Whatever Happened To Pizza At Mcdonald's?

Brian searches for McDonald’s locations in Afghanistan, specifically those with pizza, in order to investigate his theory that soldier Bowe Bergdahl abandoned his post in search of McDonald’s pizza. The employee finds locations in Pakistan, none of which appear to serve pizza. Brian asks the employee to pass on his compliments to the management at the Pomeroy location.

Brian announces that he planned to end the podcast after traveling to Pomeroy, Ohio, before receiving a piece of electronic correspondence from a screenwriter. The screenwriter describes the experience of a soldier (Bowe Bergdahl) who was famously captured by the Taliban after leaving his post in Afghanistan. The letter says that Bergdahl had tasted exotic McDonald’s menu items around the world, including pizza. Brian decides to continue the investigation and podcast, announcing that this episode is the start of Season 2.

Brian introduces his producer Agnes at the airport on the way to Ohio and asks the airport McDonald’s if they sell pizza. Brian recaps the history of McDonald’s pizza, the podcast, and Pomeroy, Ohio. Brian and Agnes comment on the state of Pomeroy, Ohio. Brian orders a family sized pepperoni pizza, a personal cheese pizza, and a personal deluxe pizza. Brian describes the pizza as transcendent, but Agnes says it’s the worst pizza she has ever had. Brian speaks to manager Lori who says that pizza is the biggest part of the branch’s profits. Brian speaks to McDonald’s customers about their memories of McDonald’s pizza. Lori tells Brian that the owner has another franchise in West Virginia that sells pizza. Before leaving Pomeroy, Brian and Agnes visit Pomeroy’s motel to explore the murder site, but the motel is closed. Brian questions if Pomeroy’s pizza uses the same recipe as the original pizza.

Brian calls McDonald’s Canada to ask why they stopped selling pizza and if it would be possible for the menu item to be brought back. Brian gets the corporate phone number to reach an official spokesperson. He calls and is referred to the media hotline where he leaves a message.

Brian thanks listeners and opens fan correspondence. Rachel M. writes about trying pizza at McDonald’s in Orlando as a kid but does not remember the taste because she was upset that the pizza Happy Meal did not come with fries. Sioban D. writes about working at McDonald’s in Canada and describes the taste of McPizza. Twitter users ask what prompted Brian to begin this investigation and what the primary goal of the investigation is.

Brian calls a Catholic prayer hotline and asks for a clergyperson. The woman tells Brian that he does not have to pray through a priest and that God has no gender. Brian reads a second list of donors during the prayer. Brian asks the hotline employee if she remembers pizza at McDonalds.

Brian announces that he has booked his trip to Pomeroy, Ohio. Brian calls the prayer hotline back to request thank you prayers. The hotline employee is confused by Brian’s request and questions Brian about his relationship with God. Brian prays, gives thanks, and names his donors. Brian asks if Satan is similar to Robocop, loudly eats Ritz crackers, and goes to lay down during the phone call. Brian becomes a Christian and asks if God will leave like his earthly father.

Brian calls the White House Comment Line and is directed to the website by an answering service. Instead, Brian calls Mar-a-Lago, the “Winter White House.” He proceeds to call the restaurant, the Trump Organization, and the Federal Government Information Line. Information specialist Charlotte encourages Brian to reach out to his representatives about the comment line and his joining the White House Press Corps.

Twitter user @wayofthepornstache reaches out to McDonald’s Canada on Twitter asking them to bring pizza back to the menu. The Twitter account directed followers to their FAQ page and replied that the 11 minute preparation time was too long compared to the rest of the menu. McDonald’s Canada let users know that pizza would not be making a comeback anytime soon. Brian concludes that the prep time argument does not add up for a variety of reasons and calls Little Caesars to investigate. The Little Caesars’ manager tells Brian that their pizzas take about 8 minutes to make from start to finish but that most are ready immediately on the spot. Brian asks if this standard is reasonable for other fast food restaurants such as McDonalds and the manager says it is.

Brian tells listeners that the Kickstarter has been successful and discusses various safety concerns. Brian proceeds to call multiple McDonald’s locations asking for the phone number for franchise owners. The first employee tells Brian he can only have the phone number by coming in and reading the number on the door. The second location gives Brian the owner’s contact information. The franchise owner is away, but the woman who answers the phone takes Brian’s information so that the owner can call him back.

Brian reflects on his call with reporter Sarah Hawley and wonders about the clicking noise during their phone call. Brian calls a private investigator to find out if McDonald’s is tapping his phone. The investigator tells Brian that with current technology, he would not hear a recording device. He believes it is unlikely that McDonald’s would have had extended access to his phone in order to install a recording device in the first place. The investigator advises Brian that it would be a waste of money to hire a private investigator for his case.

