McDonalds in Temple Bar - Yay or Nay?

JupiterKid

So it has become knowledge to me that McDonalds is planning to open a large outlet in in Temple Bar. What do AHers make of this proposal? Yay to the Golden Arches as it will provide much needed soakage for the booze that's consumed there en masse?

Or nay - the final nail in the coffin of Dublin's erstwhile cultural quarter?

Victor

To be fair, it can't actually get much worse. They need to reduce the amount of pubs and restaurants generally and allow other retail uses. There is provision in the development plan for rejecting any additional pubs and restaurants, but I can't see how they are going to get rid of existing ones and conversions.

roboshatner

Temple is nuts it would not make much difference really if it was or wasnt there

temply

It'll fit in perfectly with the rest of the crappy tourist places there already,am surprised its taken them so long to open up there anyway.

dats_right

Surprised anybody is concerned by this. McDonalds would fit right in with the ambience and tone of the area.

Teyla Emmagan

No, we need to reverse the rot in Temple Bar, not add to it. There is still some hope for the place.

phasers

Temple Bar is a dump anyway, has been for years.

starviewadams

Wouldn't make any difference at all,there's already an Abrakebabra there too so I don't see what the problem is.

Temple Bar isn't a cultural quarter,it's where stupid people go to get pissed every weekend and fight.
The pubs and restaurants in TB probably don't want a McDonalds there because they'd be forced to lower their rip off food prices.

Slydice

yea cos "we" all own temple bar :rolleyes:

Redlion

Bit ridiculous in general. I can count at least 5 McDonalds that are within a five minute walk of Temple Bar. 4 being Northside and 1 Southside. No need for a 6th one.

wolfmoon87

No - McDonald's food is disgusting.
The only time I would eat that muck is if I was drunk. So actually it probably makes sense to have one in Temple Bar , but I would prefer if there was less McDonalds.

John_Rambo

starviewadams wrote: »

Temple Bar isn't a cultural quarter

I was at two exhibitions there last week. Loads going on during the day in Temple Bar, just cause you see it at night and make a judgement doesn't mean that all it is.

Anyone see the outdoor portrait poster one going on at the moment? Really nice stuff.

I don't think McDonalds is suitable for Temple Bar.

Laisurg

Well i for one support this 100%!! i do usually be close enough to temple bar on a night out and i have to trek down to grafton street to get food which is a right pain.

Laisurg

Redlion wrote: »

Bit ridiculous in general. I can count at least 5 McDonalds that are within a five minute walk of Temple Bar. 4 being Northside and 1 Southside. No need for a 6th one.

Maybe 5 minutes running but this is to accommodate people who are hammered!

Arnold Layne

I'd rather Burger King

honru

I would figure they would be looking at the premises left by the closure of the Bad Ass Cafe?

latenia

It's the Marco Pierre White/Frankie Detorri place on the corner of Temple Bar Square

badboyblake

latenia wrote: »

It's the Marco Pierre White/Frankie Detorri place on the corner of Temple Bar Square

Oh God that square is really ruined now - though it might concentrate the filth in one area I suppose.

I'd love to see Pret A Monger open up in Ireland - really nice coffee, salads and sambos.
http://www.pret.com/

Skerries

name them as i call shenanigans

Redlion wrote: »

Bit ridiculous in general. I can count at least 5 McDonalds that are within a five minute walk of Temple Bar. 4 being Northside and 1 Southside. No need for a 6th one.

phasers

Skerries wrote: »

name them as i call shenanigans

Jervis St
O'Connell St (2)
Grafton St

hmm... Ilac centre?

starviewadams

John_Rambo wrote: »

I was at two exhibitions there last week. Loads going on during the day in Temple Bar, just cause you see it at night and make a judgement doesn't mean that all it is.

Anyone see the outdoor portrait poster one going on at the moment? Really nice stuff.

I don't think McDonalds is suitable for Temple Bar.

I worked there,days and nights for nearly two years and the only 'culture' I ever saw was mascots of tourist pubs dressed as leprechauns,drug addicts fighting and roaring abuse at each other and pissed English and Irish people drinking,fighting,urinating and defecating on the streets.

How can McDonalds not be suitable when there is an Abrekabra and was a Subway already there in TB?It would hardly lower the tone of the area.

