So, similar to LikeClockwork’s Post, but I work at the front, so I handle counter, fries, order packaging, drinks and desserts! Feel free to ask me anything!
P.S also a casual employee, and I work at what I presume is one of the busiest Maccas without a drive thru in Victoria.
Had a go at the last monopoly game but it seemed every 2nd time I ordered a meal either the burger box, fries or the whole lot was in plain packaging. 1 in 5 tickets might be an instant win but you only get half your tickets to begin with.
Does purchasing just not anticipate the extra business?
What date did this occur on? Monopoly handouts ended on the 15th/16th October.
It was definitely within the promotion period. I recall on 3 different occasions not receiving the monopoly packaging for at least one item.
They should have given you the make-up monopoly cards. Could have gone back and asked for the stickers!
Is it common practice to half fill the fries? Every time i order fries it is always half full and frustrating. If i ordered a large fries i don't expect to be served medium fries.
Why don’t you take it back and tell them to fill it.
Always works for me.
Check your order before you leave.
I would usually be in the drive thru and have to wait for the window people to show. I just don't get why they can't get it right the first time to save everyone the time.
Luckily my store lacks a drive thru!
I’m generous with my servings. Usually overload the fries in all sizes.
Not sure, but it could be common practice of laziness or trained to not do so. I was trained to always overload it.
That isn’t what I do. Never have I had customers complain about the portion when I’m handling them.
Isn't that bad to overload them?
I heard eating too McDonald's makes you sick. I think there was a documentary about it.
2 McDonald's might give you a tummy ache but 1 McDonald's will be just fine.
For the "one per customer" deals, especially with the mobile app, have you ever caught people abusing it?
I enforce that policy strictly unless they have another person with them. If they have I would not be able to tell (they used kiosk, mobile app etc)
Are you allowed to serve budget McFlurry? 2 soft serve in cup, oreo topping.
For an extra charge, maybe.
Edited: As the arts student joke has been stated.
What kind of training do your McCafe Baristas receive? Or just the drive through Baristas.
Every now and then I receive a nice coffee but 9/10 times I get home and it tastes like they empties an ash tray into my cup and added hot milk.
Based what I saw on the news, It turns out the same place that does the 7-Eleven coffee also roast the McDonald’s beans
I don’t do McCafe so I’m not quite sure. Some stores vary in the quality of training!
From what I’ve seen at the Maccas I work at, “baristas” are given about 3 3 hour training shifts then you’re a qualified McCafe barista.
The grinding of the coffee, tamping and extraction is all automatic.
Any variance in coffee is down to the person making it and the lack of training.
The only thing that should have a variable is steaming the milk, which a lot of people aren’t taught how to do properly.
Ask a lot of them and they wouldn’t be able to tell you the difference between coffees except for “how much foam” it has in it, when it’s down to how the milk is steamed. E.g - you steam milk differently for a cappuccino than a latte. I once ordered a macchiato which had a shot of coffee and 3/4 cup of pure milk foam, which any barista knows is not even close to how it’s made
A lot of them don’t clean the group heads properly either, so you’re likely getting old coffee grounds from the previous persons drink. I had a restaurant manager make me an iced latte one and it had a ton of coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup, took it up and the other McCafe person even told her that’s not how it should be.
No doubt some McCafe baristas make awesome coffee, but some don’t go through the training and education which I think should be standard
How do you make milkshakes/thickshakes or famous maccas fries at home using home ingredients or coles/woolworths/aldi and only a blender and conventional oven no deep fryer?
I could survive on only thickshakes for life honestly.
Fries would be a bonus every now and then.. and well I already know how to make all the burgers I believe from colesworth ingredients actually not too hard and I prefer steak house burgers style anyways :)
so yeah cough up those shake recipes arches boy/girl :)
Not so sure myself. All I know is that we use vegetable oil and Maccas fries that are shipped in boxes from Broadmeadows.
Do they look similar to any colesworth products like the shoestring fries? I think I tried one but was no where near the same.
How do the milkshake/thickshake ingredients come stocked? are they in tubs and just fed into the machine or something else?
Shoestring fries from supermarkets are too thin compared to Macca's fries. Shakes come in tubs and are poured into the shake machine.
