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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bloody McDonald's

226 replies

lilyrabbit2 · 01/08/2024 11:04

I absolutely realise that this a first world problem and I'm sure some witty MNer will be along shortly to tell me I'm unreasonable for even eating McDonald's but regardless...

We don't have it often but do enjoy the breakfasts so took the dc today after we'd been swimming. Dd was desperate for a nap at this point so went through the drive thru thinking we'd be quick. But no we got 'can you park in a bay please' and waited 20 minutes before I had to go in and remind them we were waiting. The order was sat in a bag going cold waiting for someone to bring it out.

This happens all the time. 90% of the times we go we end up having to park up and either wait ages or go in to find we've been forgotten. The staff are busy and it seems they prioritise just eat/uber eats orders rather than the customers who are actually there.

No point complaining because a massive corporation like McDonald's won't give a shit but would it be unreasonable next time to just say sorry I can't park in a bay, we're in a rush I'll just wait here in the drive thru? It would probably hurry it up and anyway why should they take more orders before fulfilling the ones already waiting?

Again, I know it's a first world problem but it irritates the life out of me!!

OP posts:
mumedu · 01/08/2024 22:29

Windflower92 · 01/08/2024 19:28

I work in a McDonalds - they have separate screens/workers for delivery and instore, so no orders are prioritised over another, they're completely separate. We take thousands of £££ an hour, so obviously mistakes are going to happen! We have people giving food back telling us that it's cold when it's not and has literally just been made, we have people saying things have been left off their burgers when they actually haven't, and we have people complaining about the wait when we can see that sometimes it's been a grand total of 10 minutes! And if you've been moved to the next window, it's not because we can't be bothered to do your order, it's because the next one has been assembled and is ready waiting to go while yours might just be waiting for sometimes one item. So you move to the next window so the next order can go out while it's warm. If you refuse to move, you won't get your food any quicker. But if you're going to do that anyway, don't be rude to the minimum wage 16 year old who's serving you please!

The perception and experience of customers is that McDonalds has gone downhill, the wait times are longer than before and the food is luke warm. Sales have gone down because people have noticed and stopped going. It's a systemic failure and not really to do with individual people working there.

GellerYeller · 01/08/2024 22:44

We invariably have to park up even for standard orders at our local drive thru, The staff are unfailingly polite however.
Also they’ve changed how they prepare or cook the burgers and they are so, so salty.

Original poster
lilyrabbit2 · 01/08/2024 23:19

I would never be rude to the kids serving. It could be my kids one day and they are doing their best but the strategy and management behind it is shit. And results in a poor service for paying customers. A general lack of common sense too - like giving you ice creams or hot drinks 30 minutes before the rest of your food comes out which clearly aren't going to be up to standard by the time the rest appears.
The drive thru thing is the worst though. Don't tell me I can drive through if you're then going to make me park up and eventually have to go in. Defeats the whole object.

OP posts:
ExpectantEs · 01/08/2024 23:34

I waited over 25 minutes in the car park tonight for a singular burger meal with an 8 week old newborn in the back of the car. Luckily DD was asleep but I wanted a quick meal on the way back from a busy day. Dissatisfied

Mnetcurious · 01/08/2024 23:43

Yabu for repeatedly returning to a branch where “This happens all the time. 90% of the times we go we end up having to park up and either wait ages or go in to find we've been forgotten”

You should have learnt by now! What’s that famous quote? Something like “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” . Either stop going or expect a wait/cold food.

BeachBae · 02/08/2024 08:17

Sleeposaurus · 01/08/2024 16:43

I really don't understand how if the food is all made to order, it's always so cold. Even it it arrives relatively quickly, it's colder than it would be if I had left food out in my kitchen for the same length if time. I wonder if they premake the burgers and let them sit out until they are ordered then construct what you wanted

It's a shame because as unhealthy as I knew it was it used to be a quick treat every so often, but it's just grim now. And as others have said, slow and expensive.

They do. They cook it and put it all in trays then when you order, they assemble it.

I don't know why anyone orders it to be deleviered, it would be stone cold and vile by the time it arrives, and you can't rectify the inevitable missing or wrong items.

One way to beat all this though is to sit instore and order deliveroo to your table, or order it to your car 😂

Sleeposaurus · 02/08/2024 08:23

Thanks @BeachBae, but I've never ordered for home delivery, just to the table or the drive through so I'd expect it to be hot. Sometimes it's warm and sometimes it is barely warm- so it must sit out for some time.

BeachBae · 02/08/2024 08:32

Sleeposaurus · 02/08/2024 08:23

Thanks @BeachBae, but I've never ordered for home delivery, just to the table or the drive through so I'd expect it to be hot. Sometimes it's warm and sometimes it is barely warm- so it must sit out for some time.

I don't bother going to my local one. It doesn't have the delivery driver problem but they do prioritise drive-thru and the waits are horrific. Last time my DH and his friend went, they waited 30mins for a couple of double cheeseburgers. I'd have asked for a refund and walked out way before they handed them over. They also leave it sitting on the side, not even under lamps, so it goes stone cold.

Anyway, the last time me and him went, I ordered a normal burger and he ordered a modified one, his was stone cold and mine was a bit warmer 😵

But the staff in our one are just ridiculous, there is no joined-up thinking at all. They seem to fetch one item at a time, while your bag is sitting on the side going cold, in the most ridiculous order. They do fries first, then burgers, one at a time, then, when its all been sitting out ages, they make your cold drinks then leave it all on the side and forget about it 🙄

When I worked there as a teen, we would make drinks first, (admittedly, we had the hot bin) grab the burgers, get the fries in and hand it out, and it was actually hot.

So I don't bother going anymore, its just shit that makes me feel a bit ill nowadays.

