7 Major Differences Between McDonald's in Taiwan and the U.S. — The U.S. Wins Big on This One!

McDonald's is a global fast-food chain and the leading fast-food brand in Taiwan, but have you ever wondered what the differences are between McDonald's in Taiwan and the U.S.? Recently, an internet celebrity known as "Columbus" shared seven "differences between McDonald's in Taiwan and the U.S." based on his experience working at a McDonald's in Canada when he was 16. One of the biggest differences is that U.S. McDonald's offers self-service areas and free drink refills, which left many netizens envious.

1 Available in Taiwan’s McDonald’s, but not in the U.S.:

Items like pork cutlet burgers, corn soup, and breakfast toast are not available at U.S. McDonald's. Most notably, U.S. McDonald's doesn’t sell “chicken wings,” only chicken nuggets, so you don’t even get to choose the part.

The U.S. does not have McSpicy Chicken (Image / Screenshot from McDonald's)

2 Available in U.S. McDonald’s, but not in Taiwan:

The U.S. offers a wide variety of breakfast options, such as biscuit sandwiches, muffin sandwiches, and burritos. Internet celebrity "Columbus" believes these two types of sandwiches are much tastier than Taiwan’s "Deluxe Breakfast Sandwich." Also, the U.S. still sells large milkshakes, which have been discontinued in Taiwan. Other differences include seven types of dipping sauces for chicken nuggets, M&M’s chocolate flavor for the McFlurry, and limited-time Rib sandwiches.

The U.S. has biscuit sandwiches and muffin sandwiches (Image / Screenshot from the official U.S. McDonald's website)

3 U.S. McDonald’s Has a Self-Service Area

In the U.S., you can help yourself to sauces, utensils, and napkins. In Taiwan, you have to get them from the counter yourself, and getting a second packet of sweet and sour sauce or ketchup even costs extra.

Self-service area (Image / Screenshot from Columbus' Original Songs + Pronunciation Library Facebook page)

4 Free Drink Refills at U.S. McDonald’s

In the U.S., beverage machines are placed outside for customers to refill their drinks. Although the rule is typically one refill, staff aren’t too strict, and having a couple more is usually fine. In fact, it’s not just McDonald’s — most fast-food restaurants in the U.S. offer free drink refills.

Drink refills (Image / Columbus' Original Songs + Pronunciation Library Facebook page)

5 Taiwan’s "Apple Pie" Tastes Better Than the U.S. Version

Internet celebrity "Columbus" believes that Taiwan’s apple pie tastes much better than the one sold in the U.S., and sometimes Taiwan even offers limited-time "Taro Pie," which is also a great choice.

Apple pie (Image / Screenshot from the McDonald's official website)

6 Different Promotional Meals

Taiwan has the “1+1=50” deal, while the U.S. has the “Dollar Menu,” where you can get various items for just one U.S. dollar. However, in recent years, the Dollar Menu has been discontinued in the U.S. and replaced with a new version priced between 1–3 U.S. dollars.

1–3 USD Menu (Image / Screenshot from the official U.S. McDonald's website)

7 Different Pricing

In Taiwan, a Big Mac costs 79 Taiwanese dollars, while in the U.S. it’s 5.30 U.S. dollars (about 156.8 Taiwanese dollars). However, the cost of living in the U.S. is higher, so it’s roughly equivalent in value.

Big Mac (Image / Photo provided by this newspaper)