When you tour the McDonald's website, notice that you can't e-mail them. I wanted to say something about the obsession with shaving seconds off delivering orders that borders on insanity (if it doesn't already cross the line) shared by some McDonald's executives. This leads to some deceptive and dishonest practices such as not entering a drive-through order into the register until the customer is already at the window so the time between placing the order and delivering it is falsely shortened. I work at a McDonald's and I refuse to do this.Another typical problem is counter personnel (and managers) calling back (verbally) special orders that are about to print or have already printed on the grill printer. This doesn't help the grill crew, saves no time and merely adds pressure. It's worse when you combine it with delaying entry of the order into the register. First someone calls it back, so you start making it, then the grill printer beeps and you have to check it to see if it's a new special order (more pressure) - but it's the one that was called back a minute ago! This is frustrating! Moreover, calling back special orders verbally when the grill printer is in working order and there are no other complications (not every special order can be printed) says the grill crew is not paying attention. I regard that as a personal insult.
Anyone who does not see the problem here is unqualified to be a manager, regardless of experience. Anyone who not only does not think this is a problem but that such a procedure is correct is unqualified to be a human being.
Here's another fun procedure from my store manager: When a drive-through customer has been asked to park the vehicle because an order is not ready (for whatever reason), the person who takes it out to the customer is supposed to *run.* Don't you think that's a bit unsafe, especially in the rain? What if the runner has an injury or some other physical problem?
Anyone who is so obsessed with shaving seconds or fractions of seconds off delivery times as to be unconcerned with safety or quality should seek psychiatric help.
And yes, some managers may *say* otherwise but their actions show that quality takes a distant back seat to speed.
For all that, I will continue to work at "my McDonald's" until I am ready to move on, and I will continue to do business with them (at least where I work, the food is clean).
One thing I did not like about the McTour: most businesses give to charity to enhance their image. This is normal and there's nothing bad about it, no matter how cynical a company is. So why do these guys think otherwise?
