Woman complained to manager about DD

[Bearaque]

So my DD works at McDonalds whilst she’s at sixth form and today she’s come home upset. She was working at the window, handing out the food.

This woman made a complaint to the manager that DD didn’t say a single word to her or look at her when she passing her the drink and food and that she was too busy talking to her friend. Complained to manager who had words with them both.

DD said this was true but at the end of the day it’s McDonald’s, it’s full of teenagers, as long as you get your food quickly does it even matter what the service is like?!

If you think this is fine it sounds like your daughter has learned poor behaviour from you.

I can sympathise, I used to hate when customers interuppted my gossip-sessions with colleagues. I no longer work in customer service 😁

Of course it matters what the service is like!! It's no wonder customer service is getting bad in places if this is the attitude. Your DD is not going to be working at McDonalds forever, she needs to start honing her customer service skills now for future roles. It doesn't matter what someone does, or where they work, customer service should be great - and a pet hate of mine is the person serving me talking to someone else at the same time. It's the height of rudeness, and good on the woman for complaining.

The staff at my local McDonalds are unfailingly polite, and smile.

Sounds like you skipped some important parts of the parenting curriculum. Now your DD will have to learn from the public at large. What a nuisance for us.

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what job, who works there, how much the food is, whether it’s a drive thru, it boils down to basic manners. That should already BE in your child regardless of where she is and what she is doing. Not acknowledging a person you are interacting with is absolutely the epitome of rudeness. Your attitude OP is very telling. What’s in the cat is in the kitten.

My son got a dressing down from the market stall owner because he chose to take his lunch break at midday. She told him he can’t just walk off as the customers are arriving, he didn’t like that, the tone escalated and he handed in his apron, when he got home I gave him a good reality check and told him he’s not doing her a favour working there and he needs to think about the needs of the business. He didn’t like it but he needed to hear it. That’s what parents are for sometimes, to tell our kids what they don’t want to hear but need to know if they are going to progress in life.

Your daughter has the wrong attitude towards working with the public.

It's fair that the woman complained, although I wouldn't have done.

Your daughter is lucky she wasn't a mystery shopper.

I can’t imagine being the type of person that would complain about this.

But, good service does matter, and your daughter being reminded of what’s expected -even at a fast food joint - won’t have done her any harm.

Neither you or your daughter seem to accept that in a customer service role, this behaviour isn't ok. Shame she isn't learning the lesson.

This!

Good customer service is part of what people pay for, even when they are just picking up McDonald’s. Especially in this economy. Acknowledging the customer with a friendly greeting as DD handed out the order is the minimum to be expected. I worked fast food as a teen and continue to use some of what I learned about good customer service in my current business.

If your DD feels too entitled to provide that, then she doesn’t deserve the job. Good for the lady who complained and good for the manager who called her out. You need to reiterate to DD that customer service is part of her job and you need to teach your DD to take pride in doing her job. If she can’t even manage the minimum amount of customer service required by McDonald’s, her future is pretty grim without some serious attitude adjustments.

Customers in McDonalds aren't somehow 'lesser' than customers elsewhere. Just because a person isn't paying for (maybe even can't afford) a full meal in a cafe or restaurant doesn't mean they should be shown poor service.

Your daughter was rude, basic manners is a skill that she needs to learn. I personally wouldn't have complained but perhaps the woman saw how unprofessional your daughter was being and spoke to the manager in the hope that they could teach your daughter how to be professional.

If she was my daughter, I'd be telling her that it sounded like she was being rude and that it sounds like the manager was right to pull her up.

'Oh its just McDonald's' no it does not work that way, she was rude it was dealt with she can learn and move on

Your daughter will want to (at some point in the future) use this experience on her CV and demonstrate she can give good customer service. If her, and you view is ‘it’s only McDonald’s’ then it may only be x, y or z company.

from McDonald’s website:

’We always put the needs of our customers first and try to give people a great experience every time they visit us; ’

simply put she didn’t and deserved to be pulled up, she would have had training so she would know their commitment to customer service. But at 18 she believes that it is ‘just McDonald’s’ and ok to treat customers with disrespect therefore knows much better than one of the most successful fast food companies on the planet. I wish her well in any future career that involves a customer or client.

Yes OP, even Mcdonalds workers should provide a basic level of customer service, no ones saying she needs to be dazzling each customer with her wit, charm and personality but not completely ignoring them whilst she chats to her friend is like the bare minimum of customer service expected 🙄

My autistic sixth former works part time at McDonald's.

She could easily be as entitled as your daughter when it comes to work especially as she's autistic but she isn't as I've raised her better than that and she understands that being a teenager and part time doesn't mean she can slack off nor expect to be treated any differently from the older full time staff.

I wouldn't complain to her employer on her because she's their employee not me.

You making excuses for your daughter is teaching her to have a victim mentality and not learn independence or respect.

Your daughter could have learnt a valuable lesson from this, but unfortunately you have undermined it.

Your daughter did not behave acceptably. Ok this sometimes happens but she was pulled up on it which is fine and should now learn from it and do better in the future. The customer is a paying customer and deserves to be treated with respect

It’s the height of bad manners to carry on a conversation with someone whilst serving a customer. If I’d done this and been spoken to by my manager I certainly wouldn’t have told my mother about it. I’d have got a another earful from her.

OP, you're the sort of parent that contributed to my giving up teaching.
20+ years ago, if a child was in trouble at school they'd be told off at home, too; more recently though, if a child was justifiably sanctioned in school, parents came marching up to school furious that a teacher had had the temerity to tell their little darling off, no matter how much of a little shit said child had been. These days, parents hate their children being told off, corrected or disciplined by anyone; nor do they do it themselves.

Your DD was being PAID to do a job, not chat to a friend.

You both have a bit of a shit attitude.

Sorry but this.

It's fucking rude not to acknowledge your customer.

You seem to be thinking that because it's McDonald's, your daughter doesn't need to be polite. What the fuck? They are PAYING HER to represent their company. Of course she needs to be doing her job properly, whether it's the end of her shift or not.

Presumably the lady acknowledged and thanked your daughter when collecting the food from her? If she did and, your daughter blanked her then that's her failing at basic everyday manners rather than a work/customer service issue. Increasingly I find customers don't really bother to acknowledge when I say hello to them as they enter the store or pay for their items, but you do still need to thank them at the end of the transaction, even if they're not the talkative type.

Why don't you just tell your DD that how she behaved at work was unacceptable. Doesn't matter what her job is, she must have a good attitude to go with it, especially when it's customer facing. She'd probably be irritated if she was treated in that way.

It's a lesson learnt