McDonald's, A Popular Meeting Place

Once we came back to the hotel after our tour of IKEA, I quickly made plans to meet up with a friend to get something to drink. When I asked her where to rendezvous, the first response was McDonald's. At first I thought she chose this place because it's a popular name that most foreigners can recognize, but when I arrived I knew it was because it's a very popular place. In America, people utilize the drive-thru system to hastily place their order, get their food, and be on their way; but here, it's viewed as a place to hang out for an extended period of time.
I arrived a little early, so I had some time to do some people-watching. As I scanned the crowd I saw people playing cards, playing a connect 5 game, and even napping. I also noticed that this McDonald's didn't even have a drive-thru, and later learned from my friend that none of the McDonald's that she has seen in China have one. Other than differences in the culture and the absence of a drive-thru, it was very consistent with stores in America as far as the menu goes. They offer many of the same items and the cheeseburger I ate on our way back to the hotel, tasted the same as in America.