10 things McDonald's must do to get its house in order

USA Today ^ | 12-12-2002 | Bruce Horovitz

[paulklenk]

My pet peeves: Fix these and I'd be very happy. Most of these relate to service.

1. McD needs one line for all customers so you can step up to the next available cashier [like Wendy's and Burger King], instead of multiple lines where you have to compete for a cashier and then get stuck with a very slow one. It sucks when other people are moving ahead and you're stuck in line.

2. Speed things up! The cashiers are SO SLOW and they don't know how to ring things up. About as much motivation as wilted lettuce. If they could get the lead of out of butts, I'd be way happier. And McDonald's would be richer: more people moving through keeps those cash registers ringing.

3. Listen to the customer when they're placing their order. I don't know how many times I've had to repeat myself and correct

4. Repeat back special orders so I know they got it right. When you tell someone, "No onion" and they stare at you like a cipher, you never know whether they got the order right -- especially if they don't speak English.

5. Don't argue and give the customer what they ask for.

6. Salt those FRIES! Some workers hardly put any salt on the fries; I always have to ask for more. McD's fries are only good when they're well salted.

[Cousin Eddie]

Actually there are a few other things if you know the secret code...

Try ordering a triple-triple or a 4x4 (self explanatory). My 10 year old scarfs down a triple-triple (he's skinny as a rail). There are a few other things like grilled cheese for the non-meat eaters, but basically your correct. In-n-Out is clean, delicious, and fresh.

Do you remember the old days when they used to have a bumper sticker layed out like this:

In-n-Out
Burger

High schoolers used to cut off the 'B' and the 'r' and plaster it on their cars. Company finally had to change the layout of their logo.

BTW, the company is family oriented and very religious. All of the wrappers/cups/etc. have references to bible verses.

[My Favorite Headache]

This article is so dead on as is your English comment. People (including myself)never want to admit they ate there for dinner...but a lot of times it is the only thing open late at night when I get off work. The English thing is an issue...as is hiring every R&B hip-hop high school thug to serve you.

Raise the pay a few more dollars and watch the people applying there change overnight.After taxes making 6.75 an hr just aint gonna do it. They should clean house...fire a good portion of their workforce...and do actual interviews. Not warm bodies. That will be good for starters. Then offer between 9-11 dollars an hour. A lot of these people work their asses off for peanuts.

Bringing back some good slogans and even the characters they have like Hamburgular,Frie Guys, and even Ronald would not hurt either. My son loves that place because of the fries and the characters. I noticed when I was at one the other day the bags and inside had a 1950's appeal to it.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Last time I was in one was 1966 in Hyattsville Md. I can still remember the taste of the mustard they used.

[EverOnward]

I stopped going to McDonalds years ago for food, but stopped by nearly every day for a medium coke at my local McD's.

The wait to get the coke took longer and longer and longer. The coke got more watery.

And finally, the immigrant help refused to fill the cup up -- just repeatedly poored in the fizz and shoved it through the window with the usual chip on the shoulder.

The manager spoke Spanish and basically didn't understand me when I tried to converse with him. He just pointed to the complaint number hanging on the wall.

Haven't been back since. Gotta stop drinking the coke anyway.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

McDonalds has the best fries by far! And I think they are almost always hot!

Used to be true. Not the case anymore, at least at my local McDonalds in NY & LI.

Fries are usually cold and stale here. I almost never eat at McDonalds anymore.

[My Favorite Headache]

LMFAO...oh so right

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, the temperature of fries is obviously very depended on local management. And 'round here, they are good!

[TankerKC]

Clean up the joint.

I absolutely agree!

With the help of so-called mystery shoppers, McDonald's has recently begun keeping better track of its stores and is trying to put on a better face.

If a manager needs a mystery shopper to report him before he cleans his store, then he should be fired!

[spectre]

McDonald's fries are good only when they are hot. After that, they become hard, and eating them is tough.

I haven't eaten a Burger of theirs in years.

Maybe they should try and sell Hot Dogs? Can't find many fast food chains who sell Hot Dogs..Sonic does.

sw

[babylonian]

I hate all fast food fries, which are all crispy on the outside with nothing on the inside. Doesn't anybody like potato on the inside anymore? (Mrs. Winners used to have potato wedges, but they've dumped them in favor of crinkle cuts)

[Alberta's Child]

Getting sued by someone who claims that McDonald's was bad for his health was a terrible blow, too.

Sure, it's a bullsh!t suit -- but the PR problem is very bad, and not for the reasons (the unhealthy nature of the food) you might think.

That lawsuit offered a confirmation in the eyes of many people that McDonald's is nothing more than a crummy restaurant chain whose business plan is based on hiring sub-standard employees to serve crappy food to 400-pound minorities who are too dumb to think for themselves when it comes to eating.

Many of the comments on this thread are directed at the quality of the food and the quality of the employees, but in my opinion the quality of the clientele is an important indicator as well.

[TXBubba]

Well, actually, being a successful Weight Watcher I can say there are things on all the fast food restaurant menus you can eat and not gain a ton of weight. You just have to go with the Jr. Sizes, avoid the meal deals etc. A lot of them still offer Fat Free Dressings for salads etc.but you have to ask for them. You won't find them on the menu. An order of Wendy's Chicken Nuggets, a McDonald's regular size hamburger, a Taco Bell Taco or Bean Burrito isn't going over board at all.

[My Favorite Headache]

OMG...LMFAO...your comments had me laughing hysterically here. It is now bookmarked! Some of the funniest shit I have read on FR in that one post.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I used to work at McDonalds... in 1993 - 1994. A GREAT McDonalds.

I wondered when they stopped actually using the grill. I worked in a McD's down Silver Spring way in 1974 (the paperhat era), and the folks that worked the grill were the top of the "food chain" so to speak. I never got to the point of being able to work grill during the lunch rush, but you're right... the appearance of the food was important. We tried to make what we called "Movie Macs" or burgers that looked as good as the ones on the commercials.

Cleanliness was more important too...we usually had a person dedicated to cleaning the "lobby" at all times. We would have contests to see who could sweep, mop, clean all tables, and empty the trashcans the fastest.

[Alberta's Child]

I still see the odd good one in the Canadian operation, usually ones owned by the same franchisee for a long time, but they've become few and far between.

There's a McDonald's up in the town of St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, just north of the border in upstate New York along the Richelieu River. I stopped there once and was amazed at how clean the place was. You could have eaten off the bathroom floor. Every time a table was vacated, two French-speaking girls came out from behind the counter and gave the table and floor around it a thorough cleaning.

[SoothingDave]

Maybe they should try and sell Hot Dogs? Can't find many fast food chains who sell Hot Dogs..Sonic does.

They sold hot dogs here last summer, as a "special limited engagement" thing. Last year it was bratwursts.

As for the person lamenting the cookies, they still have them here. The give my toddler a little "sample pack" whenever my wife takes her there. Gotta get 'em hooked young.

SD

[Hat-Trick]

Hat-Trick's family burger preferences, in order:

Dad's off the backyard grill

The BurgerMeister @ Meister's in Stillwater, MN

Sonic

Culver's

B-K

McD's as a last resort

Hat-Trick

[TXBubba]

I don't think so. Unless you have changed your screen name Bubba? Bubba,is that you?

[widgysoft]

McFlurry Icecream. The best damn thing on the menu.

The quarter pounder with cheese also goes down a treat.