GREASY MANAGEMENT!!!!

From classmates I’d heard that their orders were met with disgust and confusion, but that eventually the manager gets involved and expedites the process. I figured the same would hold true for me. However, in Valley Stream I was met with disdain, attitude and hostility. The cashiers looked at me like I was crazy and the manager thought I was playing a joke and told me to leave. Regardless of their reasons for this behavior, I was very shocked. Isn't the customer always right? I decided to try my luck with the McDonalds in Union Square. Shockingly, the cashier was nonchalant about the order and passed it to the manager. The manager followed the process, ensuring his employee put 4 pickles and the fries were well done with no salt. The fluidity of the process impressed me until the manager asked what class this was for. Clearly these were not genuine reactions; However, despite their familiarity with the process, my receipt was incorrectly printed. I decided that my third effort needed a slight spin to ensure genuine responses. The idea was to isolate the Manager from the process so that he was incapable of directing; In doing so, I could easily see how chaotic the process would become. To do this I enlisted Jen Parker. We went to the McDonalds on 7th Ave and 14th St. There was a line forming behind us and the employees were rushing to complete the orders. Jen went first and submitted her order. As expected, similar to the reaction at Union Square, the cashier took the order and called for the manager. The manager spoke to Jen and the constructed the hamburger with 4 pickles, and hand-picking well done no salt Fries. While the manager was preoccupied with Jen’s order, I submitted mine. The cashier began to put in my order, and stopped. She didn’t know how to proceed without the manager. She called out, “can someone help?” No one responded. For a few seconds she stood looking for someone who was not hard at work. She couldn’t find anyone, and continued completing my order and put it onto the order screen for the employees in the back. Afterwards she flashed me a dirty look. A minute or two later the manager came back with Jen’s order and the cashier told him about mine. He walked into the back to see what was happening. I saw him take the bun off of my hamburger and throw two more pickles on it. He waited until a fresh batch of Fries was made, and he picked out mine before they were salted. Without the manager my order would’ve been incorrect and I may not have received my Fries. Jen’s order took 5 mins, and mine took 8 mins. That is a 60% increase in time for an identical order. 4 people were involved in my order: The cashier, the person who made my hamburger, the person who made my Fries and the manager. I believe that the McDonald’s staff was well prepared for a “surprise” order. They had an obvious strategy, which was to direct it to the manager and allow him to supervise the order. However, he’s out of the equation, there was no set strategy. Personally, I think the fault with the process lies with the fact that the employees who construct the hamburger can not easily be told to add 4 pickles instead of 2. Clearly adding 2 more pickles is not a task that should require a manager’s attention. Perhaps McDonalds should invest in a more descriptive computer system that transfers information from the cashiers to the employees making the food. Another option would be to continually keep a certain amount of Fries unsalted, and to have the employee salt them if it is necessary. Another issue that I would definitely deal with was the management hierarchy. It was very clear that the manager was first in control, but after him the cashier didn’t know who was next. She did not know who else to call for. Perhaps it would be prudent to set up an assistant manager if the manager is busy.