I’m A Manager At McDonalds... AMA!

[WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue]

I’m a Manager at McDonalds

I’ve worked for McDonalds for several years in different stores and have received personal awards for my customer service. I never initially wanted to become a manager, however with the support and encouragement of my business manager I went through the crew development programme to become one.

So... AMA?

If you want breakfast, you have to be there when we are serving breakfast. It’s really that simple.
Not really. My local branch starts packing up at least 15 minutes early.

Not really. My local branch starts packing up at least 15 minutes early.

Kewqueue Breakfast will start winding down, of course it will. We’re not going to continue with full runs of eggs, muffins, sausage etc. right until 10.30am on the dot. If we did that we’d end up with a lot of wastage.

So anyone wanting breakfast between 10.15am and 10.30am may have to wait a little longer due to this, but you can still get breakfast up until 10.30am.

In theory yes but I was refused breakfast at 10.20!

Mc chicken sandwich meals were definitely in oval buns and changed several years ago. They used to look like a BK royale meal. I was gutted when that changed.

In theory yes but I was refused breakfast at 10.20!

Kewqueue You shouldn’t have been and I would absolutely recommend you report that to head office as that is unacceptable.

What reasoning did they give? Was it EOTF (if it had order kiosks and a collection point it is)?

Mc chicken sandwich meals were definitely in oval buns and changed several years ago.

TimetoSoar I can’t find anything about this anywhere, but I shall investigate further.

@WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue with you every step of the way here. I started working at mcds when I was 16, part time whilst at college for drinking money and loved it!!!! I've been on and off with mcds for 10 years, now back there as my main income to support myself and my DS! I work 3 days a week at a fairly local restaurant to me and honestly I do absolutely love it. Think the one negative that I can think of is when like you say people ask for breakfast at 10:32 and you explain and they go 'but it's only 2 mins after' erm yes after

One question I have tho that I'm not brave enough to ask my own managers is is it true you can't work your way up being part time? You have to be fully flexible full time to work up to a crew trainer / manager? And do you have to be put forwards for promotions by managers or can you ask to complete all the training to move up? Thanks!

The recent survey in here showed a veggie option for the new happy meal but instead they went for the ‘healthy’ option of putting grilled chicken in a wrap. There is demand!

looooopy18 It’s so lovely to hear you enjoy it too!

One question I have tho that I'm not brave enough to ask my own managers is is it true you can't work your way up being part time? You have to be fully flexible full time to work up to a crew trainer / manager?

It is possible to be a part time crew trainer and area leader, definitely. Being a part time shift manager would absolutely depend on your own store and the needs within it. We’ve had part time shift managers in the past, but if your store is struggling for managers they will be wanting full flexibility.

So you can definitely work your way up being part time It’s just at shift manager stage you may struggle, and of course seconds, firsts and BMs can’t be part time as the job is full time salaries.

And do you have to be put forwards for promotions by managers or can you ask to complete all the training to move up? Thanks!

You don’t have to be put forward! Managers love it when crew make it known they want to move up Your training manager would be the best to approach, you can just say to them you’re really interested in being crew trainer and that you’d like more information, and they’ll hopefully start you on it!

The recent survey in here showed a veggie option for the new happy meal but instead they went for the ‘healthy’ option of putting grilled chicken in a wrap. There is demand!

GreatestShowWoman I’ve mentioned this before, but that survey was tiny; only 1,000 participants. And I think of that 1,000, only 400 voted for a vegetarian happy meal.

They went with the grilled chicken wrap because it was more popular and the demand for it was higher.

It’s not that there is no demand, it’s that there isn’t enough demand to warrant any additions or changes at this time.

No offence OP but all your answers are the party line! Is this an ad?

I also used to be a manager at MacDonalds and I would answer most of these questions very differently.

They treat their staff like absolute shit. The reason so many things are wrong - eg, get wrong order in drive thru, burgers made sloppily, fries oversalted, slow wait times, are that they get the smallest possible number of 14 year olds working to save money. It's just not possible for two 14 year olds that started yesterday and don't really care about work (because they are 14!) plus one manager to run a whole shift.