@nxllson: Do they have the same consistency as some ice cream or much more slushier? Just curious what maybe I should be looking for or if they have to stay at a certain temperature so they don't freeze or don't melt.
Also I just really wanna figure out how to make my own tasty but still value oriented thickshakes.. will be experimenting this process maybe over the next couple of years until I get the mixture just right and compare notes with other cheaper and more expensive alternatives :)
@AlienC: The consistency of the shakes are like the soft serves, but not as thick. The Caramel Indulgent Shake for example, soft serve at the bottom and caramel shake on top. You might want to try experimenting with that.
I don’t produce the shake mixes so I’m not able to tell you much more aside from my own knowledge.
@nxllson: Ok thanks this helps a lot. Will be trying all sorts of experiments with Malt and some syrups etc.
Have you ever considered joining a union? E.g. the raffwu
No. I’m not against my employer whatsoever.
Blink twice if you are in trouble
Do all stores force you to use the self-serve machines? I went to the Footscray store and the machine didn't work for me - doesn't scan the barcode for app deals, 24 Nugget option was missing. I went to the counter and the checkout girl and manager highly insisted I used the machine even when I told them it didn't work. This went back and forth. I feel like it's a KPI for pushing for self-service…or basic English skills and customer service has gone down the drain.
Ask them why you’re being insisted to use the kiosk rather than the register. It should be the customer’s right to order at the register. My store doesn’t do this at all.
A McDonald's I went to recently also did this. When I went up to the counter, they told me to go over to the self-service kiosk and the staff member took my order using the self-service kiosk. The item I wanted to order (Grilled Chicken Bites) wasn't available through the kiosk so the staff member asked the manager, who said to just put through an order of anything using the kiosk and then change the order to the correct item at the counter.
Seems like a very strict split between front and back. Are you only ever trained on one side? Can people swap?
You can be trained at kitchen as well. Mixed shifts at front & back, but I prefer to stay front.
Most popular burger?
Hamburgers! $1 each, 20 of them in a single order is no big deal to us.
How much extra is cheese
Why is your service so bad?
If you have a complaint, please contact McDonalds Australia on their website or Facebook page. I don’t condone bad service but I know some stores lack customer service. Therefore I can’t answer your question. My store performs well.
We all know complaints get used as toilet paper. It's there for show.
You have a good point, but consider complaining to the manager at the store.
@nxllson: One time I ordered a big mac. When I got home and opened it up, it was a fillet o fish (which I can't eat) inside a big mac wrap. Also FOF is a cheaper burger than BM. This was back when FOF and BM shared the same wrap. Some the girl must have assumed it was my big mac but was actually FOF even though the burger is clearly smaller.
I wasn't about to go all the way back to get it changed. Lined up a long time to get it ordered (this was before self checkout) and would likely have to line up again. The drive was also going to take another 20 mins because it wasn't my nearest store but it was at the mall I was shopping at. So I just threw it out.
If I complained about it at the next visit, would they have given me a big mac, or would they have just said, "sorry but you have no proof. Since you didn't come back to exchange it I can't do anything for you. " ?
@lostn: Sorry about your experience. While I’m not quite sure what happened, I’d feel pretty darn pissed as well. However the ‘no proof’ is valid because people would be abusing the system if this was the case.
@lostn: What would you like done about it, lostn? Seriously, I mean.
Yes, these things happen from time-to-time. Probably not deliberate. But how would you like it handled?
Obviously, it's not realistic for a consumer to drive/public transport/bike/walk back to the original shop over an incorrect burger, or a half-filled fries.
So, what's the answer?
For me, after these type of annoyances about three times from my local Maccas, I finally rang them and complained. The manager was sympathetic, and said I could have a free meal next visit. He said he'd leave my name at the counter.
He didn't. But, to be fair, the shift manager at the time simply comped me a meal anyway.
I think if you made the effort to call at the time, give the approximate time and the amount of your transaction, it would be an excessively cheap and mean manager who would not give you some recompense next visit. I guess this is about all one could realistically expect.
Like many things in life, being polite, courteous and understanding of their (really, pretty trivial) error is more likely to gain compensation than angry ranting abuse.
So your attitude is based on this once in a lifetime occurrence?
No. No way.