I live in Temple Bar Area, and I would hate to see McD's come in. There's already plenty (of Mcd's) around, but the smell alone on grafton st is rank. No need to make TB smell worse! No need for it there, and it won't add to the area at all.

jack presley

If it does go ahead, they should do what they do in places like Venice where they can't have any bright golden arches or any of their other decor out front. The shop front must blend in with the rest of the buildings surrounding it.

ixoy

jack presley wrote: »

If it does go ahead, they should do what they do in places like Venice where they can't have any bright golden arches or any of their other decor out front. The shop front must blend in with the rest of the buildings surrounding it.

This works quite well in Venice. It doesn't feel nearly as tacky as it might have otherwise.
Of course Temple Bar kind of is tacky so I'm not sure I'd care much either way...

John_Rambo

starviewadams wrote: »

I worked there,days and nights for nearly two years and the only 'culture' I ever saw was mascots

You must have some set of blinkers on. Here, take an education.

http://www.templebargallery.com/

http://www.galleryofphotography.ie/

http://pix.ie/Bohoe/2439359

http://www.irishfilm.ie/cinema/f_season1_07.asp?SID=42

http://www.clynegallery.com/

http://www.graphicstudiodublin.com/

gigino

Wht not a burdochs there ...thats more what the tourists come to Ireland for ? Ye can get a McDonalds anywhere

Redlion

Skerries wrote: »

name them as i call shenanigans

Phasers named them all.

pretty*monster

As a resident of Temple Bar I'm very much against this. Temple Bar is a bit of mess but it still retains some of it's unique character and there's no need to make a bad situation even worse.

(That said I do find the Tesco dead handy.)

D

Yay. They will fit right in with the other tourist traps.

gudwan

gigino wrote: »

Wht not a burdochs there ...thats more what the tourists come to Ireland for ? Ye can get a McDonalds anywhere

There is a Burdock's, just off the square there.

jack presley wrote: »

If it does go ahead, they should do what they do in places like Venice where they can't have any bright golden arches or any of their other decor out front. The shop front must blend in with the rest of the buildings surrounding it.

Not likely for the DCC to act sensibly like that. Here's an extended thread on the lack of regulations pertaining to shopfronts.

bc dub

D wrote: »

Yay. They will fit right in with the other tourist traps.

Yes because filling medieval parts of Irelands heritage with American Fast Food outlets and or British Supermarket Chains is exactly what our tourist traps need.

Dublin, on a whole, needs more independent stores around the city. Most definitely not more fast food outlets.

Davy

I would say 'Nay' to it going in, but after a night of beers im not sure i would feel the same. Their would be a good chance I would end up in there, and Im sure im not the only one.....?

BeerNut

Davy wrote: »

after a night of beers im not sure i would feel the same. Their would be a good chance I would end up in there, and Im sure im not the only one.....?

If it means shorter queues at Zaytoon, build four of them.

Coriolanus

No reason not to. Mcdonalds as a corp have shown they can actually create some nice restaurants that suit the ambience of the area, if they're made to.
I give you:
McDonalds in Maine


McDonalds in Vittorio (I think)

January

phasers wrote: »

Jervis St
O'Connell St (2)
Grafton St

hmm... Ilac centre?

Corner of Mary Street/Jervis Street

iMax

Wish it was Taco Bell or Jack In The Box

John_Rambo

iMax wrote: »

Wish it was Taco Bell or Jack In The Box

Have you been to America?

PTO

I hope they have it like the pubs in Temple bar and make the prices much more expensive then everywhere else!! 10 euro Big Mac anyone??

iMax

John_Rambo wrote: »

Have you been to America?

Many times, which is why I wish it was Taco Bell or Jack In The Box

John_Rambo

iMax wrote: »

John_Rambo wrote: »

Have you been to America?

Many times

I'd never have guessed!

John_Rambo

Double post!!!!

compsys

NAY!

Dublin is full of sh*tty tacky shops, convenience stores and fast food outlets so the last thing our so-called cultural quarter needs is yet ANOTHER fast food restaurant.

In many cities all over the world they have strict rules on what can be opened on certain streets or in certain areas. I really wish Dublin City Council would do the same.

Ever been to Oxford Street in London and had a great time shopping at all the amazing retail outlets on the street? Well Oxford Street has strict guidelines surrounding what shops can open up there. Fast food outlets are usually banned as they want the street to be a high-class retail destination and not full of convenience stores, mobiles phones outlets or fast food outlets i.e. Grafton St or O'Connell Street. And in my opinion it works.

All you have to do is look at the sorry state of O'Connell Street to see what unregulated retail development can do to a place. To be honest I'm a bit saddened soo many people on here seem to think opening up yet another McDonald's in Temple Bar is such a good idea. Are people in Dublin really that lazy that they can't walk 5 minutes or so to the one on Grafton Street, O'Connell Street (which has two!), Mary Street or Parnell Street?