Brian contacts Sarah Hawley at the Pomeroy, Ohio Daily Sentinel to inquire about the Meigs Motel murder and McDonald’s pizza. Brian describes multiple strange occurrences during his investigation and asks if Hawley is aware of any connections between crime and the pizza. Brian asks if Hawley can recommend another place to stay. Brian calls the Holly Hill Inn at Hawley’s recommendation. The inn’s owner tells Brian that he remembers McDonald’s pizza tasting like cardboard and agrees that restaurants should stick to what they know. Brian asks the owner about security at his bed and breakfast and the murder at the Meigs Motel. The owner offers to pick up a secure lockbox for Brian’s pizza.

Brian announces updates on his fundraising goal for a trip to Pomeroy, Ohio and announces his side investigation into the 2013 murder of a pedophile in the Pomeroy motel. Brian hopes to identify any potential connections between the murder and pizza at the nearby McDonald’s. Brian encourages listeners to join the podcast’s official Facebook group and to learn more about him by listening to his guest appearance on “Search for a Co-Host” (Episode 107).

Brian calls a motel in Pomeroy, Ohio to inquire if the rooms have a safe, fridges that can fit a pizza box, and if he can reserve a room under an alias. The employee lets Brian know that the reservation requires a government ID but assures him that they have a strict privacy policy, cameras, and 24 hour staff. Brian asks the employee if she has tried the pizza at the Pomeroy location. She told him she has and that it tastes like frozen pizza from the grocery store. Brian questions the manager about a murder that occured in the motel in 2013, but she assures him that they have since updated their policies.

Brian talks to Andrew, a former McDonald’s employee who worked in 1992 at a Canadian branch that sold pizza as a teenager. Andrew describes the crust as light and airy because the pizza was cooked quickly in the same oven as the pies. Andrew says the pizza took about 5.5 minutes to cook which was longer than most menu items. Andrew remembers a manager being frustrated that cooking pizza would slow down employees. Additionally, store supervisors would be frustrated if there were excess pizzas at the end of the day due to low profit margins. Despite loving the taste, Andrew did not see the pizza as a financially viable menu item. Andrew himself wonders whatever happened to the pizza at McDonald’s.

Brian comments on the trailer for The Founder, a story about Ray Kroc and his purchase of McDonald’s. Brian questions the lack of pizza in the trailer. Brian runs into an Internet problem and asks listeners to pause and wait for his WiFi to reconnect. Brian ultimately gives up on his internet and expresses hope that the film will address the question of what happened to pizza at McDonald’s. The episode transitions to discussion about the kickstarter to raise funds for a trip to Pomeroy, Ohio to try McDonald’s pizza.

Brian calls a McDonald’s location in Australia to ask if Australian locations ever served pizza. The employee directs Brian to the Australian website for answers. Brian calls a McDonald’s in France, asks the employee in French if they have pizza, and is hung up on. Brian calls a location in the U.K. and discovers that they sold pizza 15-20 years ago and is advised to call corporate for more information. Brian calls another location using an accent to inquire about pizza, but the employee cannot understand him.Brian gives the Panoply Network a final deadline to pick up the podcast, after which he will begin negotiations with Gimlet Media. Gimlet Media was selected via a poll on the podcast’s Twitter account.

Brian discusses Reddit threads on which people wonder what happened to pizza at McDonald’s. Brian describes a post containing a picture of pizza purchased at the McDonald’s location in Pomeroy, Ohio. The title contains misinformation about the Pomeroy location being the only remaining location to serve pizza, but Brian is willing to overlook the mistake in search of comments that can explain why the pizza was discontinued. Other Reddit users describe their experience working at McDonald’s and recall the specifics of the pizza making process. Brian admits that he cannot verify the information on the thread but trusts the claim that McDonald’s pizza was made in the following order: crust, sauce, toppings, and then cheese. One user, Redditron-2000-4, describes ingredient overlap with onion, peppers, and cheese. Brian searches for Redditron-2000-4’s post history to uncover more details about McDonald’s pizza to no avail.

Brian calls Crossroads 24 Hour Prayer Line to put in a prayer request about a crisis in his work life. Brian expresses concern that most support lines are busy due to the recent election results. The support line’s representative, Herald, tells Brian that people are calling on behalf of “God’s candidate,” who he believes to be Donald Trump. Herald refers Brian to John Paul Jackson and Dr. Wallnau’s “prophecy” on YouTube. Brian asks what the YouTubers say about Donald Trump, but Herald prefers to keep the call about Brian’s prayer request. Herald asks Brian if he has or wants a relationship with Jesus Christ. Brian agrees if it will help him in his professional life. Herald directs Brian to YouTube videos about Jesus’ resurrection. Brian asks Herald if he remembers McDonald’s Pizza and continues to question Herald about his support for Donald Trump. Herald prays for Brian.

Brian calls a McDonald’s location and discovers that they sell pizza before getting disconnected and deciding the employee was giving him a “facetious” answer. The second location says they do not sell pizza, prompting Brian to ask if the employee voted for Trump. The employee hangs up. The third call is nearly identical to the second. Brian’s next call reaches a frustrated employee who informs him that a prank call can result in a fine up to $130. Brian asks if the employee voted for Trump, and the employee refuses to disclose political information while at McDonald’s. Brian continues calling McDonald’s locations asking about pizza and employees’ voting choices. One employee responds that she did not vote for Trump.