This is a mistake. Nor is it a once in a lifetime ocurrence. I even get short changed by $40 one time (paid with a $50 she thought I paid with a $10, called up later and they counted all the money and thankfully they were up $40). Mistakes happen all the time but usually get spotted before I leave and fixed. Still, it means someone wasn't concentrating.
"Bad" service is often slow service. Not enough staff. Available staff not opening a new checkout when the queues get long, and continuing to not seem to be doing much, or being chatty with other staff. The girls ignoring people in the queue, backs turned to them waiting for burgers down the chute. Receipts not given (for the survey), insufficient tissues. KFC sometimes gives you no fork+spoon+towelette pack, when you order things that require it (potato & gravy, or you ordered chicken pieces). Not all of these instances of bad service are Mcdonalds specific of course.
But how would you like it handled?
If it's a one off, they take your story at your word. A small item is easy to fix. If you are doing this a lot, they will recognize you and say no, not unless you bring back the wrong item with your receipt. I don't think it's going to be subject to widespread fraud. Restaurant businesses are built on a trust model, otherwise dine & dash would become a huge issue in a fancier restaurant.
So, what's the answer?
That was what I would expect them to do. But I'm more interested in their official policy if someone gave them that story.
However the ‘no proof’ is valid because people would be abusing the system if this was the case.
That is true. But it depends how often people are making claims like this. If it happened a lot, I would demand proof too. I don't think it would though. Wrong orders happen all the time. I see it with other people too, especially those with big orders.
What is wrong with Macca's eggs? They are disgusting now. I used to love mcmuffins ages ago, then the eggs started to taste really gross and they have done for years now.
Could be the way it’s cooked. Might want to ask @LikeClockwork regarding this.
How many meals do you put in the rubbish bin a day?
1-3. Some orders don’t get picked up, but we hold it until it’s no longer appetising enough to consume.
How long is that roughly? 12 hours?
10-15 minutes. To ensure that they don’t come rushing back to ask for a fresh burger if they eventually did pick their order up.
You in Cafe yet? And tried to handle drive through and cafe orders while obviously ignoring customers. But don't give two shits
My store lacks a drive-thru; and no, McCafe training is soon though!
Hahahaha Good luck my friend! I was in your position until I realised I was being underpaid because i went Part time, don't do that
What's the best trick for budget ordering you've heard? Eg: soft serve in a cup with chocolate sauce which is way cheaper than a sundae
Never had much bargaining. All that is common at the moment is a Hamburger with cheese added. That adds up to a Cheeseburger for an incredibly low price!
In my personal history, probably this deal but it'll only be $1-1.50 cheaper than going through the normal way of "One Oreo McFlurry!"
Next post will be: I am a Big Mac, Ask Me Anything.
what size container does the big mac sauce come in, and how do i get some.
They come in small containers and the size can vary depending on the kitchen who puts the sauce in the containers. Refer to here. It's a good reference.
You can easily get some by asking for a separate Big Mac Sauce Tub, which costs 50 cents.
I need large amounts of this sauce. $0.50c worth wont cut it!
Maccas occasionally sells the Big Mac sauce bottles. You might want to wait out for that and stock up once that is around.
Have you tries the 'secret burger sauce' sold at woolworths /Coles?
yup. i like it. but obviously its not as good as the real thing, which is hard to get!
Can you ask your friends that may work at Hungry Jacks and KFC to do an AMA too?
They don't have an OzBargain account unfortunately! :(
where do you see your "career" progressing to?
Definitely not at Maccas. I have a heart-desired interest in aviation and hopefully will progress to being an airline pilot.
What do all those beep, boop and siren sounds mean?
Fryers, grills, UberEats, back door (for restocking).
There are heaps of purposes for these alerts!
Who is responsible for restocking the papers for the self service kiosk?
The managers, and sometimes crew trainers
On the rare occasion when I order a Fillet-o-fish, I've asked for a full slice of cheese to be included, not the half slice. Each time, the staff go 'huh?'.
What's the best way to order that burger with the full slice of cheese? And will I be charged extra for the cheese?
Best way is to ask them for another 1/2 regular cheese. Kitchen should understand and add full slice.
Do customers pronounce "fillet" in Fillet-o-Fish as "fill-ett" or "fill-ay" more often?
Fill-ay. However there is still a lot of fill-ett, but I don’t mind at all.
Fun fact:
The two highest paid professors in Australia both hold Arts degrees.