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?

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.

Thursdaydreaming Sorry, but it isn’t. Yes, they are a business, but a business doesn’t grow unless it invests into its employees, and by hiring young people they bringing fresh eyes to the company. As I mentioned further up thread, the majority of managers are under 25 for this reason, because they joined the company at a young age.

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).

The system is EOTF, MFY is a principle of the system.

Nothing frustrates you about McDonalds, really? Nothing?

No, it really doesn’t. Sorry to disappoint.

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.

If you ever found the procedures and policies “impossible” to follow, your store was poorly run (further evidenced by your lack of crew).

If the system maps are implemented (and in a well run store they are), the majority of shifts will run smoothly.

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

You don’t need to believe me, just like I don’t need to believe you. All I can do, as I have done, is make a thread on my experience within McDonalds UK.

OK well we just called it MFY, I didn't work with EOTF but I'm guessing that's the number calling/screens at service?

OK well thats good news isn't it folks, Maccas is the only work place in the world where everything is perfect. That's amazing.

OK well we just called it MFY, I didn't work with EOTF but I'm guessing that's the number calling/screens at service?

Thursdaydreaming Incorrect. EOTF is the entire system involving many principles, one of which is MFY (assembly line). The one you’re referencing here is the ORB (order ready board). When a store is refurbed, it is refurbed onto the EOTF system that incorporates everything from MFY to the Customer Journey to Customer Experience Model etc. etc.

That you didn’t even know your system was EOTF further tells me how poorly run your store was, as there is a clear lack of communication.

I am also extremely confused as to how you went on a management course and passed when you didn’t know your own system was EOTF.

OK well thats good news isn't it folks, Maccas is the only work place in the world where everything is perfect. That's amazing.

Are you deliberately missing the many times I have stated McDonalds isn’t perfect?

When I worked in McDonalds as a teen I noticed that if the burgers were sat their over a certain time you would have to bin them. I remember once I had to sit their and separate all the eggs from the thrown away mcmuffins. The amount of food wasted was horrendous! Does this still happen?

Now I'm writing this down do people actually have to do that or was that's hormone playing a joke on me??

When I worked in McDonalds as a teen I noticed that if the burgers were sat their over a certain time you would have to bin them. I remember once I had to sit their and separate all the eggs from the thrown away mcmuffins. The amount of food wasted was horrendous! Does this still happen?

dressesdressesdresses No. There are less than 100 stores on the old (Grill Direct) system where we held finished sandwiches in the production bin.

We don’t hold finished sandwiches anymore, each and every item is assembled to order. We also have a lot of technology now; we follow e-production which helps us keep waste down so our waste is quite low.

If a sandwich needs to be thrown, say we made an extra Big Mac by accident, the entire sandwich would be thrown; we would never separate the items out.

OK well it was just called MFY when I was there, either EOTF is a new thing since then or it's different here in Australia. Not sure why you are making out like I didn't work there? It's not like working there is an uncommon experience, practically everyone has worked there or another fast food place. I'm not even criticising the place, like I said, I enjoyed working there and still eat there!

Ok here's a question for you. What's the worst hygiene breach you've seen at your store that you have put a stop too? And what's the worst you've been treated by a customer, or seen your crew treated?

Let me guess, there hasn't been one ever and all your customers are so happy there nothing like that has happened?

OK well it was just called MFY when I was there, either EOTF is a new thing since then or it's different here in Australia. Not sure why you are making out like I didn't work there?

Thursdaydreaming No, you don’t have MFY without EOTF. They came together at the same time; as I said, MFY is only a principle of EOTF.

I’m not trying to imply anything, I’m just extremely doubtful anyone could have passed their BSM without understanding EOTF.

I’m happy to answer questions on my AMA, but you are deliberately trying to goad me so I shan’t be answering those.

Well I'm telling you, they don't it that here. I'm not goading you, those are real questions.

If I took a wrap into a McDonald's would they make up a Big Mac in it for me? Can no longer eat anything that contains yeast and still crave one every now and again!

Well I'm telling you, they don't it that here. I'm not goading you, those are real questions.

Thursdaydreaming EOTF is a worldwide system, it is the name of all the systems within it, of which MFY is one. You can’t have MFY if you don’t have EOTF; it’s like trying to have ice cream without a cone to hold it in.

And considering the nature of your previous posts, I find that hard to believe too.

If I took a wrap into a McDonald's would they make up a Big Mac in it for me? Can no longer eat anything that contains yeast and still crave one every now and again!

CuppaTeaAndAJammieDodger Interesting question! I think the issue would be fitting the patties into the wrap, so I would hazard a guess they would probably say no due to logistics.

If a customer asked me though, I would try and accommodate it similarly to the way I accommodate requests to have the veggie burger in a wrap, by halving the patty to make it fit. I would of course ask if that was okay with you!

There’s no harm in asking, though The worst they can say is no, but they might say yes.

I once had a customer bring their own gluten free bun for one of our burgers once, and I was happy to accommodate that.

If I bring my own cooked quorn burgers in and ask you to put them in a big mac, is that allowed?

'Mc chicken sandwich meals were definitely in oval buns'

Yep I remember those.

I had to wait 20 mins recently as I ordered a grilled chicken salad and it seemed to puzzle everyone how to serve it....I asked to speak to the manager who was really apologetic.