DilemmaDelilah · 02/08/2024 09:41

We park up, place the order on the app, go in to collect it. It is usually very quick and our orders are always customised (neither of us like pickles). Sometimes we park in one of the spaces where they bring out your order, that is usually fair!y quick as well. Never use the drive through - don't see the point!

GreenTeaLikesMe · 02/08/2024 12:03

When did “park up” become “park”? Or is it a regional thing?

MUCHtodoAboutSomething · 02/08/2024 13:31

GreenTeaLikesMe · 02/08/2024 12:03

When did “park up” become “park”? Or is it a regional thing?

I would say "where are we parking?", "park in that space", "we'll park over there." I wouldn't add "up." I'm North.

MUCHtodoAboutSomething · 02/08/2024 13:37

BeachBae · 02/08/2024 08:32

I don't bother going to my local one. It doesn't have the delivery driver problem but they do prioritise drive-thru and the waits are horrific. Last time my DH and his friend went, they waited 30mins for a couple of double cheeseburgers. I'd have asked for a refund and walked out way before they handed them over. They also leave it sitting on the side, not even under lamps, so it goes stone cold.

Anyway, the last time me and him went, I ordered a normal burger and he ordered a modified one, his was stone cold and mine was a bit warmer 😵

But the staff in our one are just ridiculous, there is no joined-up thinking at all. They seem to fetch one item at a time, while your bag is sitting on the side going cold, in the most ridiculous order. They do fries first, then burgers, one at a time, then, when its all been sitting out ages, they make your cold drinks then leave it all on the side and forget about it 🙄

When I worked there as a teen, we would make drinks first, (admittedly, we had the hot bin) grab the burgers, get the fries in and hand it out, and it was actually hot.

So I don't bother going anymore, its just shit that makes me feel a bit ill nowadays.

Show quote history

Yes, I do agree that there seems to be a lack of common sense in certain establishments, within the food industry. When we get a logical member of staff, we always notice how efficient they were and friendly. I have had so many negative experiences, that I have started providing feedback when they get it right in places. It is important that the good employees get recognised, and that this is the standard others can aspire to.

BeachRide · 02/08/2024 15:38

Re. the lack of joined-up thinking, I hate it at the drive through when we're given the drinks and McFlurries then have to wait 15mins for the hot food, as everything melts and/or cools in the car.

wooo69 · 02/08/2024 18:13

I have filled in the survey before when this happened to me and I got the order refunded

CountessWindyBottom · 02/08/2024 18:38

The same thing happened to us about a year ago (and we go to McDonalds way more often than once a year and no, I don't belong to the pearl clutching brigade who are opposed to it, and yes, I can understand how it's a quick meal to feed the kids as an occasional treat after swimming AND I feed my children home-cooked nutritious meals most of the time. 😃The McDonalds that we went to was complete chaos, staff who were inept and we ended up waiting 25 minutes (dine-in) for food that arrived cold.

Needless to say I wrote to HQ and was pleasantly surprised by McDonalds' great customer service. I wrote a detailed complaint email outlining timings, the ineptitude, the poor quality and the long delay and they promptly issued me with a voucher for the amount to be redeemed at a specified chosen outlet.

I think McDonalds has become really expensive (or maybe it's the fact that my boys are growing bigger and the easy days of Happy Meals are behind us) and on that basis, you are well within your rights. You won't necessarily get anywhere with the chain itself so I would go to HQ and you have the added benefit of retaining your anonymity so they won't know that it's you that complained. It may help with their poor service though!

BeachBae · 02/08/2024 18:58

I think it's got smaller and more expensive. They all are. I know loads of 7-10 year old kids that eat adult meals from McDonald's/kfc/bk etc.

Kjpt140v · 02/08/2024 19:25

Don't go. Go elsewhere.

Shazam2 · 02/08/2024 19:34

I know somebody who actually did that wouldn’t move from the drive-through until I got their order so the next time you go if you have the same problem switch your engine off and say I’ll wait here and there is nothing they can do

tillymintt · 02/08/2024 19:46

McDonald's is just AWFUL now since the kiosk ordering (which are always in the most ridiculous spots). The pandemic made it worse. It definitely does feel that they prioritise couriers over in-house customers. I can't understand why they keep this hideous business model.

I5itm3 · 02/08/2024 19:48

I've complained about this very thing, and been sent a couple of meal vouchers! On two occasions

LuckysDadsHat · 02/08/2024 19:50

Haven't they changed their kitchen system so they say they make to order now but it is just assembled to order? This will be making the food go cold quicker than the old method of having them made in the slots and they just take them when you order?

Our local one is shocking. The record is 25 mins for an order when I went in to ask for a refund they quickly got it ready. You have to park for every single drive through order, no matter how small. It never used to be like this so something has obviously changed with the way orders are prepared.

They must be losing more money in lost customers than they ever did with wasted food.

AvrielFinch · 02/08/2024 19:50

We stopped going. Just stop going. There are other fast food options where the food is fast, tasty and hot.

tillymintt · 02/08/2024 19:50

well, when we queued to order in person at least you knew that person was getting your order, and the waiting was done in the queue rather than after you ordered the food.

MaltipooMama · 02/08/2024 19:56

I too love a McDonalds breakfast! In addition to your post which is already super annoying, I've found recently that they keep getting the bloody order wrong!

tillymintt · 02/08/2024 19:57

thismummydrinksgin · 01/08/2024 13:13

But at the end of the day very often these are young adults (kids) working in the drive though, I wouldn't put them in that position. Personally, either factor it into your visit or don't go. I find it frustrating too but it's not fair in the staff at drive through .

??? many here have worked in food service in the past, and we know how to serve customers efficiently. Some of the workers in McDs have zero common sense and no sense of urgency.