Charleston socialite and Southern Charm icon Patricia Altschul may have a colorful sense of style and refined taste, but she still enjoys a stop at her favorite fast-food chains.
In a memorable moment captured on camera — and endeared to Bravo fans forever — Patricia and her late butler Michael Kelcourse casually pulled into a McDonald's drive-thru for a midday meal. Michael was in the driver's seat of her vibrant blue Bentley, while Patricia was decked out with her diamond ring and Chanel sunglasses in the back. The ordinary part of their routine was featured in Southern Charm Season 6, Episode 6, which originally aired June 19, 2019.
Now, Patricia is sharing what else Michael kept stocked in her luxury car and more details about one of her favorite guilty pleasures with Bravo Insider.
Riding to McDonald's in style
The short moment was the perfect interlude, revealing even more of Patricia and Michael's friendship and Patricia's food preferences. Upon pulling up to the window, Michael dutifully ordered "the usual," also known as a cheeseburger with no tomato or ketchup, from the driver's seat. ("No ketchup, please. That's a tomato," said Michael told the employee wisely.)
“That was a long time ago,” Patricia told Bravo Insider as she mulled over the memory preserved on the show. “I wish McDonald's would let me be an endorser.”
I do have a predilection for McDonald's, hot dogs, steamed crabs. Taco Bell is one of my favorites”
The quick stop for food almost happened somewhere else entirely. “They wanted to me going somewhere and I said, ‘Well, I either want to go to Costco for a hot dog or McDonald’s." The moment captured on camera was a regular occurrence for Patricia and Michael. She doesn’t “plot and plan” what she does for the show, she explained.
“It ended up being McDonald's,” Patricia said, due to Costco having filming restrictions. “Michael and I used to do that every two or three weeks. Ordinarily, we would have healthy food, but I do have a predilection for McDonald's, hot dogs, steamed crabs. Taco Bell is one of my favorites.”
In the episode, Michael pulled out a table, linens, green wine glass, and bottle of wine from the trunk to pair with Patricia's to-go order, but they weren't the only items of grandeur Michael kept at his disposal.
“I have an Asbury wicker basket that my parents had so I don’t know how old it is, but when you open it up it has velvet lining for silver, for real silver, and for stemware and then we have another little container for bottles or whatever ... on those occasions where I would go—mostly to McDonald's."
Michael kept other “proper” things stocked in the Bentley, according to Patricia.
“A beautiful cashmere blanket and some pillows, needle point pillows for picnics, and the picnic hamper is always in there,” Patricia said. “For some reason, I have a collection of picnic hampers. Mario Buatta gave me a big one."
Another favorite fast-food locale they’d frequent together was Krispy Kreme.
“He would bring along a coffee pot, cream, and sugar, you know proper porcelain, linen, and I would have Krispy Kreme donuts,” Patricia said matter-of-factly.
He had a whimsical sense of humor, but he also could be snarky, which was fun. I miss him, I really miss him”
Sadly, Michael passed away in October 2024 amid health issues after suffering from a stroke.
“Michael was so serious about his job, but he also had a great sense of humor, so he had a great combination of total dedication to me and Whitney and the animals and the house and doing things the proper way,” Patricia said. “To be a butler you kind of have to devote yourself to the vocation and to the family and he was just wonderful in every way. He anticipated your every need, he thought up fun adventures, some things to do, he had a whimsical sense of humor, but he also could be snarky, which was fun. I miss him, I really miss him.”
Additionally, after using the Bentley for more than a decade, Patricia no longer has the stunning car.
“The Bentley had really had it, and we don’t have a Bentley dealer here, but we have a Rolls Royce dealer, so Whitney got the car he wanted. That’s his car,” Patricia said.
While Patricia was previously looking into hiring a new butler from England, she recognizes finding someone to truly fill Michael’s shoes will be tough.
“I’m still hoping to get a butler who can drive [the Rolls Royce],” Patricia said, noting only Whitney drives the car for now. “He doesn’t like it when I sit in the back when he takes me somewhere, so I just sit up front so he won’t be insulted.”
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