I remember a friend in the late 80's who prided himself on flipping burgers on the ceiling and catching them in the bun

@WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue thank you

I've been a (table service) restaurant manager for 6 years and worked in hospitality for 8 years in a big brand. We have people like the OP who are overly positive and in love with our brand. I was once the same as a team member but 8 years on, and having worked in more locations, I am slightly more disillusioned! But I still have no hygiene horror stories about my place so it is perfectly easy to believe the OP.

My question is whether you think the "rebranding" is going well? Evidently McDonald's are trying to move away from fast food to more customer-focused service with their attempts at table service. However I don't think customers necessarily buy into this. I still expect my food fast because McDonald's has historically been a fast food brand and that's why I, and many others, go there. The past 3 visits I've had I've been asked to wait in a bay, which I hate because I choose the drive thru to make things quieter and easier with two babies.

we have people like the OP who are overly positive and in love with the brand

Same here when I worked there, it is terrible. The managers are so focused on being an ambassador for the brand and so positive they ignore staff when negative issues are brought up. It's one of the reasons I dreaded going into work. Of course anyone like this can spin it into a great light, no matter if it effects moral or the work environment for their staff.

OP sounds like s/he has been indoctrinated into a cult.

Yy to the cult reference! That is normal for many managers there.

Like I said in a previous post, those who aren't like that don't tend to do so well.
Many of them don't realise there is a life outside McDonald's and drop everything if needed. For very little thanks.

Some of the managers I encountered acted like they owned the place ( it was a franchise ) and the amount of back stabbing was unreal.

If I go to McDonald's now I can identify such managers when standing in the queue, they stand out a mile.

Also- when the monopoly was on, the staff used to pocket loads of the vouchers for free stuff and use them at other stores.
I find it hard to believe that op's store is an outlier :)

Athena

Like lularue or some other MLM, I mean, it is a franchise after all...

You've uncovered the biggest MLM secret of all😂😂

If I bring my own cooked quorn burgers in and ask you to put them in a big mac, is that allowed?

Namechange170518 I would be surprised if anyone let you do that, even I would hesitate to allow that. What I would recommend is you order a Big Mac with no meat patties and then assemble it yourself with your quorn ones.

I had to wait 20 mins recently as I ordered a grilled chicken salad and it seemed to puzzle everyone how to serve it....I asked to speak to the manager who was really apologetic.

MarthasGinYard I can only assume they had no presets made up, and the shift manager is accountable for that. Maybe not the one you spoke to if they weren’t personally running the shift, but whoever’s shift it was.

My question is whether you think the "rebranding" is going well?

Unihorn Yes, it’s definitely going well. Complaints across all EOTF stores have dropped significantly, and the feedback we are receiving from our customers is that they much prefer the more personalised service.

You’re right - McDonalds is going in a customer focused direction. We don’t want to just give customers food and get them out as soon as possible, we want them to have a great experience. We personalise that experience for every single customer by recognising their individual needs, so if we do see someone in a hurry we recognise that is their main focus, whereas many of our elderly customers prefer a slower service and want to chat.

McDonalds do a lot of training on recognising different customer types and their individual needs.

they ignore staff when negative issues are brought up.

HannahHut I cant speak for anyone else, but I would never ignore my crew. As I mentioned above, I have a duty of care to them, so I won’t tolerate anyone being rude or abusive to them.

I’m approachable to my crew so they can bring me problems, whether that be work related or not, and I appreciate that they do come to me and value me as a manager.

Like individual customers needs are taken into account, I do the same with my crew, only since I spend every day with them I’m now fine tuned into them.

Some of the managers I encountered acted like they owned the place ( it was a franchise ) and the amount of back stabbing was unreal.

I couldn’t work in any managerial role where I did not trust the managers alongside me. If there was backstabbing going on, I would leave. As I said earlier, one of the reasons I love my job is much is my colleagues. We all get on really well and we’re very close; we always help each other out whenever needed.

Also- when the monopoly was on, the staff used to pocket loads of the vouchers for free stuff and use them at other stores.

I just can’t even begin to believe that; you’d get fired straight away.

He signed our receipt to authorise 4 complimentary meals

I was

Sorry, but it isn’t. Yes, they are a business, but a business doesn’t grow unless it invests into its employees, and by hiring young people they bringing fresh eyes to the company

What fresh eyes do you need to flip burgers?

Honestly, i this it's incredibly cult like that you cannot admit a single fault about the company. That's ludicrous.

I work for one of the biggest companies in the world, I think they're fabulous but just like everyone else, there are always faults!

What fresh eyes do you need to flip burgers?

There's really no need to try to demean employees with sneery questions like this. They do a lot more than flip burgers

Judith I'm not trying to demean anyone, so my apologies for it coming across that way and being badly worded.

But as the OP said, they start from the very bottom. And yes that does mean doing basic tasks repetitively.

OP also refuses to accept that a very big if not, let's face it, the very reason McDonalds employ young people is because they're cheaper to pay. The OP won't even accept this is one of the benefits to hiring someone like that, and refuses to acknowledge that it's even a very coincidental advantage to the company

Oh, come on. It’s a business. The OP doesn’t own it. She doesn’t need to explain or justify the company’s hiring practices. She just works there.