| 8/26/2005 |
TWO ALL BEEF PATTIES from McDonald's Commercial
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When I was in college I worked for McDonald's for five years. As a result I feel that I've more than adequately paid my debt to the fast food industry. I was always a good employee (well up till the last few months). I was fortunate to work for a great guy who managed the place. He was serious when he needed to be, a smart-ass when he could be, and the loudest son-of-a-bitch that you'll ever meet. The man had two volumes of voice. Loud and Post-Rock Concert.
"We can hear just fine, Ron! You don't need to shout." Truly. The man never needed to make use of a headset to communicate to other headset wearers. He could be plainly heard anywhere in the store. Anyway...
As a result of my time spent at the hamburgerlian gulag I feel I have a better appreciation for what people who are fast food employees go through on a day to day basis. From the manager who has to placate the irate customer to the employee who was stuck cleaning the toilets. Been there. Done that. Have the "Zesta Burger" promotional pin to prove it.
Drive thru was what I was best at. I could sack-up and hand-out five or more complex orders and not break a sweat. Saturday lunch rush? No problem. Town Holiday? Sign me up! I was courtesy enough to not over stuff a bag. I gave out as many napkins as I could without being wasteful. I would sack your fries upside down or lay them in the bag so you wouldn't be able to remove them from the bag without spilling out. I folded over your bag three time so that you could leave it sitting on your passenger seat and it wouldn't completely unfold letting the what little precious heat remained in the fries once they left fry bin.
But now... What has happened to fast food? Has the industry determined that we, as consumers, are in such a hurry that we don't want our bag folded. Or that we don't need more than one napkin for an entire meal. Or that we are going to flip our shit out if we don't have our order in less that 60 seconds. Truly? Because what is happening as a result is that our food is getting cold faster. We are taking up more time in your drive thru as we check for accuracy and ask for more napkins.
I don't mind waiting for fresh food (fries specifically). It's only polite to tell me so.
My favorite comment came from a lady at McDonald's who handed me my large iced tea and said, "Sip slow. You're fresh fries are cooking." I laughed heartily and thanked her sincerely for the laugh and hot fries.
At Taco Bell they've found 'loop holes' to common issues by having bags with handles and pretty well insulated wrappings. No need to fold. Food stays as warm as it could for fast food. They even have the number of items printed on the ticket. Great idea! That way the person handing out the food has an exact idea how many things should be in what he is handing out.
Mistakes will happen. This I understand. This I accept. Yet, there is no need to speed up the entire process at the sake of making more mistakes. The people working now are just as human and prone to error as they were 10 years ago. Don't verbally flog them because the forgot your churro. There is crazy pressure from power-tripping managers to make sure they are getting as many cars as possible through their drive thru in an hour. It's insane.
Go back to amenities. Go back to 'timely', but not 'rushed'. Go back to the simple things that made people want to come to your place to eat.
Ok now for my Not A Good Employee Story.
I was close to graduating from college. I had three months to go. My plan was to move once I graduated and I already had plans and ideas in the works. I had been talked to several times about whether or not I was interested in continuing a career at McDonald's. Upper management training was called Humburger University. I shit you not. I've had friends who went and came back with a glazed over Pod People look in their eyes. It's scary. I would always tell them frankly and honestly that I was glad to work there until I graduated and found a job in my career field.
By this time, our store had been privately bought. Rules had changed. Hatches were battened down. Shit was hitting the fan daily because of insane pressure coming from power-hungry, and money-hungry, owners. Costs were being cut. Shifts were being minimally staffed to save on labor costs.
One particular night, I was one of two shift managers on duty. I was working drive thru while a new but able employee was manning the front counter. It was typical that Friday nights were busy, especially during high school football season. This was no different of a night. The game ended and the rush began. Buses of players and fans inside. A line of cars stretch through drive thru and around the building. There was nothing to be done, but take it one order at a time.
Customers were getting impatient in the drive thru. Luckily the ones inside could clearly see our staffing issues. My blood pressuer was rising as angry car after angry car pulled up to the window and voice a complaint. I apologized as best as I could and did what I could to get them their food. Fries only cook so fast. Thinking of the pressure the owner had us under I finally snapped.
The next car that came up to the window noticed manager on my nametag. "Is this how you think a drive thru should be run? What about 'fast food'?"
My response was not quite as amiable as in previous occasions. "If you think you can do better, I can get you an application."
Once it left my mouth I could see the private meeting with the general manager that I would eventually be having. The gentleman did lodge a complaint, as was his right. I don't blame him at all for doing so. The general manager, when he heard about my stunt was 'understanding' but also playing 'boss'. I couldn't be doing such things. Yadda yadda yadda. True true. Though, our numbers that night were great and we did oodles of business. It lended me a little credibility for asking for more staffing. |
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I posted this @ 8/26/2005 01:22:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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