Is It Me?

Is it me?

I guess one way to confuse the workers of a local McDonald's is to show up at 10:52am - in between their change over from breakfast to lunch menus.

I don’t do McDonald's often, just every once in awhile for a treat. Here is how the morning conversation went with a McDonald's staffer this am.

Staffer: May I help you?

Me: Hi Good Morning, is it breakfast or lunch now? (I really did not have a preference, just hungry)

Staffer Scuse me?

Me: Are you serving breakfast or lunch?

Staffer: (Looking at me like I just stepped off the mother ship)

....Let me check, she says

Me: OK

Staffer (after a wait) We still have breakfast

Me: OK, I will have an egg McMuffin 

Staffer (again looking at me with a longing stare) Oh, wait a minute

Me: OK

Staffer (after a wait) We don’t have egg McMuffins

Me: (feeling my Yankee impatience) Okay, what do you have?

Staffer: Let me Check

Staffer: (Talking to other workers, all looking confused)

Staffer (now I think she is a little moody, and after another wait she states) We really don’t know what we have

Me: You can say that again

Staffer (just staring at me)

Me: (waiving bye, bye) OK, I will go someplace else

Staffer (looking as if she was pleased that I am leaving) OK, thank you sir:

She looked relieved......

I was proud that I kept my Yankee temper in check here:

So now I go to my car and start thinking about that encounter and wonder if it’s me, the culture here or just the downfall of America in general. Are McDonald's executive staff preoccupied with making others in far away lands  happy and loving it?

And how come we don’t have one of these in this country….

Above is -A McDonald's “cheering station” and was designed in China, complete with webcam, microphone, interactive screen and web access. Every customer who went into the station could record their own video of a cheer for China and McDonald's then transfer the results to the McDonald’s China web site.

Although, I must admit, can you imagine the things that would be said and seen if we did have one of these in this country? I could think of a few things I would have said this morning

I think it was the very first time that I heard anyone in the food service industry tell me that they don’t know what they have and then looking at me as if to say “you can go now”

Don’t these employees go through some sort of training for situations like this? Should they just close down between the hours of 11:00 – 12:00 noon to avoid the confusion. What in the world would Mr. Kroc think?

My unscientific survey does suggest on average, I do wait 4-9 minutes longer in line at establishments in the south than I do up North.  I don't think that was it. It really had nothing to do with the wait..It was a combination of things, I guess I have my expectations too high on trivial encounters such as this. But I do truly believe that there is something else going on......lack of training, lack of customer commitment or just plain poor work ethic. One thing for sure, the Burger King  down the street got it right and got it fast. I had it my way. 

 I love the free market!

Tell me some of your "fast" food horror stories