Coriolanus

compsys wrote: »

NAY!

Dublin is full of sh*tty tacky shops, convenience stores and fast food outlets so the last thing our so-called cultural quarter needs is yet ANOTHER fast food restaurant.

In many cities all over the world they have strict rules on what can be opened on certain streets or in certain areas. I really wish Dublin City Council would do the same.

Ever been to Oxford Street in London and had a great time shopping at all the amazing retail outlets on the street? Well Oxford Street has strict guidelines surrounding what shops can open up there. Fast food outlets are usually banned as they want the street to be a high-class retail destination and not full of convenience stores, mobiles phones outlets or fast food outlets i.e. Grafton St or O'Connell Street. And in my opinion it works.

All you have to do is look at the sorry state of O'Connell Street to see what unregulated retail development can do to a place. To be honest I'm a bit saddened soo many people on here seem to think opening up yet another McDonald's in Temple Bar is such a good idea. Are people in Dublin really that lazy that they can't walk 5 minutes or so to the one on Grafton Street, O'Connell Street (which has two!), Mary Street or Parnell Street?

Take a look at the pics I posted. McDs doesn't have to be tacky. I agree that the planning laws in this country are mad, but a blanket ban is nearly as bad. Consider the fact that the McD in Italy that I posted looks better than plenty of our "landmark" buildings by a factor of about 10.

compsys

Nevore wrote: »

Take a look at the pics I posted. McDs doesn't have to be tacky. I agree that the planning laws in this country are mad, but a blanket ban is nearly as bad. Consider the fact that the McD in Italy that I posted looks better than plenty of our "landmark" buildings by a factor of about 10.

But who needs 10 McDonald's or so within a two square mile radius? Let alone all the Burger Kings and Eddie Rocket's and Supermacs etc.

I'm not merely talking about the McDonald's restaurant looking tacky. I'm also talking about the fact there are probably close to 250 or more fast food outlets in Dublin CC. Do we really need another, let alone in our cultural quarter!?

Besides, I'd have absolutely no confidence that DCC would have the competence to ensure that the building is respectable. Just look at the ones on O'Connell Street.

elemenopee

I just read this article in the Irish Times about it:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0803/1224301773636.html

I can't BELIEVE that Mannix Flynn is endorsing this. I thought he was a man of the arts? A man who cared about Temple Bar? Seems like he's lost the plot.

Have you ever walked passed McDonalds on Grafton St around 9 o'clock in the morning? The bang of it is appalling! It'll make TB smell even worse!

FloatingVoter

elemenopee wrote: »

I just read this article in the Irish Times about it:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0803/1224301773636.html

I can't BELIEVE that Mannix Flynn is endorsing this. I thought he was a man of the arts? A man who cared about Temple Bar? Seems like he's lost the plot.

Mannix Flynn is more a man of the people. He didn't endorse it - merely distanced himself from another board member's comments. I read in the Herald yesterday that he was more interested in the employment that McDonalds would provide in a time of high unemployment.
Temple Bar is not a cultural quarter. It may be called that, it can equally be called Pickpocket Central but that doesn't win votes.

honru

If this does go ahead I just hope they're subtle with the exterior and blend it in well. Generally I've found McDonald's joints in other countries' cultural quarters not too imposing.

dazed+confused

f®eak s©enery wrote: »

If this does go ahead I just hope they're subtle with the exterior and blend it in well. Generally I've found McDonald's joints in other countries' cultural quarters not too imposing.

Yeah there are some really cool ones around, like the ones already posted and the one on Georegs Streeet in Sydney.

Unless they build it creatively and sympathetic to its surroundings I'm opposed.

FTA69

compsys wrote: »

Ever been to Oxford Street in London and had a great time shopping at all the amazing retail outlets on the street? Well Oxford Street has strict guidelines surrounding what shops can open up there. Fast food outlets are usually banned as they want the street to be a high-class retail destination and not full of convenience stores, mobiles phones outlets or fast food outlets i.e. Grafton St or O'Connell Street. And in my opinion it works.

You'll find there's a McDonalds on Oxford St.

Ben D Bus

FTA69 wrote: »

You'll find there's a McDonalds on Oxford St.

I can think of at least 3 - Marble Arch, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road.

See, I've been abroad too Now just give me a few minutes to think of a foreign fast food multiple that doesn't operate in Ireland so I can suggest it as a superior alternative to McDonalds

And just to show how well travelled I am, can I point out that the McDonalds in Bray has a very tastefully appointed exterior.