McDonald’s outlet at Clacket Lane Eastbound, located near the main entrance and SPAR, opposite the seating area. McDonald’s opened at Clacket Lane East in 2012, replacing a Wimpy which was original to when the site opened in 1993. Wimpy was significantly smaller than McDonald’s, so when McD opened, they made the unit larger & changed the layout of the customer seating/food court from a long corridor to an obscure “snake” route through the food court, taking customers past brands other than popular McDonalds. Despite its large size, McD doesn’t have any seating of its own. Instead, it shares communal seating with Chozen Noodle. Most McDonald’s restaurants at Roadchef are purposefully built large to cater for more customers, which is useful during peak times. Roadchef are also fast to point out that McDonald’s don’t inflate their prices at motorway services whatsoever & maintain their low pricing structures, attracting trade financially. This seems to be an attack at Burger King, which has a relaxed attitude towards price inflation at motorway services. McDonald’s’s consistent pricing could be another factor causing a disparity of trade between the units at Clacket Lane East, as LEON, Chozen and Costa all inflate their motorway prices. McDonald’s is also popular as customers are likely to know the brand well and understand its product range, meaning customers know what they’re getting. This pic evidences an original 1993 roof truss. These are commonly found inside both buildings at Clacket Lane and were used by Roadchef to create a “country”/rural feel to the place, in-keeping with its leafy Kent/Surrey surroundings. It’s not the cleanest looking McDonald’s, nor is it the most organised-looking. McD was last updated at Clacket Lane Eastbound around 2018 & doesn’t remain open 24 hours (only the Westbound restaurant remains open 24 hours) so during the night, customers will have to use WHSmith as there’s no public access between the two sites. McDonald’s was busy during my visit as it was lunchtime during the Easter holidays, when more people are long-distance travelling. Additionally, it’s an easy facility for customers to use. McDonald’s is signposted from the M25 Eastbound, so all motorists stopping know to expect it. McDonald’s is also advertised around the site and from the exterior of the amenity building, hinting that Roadchef take pride in their partnership with McDonald’s!

Photo taken on 05/04/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Clacket Lane, McDonald's, M25, Roadchef