worse.

So, driving out of French wine country I couldn't help notice the awkward location of a new McDonald's. I also couldn't help notice that breakfast at our hotel ran 20 euro a head and there was no other place where breakfast would take less than an hour or two.  McDonald's was going to save our morning.

The exit wasn't marked from the main road and it took a few near missed before we hit the right driveway.  Was it that someone was deliberately trying to stop people from going to McDonalds?

For folks who have been to McDonald's in Europe, you'll know how nice they are compared to ours - fresh croissants, pain au chocolate, espresso - you name it.  Breakfast was delicious, and it was cheap (relative to the other options at least).  Thank you America, for customer-centric businesses and ruthlessly efficient supply chains.

Curious about the strange location of this little fast food joint, I chatted up a guy in McDonald's business casual, sitting at a table with his iBook.  He happened to be a regional VP and knew a lot about this particular store.

It turns out this place had a great story.

McDonald's had been trying to get a restaurant in Beaune for years, but the mayor wouldn't allow it.  He hated all fast food, categorically.  He forbade anyone from building a fast-food joint anywhere in the city limits, and the city limit covers a lot of the countryside.

But... he missed one little patch of real estate right next to the off-ramp, which technically belonged to the city on the other side of the highway.  Those guys didn't like McDonald's too much either, but they hated the arrogant mayor of Beaune even more.  To spite him, and to earn some coin, they let McDonald's buy the land and build their restaurant.

McDonald's was now the first thing people would see when visiting Beaune.  Touche!

Furious, the mayor of Beaune won't allow McDonald's to place any of its signage in the city limits.  So that explains the awful access and total lack of signage.

How is the restaurant doing?  Above plan, says the VP.  He says the lack of competition is good for business (there isn't another fast food joint for 50km), and he feels pretty damn sure there isn't going to be any other competition any time soon.

Go away and take your pomme frites de liberte with you.