The McDonalds play room in Tyler can be something of a crapshoot, (forgive me if that sounds crass). Like most parents I both like and hate it at the same time. On one hand it affords a place for the kids to play while I’m working (like I am now in fact). But when half the parents in Tyler get the same brilliant idea: to drop by with their overstimulated little darlings for a not so happy meal of empty calories followed by a climb on the indoor jungle gym, it can turn into lord of the flies in a hurry. Now I’m not one of the anti-McDonalds food Nazis you see on the news every night. When I eat at the fast food chain it’s with the full knowledge of the culinary sin I’m committing. My bigger concerns are with the cleanliness and concentration in the children’s area. So why patronize the joint? Two reasons: I have work to do, and McDonalds, (at least the one on 69 south), allows me to type while I supervise my son (albeit from a distance sometimes). It also offers customer wifi. Now I add this somewhat off hand, but this happens to be the main reason I would choose McDonalds over Chic-Fil-A which is located directly across the street. Well that and the dollar menu, which is just what the budget of a single parent / private school teacher, requires.
In almost every respect Chic-Fil-A is the better choice. The food is many times superior to that of their neighbor but the store’s environment is far less conducive to my productivity, (which is really the main point). The store recently underwent some remodeling I’m told, but when I checked it out it didn’t seem that much different to me. The kid’s playroom area is pretty small, and the restaurant is so flipping busy 24/7, it makes eating in a hassle for me. Seriously I’ve had shorter waiting times at Six Flags! Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit. And strangely when they did the remodel they failed to add customer wifi. Now I should state that I applaud the financial success of the franchise but the 69 south location of Chic-Fil-A is simply a no go for me unless I’m going to hit the drive through, which by the way is always wrapped around the building.
So at the end of the day does either one of these stops furnish an ideal place for the kids to play while I work? Not really. On rare occasions I can get real work accomplished. Normally I’m pretty fortunate to put in a solid hour, which by the way, was about the result of today’s experiment… maybe. But when I have to choose between McDonald’s and Chic-Fil-A, I am generally forced to pick the former. Sorry Chic-Fil-A. I’d rather eat your food but I get tired of waiting for it.