'We've run out of food' - said McDonald's. WTAF?! (First world problem,light hearted!)

[ALongHardWinter]

Yesterday,I had a voucher from a newspaper for a Big Mac and medium fries for £1.99,so decided to treat myself on my way home from meeting up with my DD. As I approached the shop,I noticed that it was in darkness,but with people still inside sitting at tables,eating,and staff behind the counter. I went in and asked a passing member of staff what was happening. She said 'We're just about to close because we've run out of food'. Is this actually possible?! Has anyone else ever had this?

Toffee sundaes stopped back in Sept or Oct iirc. Probably good for my waistline but man do I miss them.

On a related note, I go to a particular (dodgy) branch of McDonalds once a week and witness a stand-off each time between someone wanting a breakfast item at 10.31am, and the poor soul who happens to serve them. Every. Bloody. Week.

EssentialHummus Yeah, we deal with it everyday; it’s ridiculous. It doesn’t matter that it’s one minute after we stop serving breakfast - we’ve stopped serving it. If we have anything left over we will happily sell it but other than that, no.

Changeover (10.30am, from breakfast to main menu) is one of the busiest and most stressful parts of the day. As we get nearer to changeover we have to start winding down how much we’re cooking so we don’t have too much waste.

We also have to make sure second side is ready to go on for main menu, that chicken is put down, that every single type of beef we do is cooked on every single platen of every single grill to ensure it is safe (not to mention the beef we need ready for changeover), that side one is being cleaned down after breakfast to get ready for main menu and that every single piece of equipment used that morning is washed and put away ready for the next day.

All breakfast waste also has to be recorded and entered at this time too.

There is a lot to do in a very short space of time to change from breakfast to main menu, so while some people may think “oh it’s only gone a minute or five after breakfast I don’t understand why I can’t still have it”, there is so much going on behind the scenes that it just isn’t possible to cook breakfast gone 10.30am.

I had the worst ever McDonald’s milkshake last week. It was runny and tasted weird.

OvO A runny shake is caused by one of two issues: the freezer icon accidentally being switched off (it happens, it’s touch screen and really hard to tell if it’s on), or it needs recalibrating.

In your particular case with a strange taste I would say the freezer icon had been knocked off.

Wailmer and Mouse, have you seen the film The Founder?

AlpacaPicnic I have! I absolutely loved it. I’m so passionate about my job and I love it so much that I’m a bit of a McDonalds geek. I think the company has such a fascinating and rich history and I’m so proud to be a part of it.

If we're having a McDonald's AMA, can I ask why the round eggs always have the yoke broken into the white? Is it a deliberate effect, or just an unfortunate side effect of the cooking process? Thanks.

nocoolnamesleft It’s a procedure as part of our gold standard appearance. After eggs are cracked the yolks are broken with a little tool before being cooked.

I don't understand how they can run out of all the food. Certain products, yes. But, all of it? Bizarre!

On the AMA front - what do you think it is that causes (or contributes to) that very specific McDonalds smell. I can fully believe that McDonalds can be nutritious, reasonably healthy and is completely hygienic and good value for money. But I can't get past the smell. Just walking in makes me retch a bit (v weak gag reflex!) I don't really understand it because it's just meat, potatoes and vegetables sold there really, isn't it! Is it something that happens when the grease gets cold, maybe?

@WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue not only that you have higher animal welfare standards which are modelled on M&S principles (market leading).

Seems to me that McDs managers are fabulous judging by the thoughtful responses two of you have given on this thread. The manager who did the McDs AMA a few months back was equally as informative. A very good representative of the brand.

Yes, it's all British or Irish meat, organic milk and the farms are held to a high standard.

Not sure about the smell but it is distinctive (and lingers on one's uniform when you leave)

@lerrimknowyouretheyir we have fantastic staff. I love going to work because it's a great atmosphere. I'm not a manager though. I'm a customer experience leader which is a fairly new role and means I get to do lots of fun stuff like balloons, face painting, parties (and not so fun stuff like fixing complaints- I'm generally the one who steps in when we get an angry customer).

I really do love my job though.

Thank you so much for your replies. I've read them out to veggie dd. I still don't think she's going to eat McDonald's but at least now I feel better about eating there and her getting something somewhere else because now that's her choice xx

On the AMA front - what do you think it is that causes (or contributes to) that very specific McDonalds smell

manicinsomniac I’ve worked there so long now I don’t even notice it anymore!

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue not only that you have higher animal welfare standards which are modelled on M&S principles (market leading).

babyno5 Yes, the standards are exceptionally high across all sectors of McDonalds from beginning to end.

Seems to me that McDs managers are fabulous judging by the thoughtful responses two of you have given on this thread.

lerrimknowyouretheyir Thank you! When interviewing and promoting one of the most important criteria is positivity and enthusiasm; it’s so important for both crew and customers.

The manager who did the McDs AMA a few months back was equally as informative. A very good representative of the brand.

That was me, I did the AMA, so thank you again

VodkaGirl77 You’re welcome!

