McDonald’s is supposed to be an easy, reliable, salt-of-the-earth sort of meal. The food of the people, even if those people have less-than-ideal arterial flow. At least until the country’s corporations saw a period of inflation as the perfect cover for price-gouging, it was an affordable place to get your belly filled even when your bank account was close to empty.
And if you’re lucky enough to be one of the holders of the legendary “McGold” cards, McDonald’s food is the cheapest anything can possibly be: free. All you have to do is flash the engraved golden rectangle in question, and you have your cost-free pick of the contents of their fryers.
So, of course, most of the people who own one aren’t in a position where a McDonald’s meal would put even the slightest visible scratch on their pocketbook.
Here are four people who eat at McDonald’s for free, even though they could pay for it with no problems whatsoever…
Bill Gates
Yes, one of the richest men on earth has been selected to receive free food from McDonald’s. Maybe they did it out of pure convenience, because they were sick of their cashiers having to break Gates’ million dollar bills. The founder of Microsoft’s fortune is sizable enough that it could probably survive financial hits that would bankrupt some small countries, but thanks to the kindness of the Golden Arches, he’ll never do it with hamburgers.
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett, one of the world’s richest men, is almost as famous for his frugality as for his fortune. Something that’s both wise and pretty infuriating advice. What that does mean, though, is that you can bet your bottom dollar that Buffett is getting full use out of his McGold card, which allows him to eat for free at any McDonald’s in Omaha, Nebraska for life. In that same linked CNBC article, he drops an indicator of just how vaunted these cards are: Apparently Bill Clinton (the ex-president) has tried in vain to add one to his wallet.
Mitt Romney’s Dad
What must really ruffle Clinton’s feathers is that the father of famous non-President Mitt Romney can make as many McOrders as he wants, cost-free. Though apparently the card predates its gold offspring, instead appearing in the form of a pink bit of paper hand-signed by Ray Kroc himself. Flashing it at any McDonald’s resulted in a completely free spread of one hamburger, fries, and, to add insult to injury, a shake. I have to assume that the ice cream machines are never broken for gold card holders, either.
Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe was born with that jawline, but apparently that wasn’t enough. Lowe, who looks like he’s never had a trans fat in his entire life, is apparently also the owner of a McGold card. To be fair, of everyone on this list, he might have the best explanation as to why: a friend’s dad was the one who invented the McMuffin. Therefore, I don’t think he could humanly house enough meals to offset the windfall of breakfast bucks he bestowed upon them.