CoWorking Spaces

  • Expensive
  • Full of snobs who take themselves too seriously
  • Scarce snacks, no barista
  • Have to pay for an entire month up-front

McDonalds

  • Cheap
  • No self-righteous “entrepreneurs” in sight (excluding myself)
  • Lots of hot food, and a barista
  • Day-to-day commitment, no contracts.

Hypothesis

I can work from McDonalds instead of a traditional co-working space.

Conclusion

Yes, but don’t.

Jeff Goldblum could should meme

Method

I did it for 2 days.

Pros

  • Wifi
  • Cost ($10 / day for decent food & coffee)
  • Focus (nobody in there wants to talk to me)

Cons

  • Weird Looks (like they’ve never seen a McDeveloper before)
  • Bad Scooter Parking (the bike-rack was in the muddy wet grass)
  • Bathroom Breaks (I have to 100% pack my things & bring them into the bathroom)
  • No conference rooms (unbelievable), You feel like a creep taking a video call outside by the kids play-area

Opinions

I’m bullish on McDonalds. The brand is associated with unhealthy, low-quality food… but I actually think that’s changed, and people just haven’t noticed yet. They have great coffee, some salads & healthy options, and 2 tiers of food: cheap (McDouble, McChicken, etc…) & decent (Quarter-Pounder w/ Cheese, Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich, etc…).

The layout feels modern, you can order on a screen, they have bicycle-parking, and they’re generally empty inside at off-hours (between meal-times).

But… honestly, it’s just a weird place to work. That’s not surprising, but it’s confirmed by experiment. It just felt like a sort-of stupid thing to do, and if I felt that way…

If I’m ever traveling and in a real pinch, and need consistent wifi & an air-conditioned place to sit for ~2 hours, then this will be plan D, right behind Hotel, Starbucks, and anyone’s office I know.

Tray of food next to computer bag

It just looks kind-of sad, huh?