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By Bobby Ross Jr. | Religion Unplugged

“Would you like fries with that?”

Who knew that question might play a role in the 2024 presidential campaign?

Given my quarter-century on the Godbeat, I can offer insight on a variety of subjects: Faith-based disaster relief. Religion in public schools. The role of faith in sports.

But my expertise on another buzzworthy matter predates my career as a religion reporter.

I’m referring, of course, to the golden arches.

In case you missed it, McDonald’s — yes, the Chicago-based fast-food chain — has emerged as a hot topic of conversation in the race for the White House.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, has talked about working at McDonald’s to earn spending money during college. Her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, has accused her of lying about that summer job.

Trump, meanwhile, made headlines this week by donning an apron and taking a turn at the fryer at a McDonald’s in the swing state of Pennsylvania. As you might expect, his performance drew mixed reviews. Unrelated to Trump, the company found itself in the news as the result of an E. coli outbreak.

An often-cited figure estimates that 1 in 8 Americans worked at McDonald’s at some point. The chain boasts more than 13,500 locations across the U.S.

In some ways, McDonald’s is like a church. Nearly every town has one. And people of all kinds are welcome.

As a 16-year-old high school student in 1984, I got my start making Big Macs, Quarter Pounders with Cheese and Chicken McNuggets. For those old enough to care, I can provide behind-the-scenes wisdom on the short-lived McD.L.T. — “hot side hot, cold side cold.” 

Read the full column.

This column appears in the online magazine Religion Unplugged.

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