And some of the hygiene! Argh!

BTW I'm not against MacDonalds, I still eat it. But everything OP typed is from the company handbook. Literally, the sentences are the same as if she has it to hand while writing.

I should start a thread called "I'm actually a McDonalds manager, not a company shillings, AMA and prepare to be grossed out".

I'm not in the UK though so there may be some differences. However we obviously use the same handbook as like I said, I recognise all the lines to the word.

*company shill, not shillings, bugger it

Anyone else irritated by what seems like half of the population being unable to spell McDonald's?

It's not 'Macdonalds'!

Thursdaydreaming You used to be a manager in another country? Then of course our experiences will be different!

I can’t speak for other countries, but McDonalds UK would never hire anyone under 16, and as you can see by others on this thread and a multitude of others, they are well known for their extremely strict hygiene practices.

Anyone else irritated by what seems like half of the population being unable to spell McDonald's?

9amTrain Agreed Especially those who claim they used to work there...

Yes, bizarre!

Yes why do loads of people write MacDonalds, it's never been spelt that way has it? It really annoys me. 😂

It's autocorrected to that.

Sorry OP, but they are the same the world over. Your answers have been that basically everything is perfect at all the stores you have worked at, all the customers are happy and all the employees are laughing with joy. That is simply not true.

Some things you have said:
Q: Do you eat elsewhere?
OP: Rarely. I find my standards have been set so high by McDonalds that few places pass them!
Q: what frustrates you about work?
Op: Nothing!*

Come on! It's a fast food restaurant run by the youngest employees allowed by law. It just isn't going to be perfect. No work place or restaurant is.

Anyway, that's fine, if no one is interested I will keep my rat/bread story to myself.

All the complaints on this thread are the exact complaints I have received many times. And OPs responses ("oh no that would never happen, as our standards are too high and our training too excellent") are exactly the ones we had to give. But they aren't true.

Sorry OP, but they are the same the world over.

Thursdaydreaming That is simply not true. For a start, you’ve got different menus in various countries across the globe! And second, it’s humans that work for McDonalds, so it’s just not possible for everywhere to be the same. Some McDonalds will have great BMs like I do, whereas others won’t, and the BM sets the tone for the whole store.

Your answers have been that basically everything is perfect at all the stores you have worked at, all the customers are happy and all the employees are laughing with joy. That is simply not true.

I haven’t said that. I have said that I enjoy my job and that I’m passionate about it, because I am. The crew we have in my store really enjoy their jobs, because we have created an environment where that is possible. You haven’t RTFT as I have mentioned that we aren’t perfect; order accuracy is a big issue and we are working on that by correctively coaching crew.

I am curious as to how long ago you work at McDonalds, and which country? Were were you grill direct or EOTF? What was your position?

Come on! It's a fast food restaurant run by the youngest employees allowed by law. It just isn't going to be perfect. No work place or restaurant is.

Again, I never said it was perfect, and you should know if you’ve worked for McDonalds that there are three core reasons they hire 16 - 18 year olds. One is that they have little to no work experience, so it means McDonalds don’t have to train them out of bad habits and can start from scratch. The second is their flexibility, and the third is that they like to promote from within. The majority of those high up in McDonalds once started as crew members.

our training too excellent

I say that because it’s true. McDonalds management programmes are some of the best in the country and are well regarded across a multitude of industries. As for in-store training, SOCs are completed regularly and kept on top of and e-learning is pushed as much as possible.

Sorry but that isn't the core reasons they hire young people, it's the price. They are a business after all, not a charity.

I was a manager for five years, 7 years ago. I have worked with both grill direct and the new system which we call MFY (Australia).

I actually enjoyed working there, and I still like the food, but come on. You don't think you've over egged the pudding by saying things like the quotes I posted above. Nothing frustrates you about McDonalds, really? Nothing?

4th reason they employ 16-18 year olds- because they are cheaper....

The problem is that the policies are all well and good, but impossible to follow at the store level because of time and staffing constraints.

Everybody that works at any restaurant has some less than perfect stories to tell, I don't believe you don't either, sorry!