I went to subway once and ordered my sandwich. Foot long bmt on hearty Italian. They had no bread

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue and QuestionableMouse thank you for your reassurances. I'm not a McD user at all, really. I might have the odd cup of tea or an ice cream from them but, on the whole, I actually don't like the taste of their burgers or their fries and now, I don't like their wraps either and I wasn't impressed by their salad around 6 years ago so, it's unlikely that I'll be buying anything from there anytime soon. Tea isn't bad though. :)

Solo Fair enough; it’s not for everyone We all have different tastes!

I don't mind what type of cheese it is Wailmer, as long it isn't goat or sheep. The problem was the state it was in when served, rock hard and I suspect not even cheese, my companion thought it was chicken.

There are people that can't eat basil, 2 of us on this thread, and there are basically only 2 veggie options available, so if basil causes nausea I am left with the cheese or just fries. No way will I ever order anything containing basil on purpose.

Had to send a panini back in a cafe once having asked for one with no basil and all they did was remove it from the top and wouldn't make a fresh one, I could smell it not envy. I wish they would run out of basil. I wish the entire world would run out of basil so I could stop having to for food with no pesto sneaked into it.

We do WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue and I appreciate your words :) . And I'm possibly just odd these days as I also don't like Subway or any other fast food that isn't plaice and chips or Chinese

to ask for

I don't mind what type of cheese it is Wailmer, as long it isn't goat or sheep. The problem was the state it was in when served, rock hard and I suspect not even cheese, my companion thought it was chicken.

SpringForEver Yes, I understand that. It sounds like an unfortunate experience but it is nowhere near gold standard and I would never allow that product to be given to my customers (nor should any other manager).

I regularly quality test to make sure we are keeping gold standard; anything that doesn’t match up is discarded, however our training on standards is exceptionally high so it’s rarely ever an issue. Crew cook to keep up with demand and no more; I won’t accept overholding or frequent waste.

Solo No worries I absolutely adore the smell of SubWay but I just don’t like their sandwiches for some reason

Thanks for the info. At least now I know to order without egg, rather than leaving it in, in the hope I might get an unbroken one (can't stand the texture of egg yolk and egg white mixed together). Lovely that people are answering questions.

If you go to McDonalds university could you do a degree in something unrelated?

Is it easy to progress from server to manager due to staff turnover?

Will McDonalds start serving decaff coffee soon?

I’m fascinated by McDonald’s. I’ve just finished a marketing paper for my degree that I wrote on them. It inspired me to get a Big Mac with bacon for lunch last week. I hadn’t been in a year. It was 🤤

thigh. I couldn’t find carrot sticks either

Thanks for the info. At least now I know to order without egg, rather than leaving it in, in the hope I might get an unbroken one (can't stand the texture of egg yolk and egg white mixed together). Lovely that people are answering questions.

nocoolnamesleft No worries You could always ask if you could have your egg yolk fresh and unbroken. You’d have to wait for it to cook, so it would be a couple of extra minutes.

I’ve never had that request before to be honest but I would personally honour it barring exceptional circumstances (say it was extremely busy and just not possible at that time). I can’t speak for all managers obviously but it could be worth a try

If you go to McDonalds university could you do a degree in something unrelated?

thighofrelief101 No. When you are chosen to be a Shift Manager at the end of all your e-learning and workbooks there is a specific management course all new Shift Managers are sent on. If you pass that you are a qualified Shift Manager pending a verification upon your return to your store.

After you become a Shift Manager there are specific training courses you go on over the years and as you are promoted there are even more courses.

McDonalds training is thorough and it never stops; they make sure you are prepared for anything you might encounter and support is always there.

Is it easy to progress from server to manager due to staff turnover?

Staff turnover has nothing to do with promotions. Nobody is getting promoted that isn’t right for the role regardless of how desperate they may be for managers. That just creates problems further down the line.

There is a career at McDonalds for anyone who wants one who is positive, enthusiastic and willing to work hard. It is not easy - there is so much training involved, lots of e-learning, workbooks, tests/exams etc. And that starts at crew level!

Despite the stigma, McDonalds is not an easy job and anyone who thinks they can come and coast soon realises otherwise. If they are unwilling to meet our high standards and work ethic they will not pass their probationary period.

Will McDonalds start serving decaff coffee soon?

thighofrelief101 I haven’t seen any plans for it I’m afraid.

Re: mentions of carrot sticks, we sell so few of them that my store at least usually just buys one box and if we do happen to run out there will be another box on the next delivery.

The training is extensive and ongoing. For my role (which is just customer based, no kitchen) I've done two courses (customer care and the customer experience leader one, both of which ran from 9-5)

You can't be lazy and work at McDonald's. You're expected to pitch in and do your bit and generally the customer always comes first. I have a lot of freedom in my role to make visits great for customers and I work my arse off to make sure everyone who steps foot in my store gets the level of service they expect and the quality of food they expect. I'm shattered so I'm rambling on a bit but it isn't work for brain dead drones like it's made out to be.