The McChronicles was in a hurry - heading home when we got a call. Someone needed a couple McDonald's chicken sandwiches pronto. We wheeled into the local store expecting a two-minute detour. When we saw only two cars in line in front of us, we knew we were golden. Alas, it wasn't to be.
The culprit? Chicken!
McDonald's has been having trouble keeping ready-to-go chicken in inventory. That's one reason why they developed the Snack Wrap - to add to the demand - to keep the inventory in action. It's not working well enough.
Here's why (prepare to be bored silly, as we were while enduring this loooong, painful wait).
PS: This excerpted quote is from this week's QSR (quick service restaurant) Magazine.com:
"Two weeks ago you read about service horror stories. Many of you emailed more instances as well (see below). However, to truly create a service culture, you need to create the service legends within your company. You too can be the "Nordstrom's" of quick-service or fast casual. Here are a few great stories of customer service excellence:
- Customer gets parked in the drive-thru as the chicken tenders are "being fried up fresh" (not "we ran out"). Employee brings the order to the car and lets the customer know they brought them a larger-sized drink and fries for the inconvenience. Now that's service!"
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Video: The McChronicles
that was pretty bad...first you should have been pulled foward in order to expedite the customers behind you. she should have said "I'm sorry its going to be about 5 mins but the chicken will be hot and fresh." or anything along those lines. finally, she should have asked if she could get you anything else. many stores also have coupons specially designed for long drive thru waits. and wasn't especially friendly and seemed awfully rushed for not being able to serve customers behind you.
ReplyDeletesorry you received poor service
That's nothing. I found out this morning that the iced coffee I've been swigging down every day basically for the past 3 weeks has been laced with sugar. I get the regular coffee large sized. I order it with splenda and cream.
ReplyDeleteSo today I asked for one and got to the window, the older lady hands me a hot coffee. She goes on to explain that the iced coffee has sugar in it. I tell her I'm diabetic and she goes on to bash her own fellow employees saying that you can't tell these kids anything, they KNOW it's got sugar in it.
This pisses me off beyond belief as I've gotten them at this McDonald's and the other ones in town numerous times. And she says that she just knows one of these days they are going to put some poor diabetic into shock because they don't listen...!!
OMG...So I've called coprorate because I've been on a special diet up until this week. I've been trying to keep my sugar in control of course, but now I find this out...and I'm just pissed.
We'll see what the Golden Arch boys decide to do. Probably nothing. But this is just awful.
Hehe, I fail to see how you can fail to see the humor in this. 24 hour drive through? The song in the background, "With or Without You?" Don't those two things simply summarize the whole video, and your relationship with McDs? ;)
ReplyDeleteBy the way. . .if you're ratting out your local McDs with a video, I'd advise you stop going there. They are clearly gonna recognize your face, and your car (heck, even I recognize your car now). . .and they'll do bad things to your food.
"Here's the guy who videotaped us. . .get ready."
Um, perhaps that's the problem with this delay, in fact. . .teenagers doing nasty things to your food, saying, "Sorry for the delay," and then laughing out loud as you drive off.
Hmm.
as much as you may think we do bad things to your food-
ReplyDeletewe dont. we recognize customers who come in regularly and have issues with food quality sometimes and we actually go OUT OF OUR WAY to ensure that we get it right. thats fact. next time you make warantless claims about the employees at you local McD please have evedece to back it up.
I would like to know how many visits it took to get this footage. Maybe this person needs to find a hobby less degrading to people just trying to make a living.(most of them on minimum wage). next time why don't you also video tape your shortest visit. Every store has its moments of shame but what if someone video taped everything you did at work? Well guess what Mcdonalds already does. My suggestion is to maybe get a dog or a girfriend to keep you company while you wait!!!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to comment on the sugar and the diabetic. Nutritional information is availible on every food item sold at Mcdonalds. If you truely cared about your diabetic condition you don't take someones word when there is factual information provided by asking. Maybe you should be pissed off at yourself.
ReplyDeleteTracy, let me be super clear here. At MY McDonald's (or my former McDs, anyway), nobody goes out of their way for anything. In fact, I've experienced this at three McDs in this area alone.
ReplyDelete- Cooks and order-takers mumbling nasty Spanish words about me after I say that I actually ordered a small and not a large. Uh huh.
- McDs employees who can barely speak English at all.
- Groups of McDs employees who wander around and gather in groups behind the counter, laughing and joking, while lines of people are waiting. Are the fries frying?
- "Out of fries for five minutes" -- um, do you NOT have more than one fryer? Did you NOT know a lunch rush was coming? It's like, um, 12:30 pm. Spare me all the crap about keeping food "fresh" -- you're fast food, right? Why do I have to wait eight minutes for the fries to be done while my hamburger gets cold?
- I went to this first McDs "regularly" -- like 2x/month for three months -- and NOBODY there recognized me. They were too busy grab-handing with employees and joking around. Not that anyone of the original employees was still there -- the turnover was huge. Not surprising.
- Most times, when my food was FINALLY up, it was the wrong order -- and the employee just looked at me, baffled, unable to communicate.
- And yes, two McDs employees talking on a "break at a booth" (this actually happens?) about spitting in peoples' food.
Thankfully, one of those McDs sites has been not just bulldozed, but carved out to make room for an underground parking lot, I think. Good riddance to all of the minimum wage workers who obviously valued their jobs so much -- you got what you deserved, and so did McDs as a brand overall. Sorry, but you as an employee suffer the fallout too.
And shut up about "evidence" (yes, that is the way it is spelled). I don't carry a video camera into every restaurant. So yeah, um, you'll just have to take my word for it -- just like you're expecting me to take yours.
Right?
If I were you you, I'd find another employer and/or "brand" to defend -- you ain't gonna win here, Tracy.
What defines "shortest"? For the past 5 years or so, in probably a dozen McDonalds, across the state of Ohio, I don't believe I've been served my order in less than 20 minutes from the time I walk into the store. Between long lines of people waiting on their orders, to long lines in the drive through, to times when it looks like I'm about the only person in the store and it still takes so long.
ReplyDeleteAt least twice I've had waits over 45 minutes...