Back when I was quitting my job at McDonalds, I mentioned that I would be making a post about my experience working in the fast food industry as a crew member. I never made that post.
So here, two years late, are some of my thoughts on the fast food industry.
Let me first say that when I was applying for jobs, fast food was not my first choice. I knew that it was likely I would get hired by a fast food restaurant, but I wanted to try my other options first. Since I hadn't had any experience in retail before, most of the clothing stores and such never even called me back, even though my resume wasn't empty.
I was called in to interview at Macy's, where I was told I'd be given a job as a salesperson, selling jewelry, makeup, and perfume. I was asked if I'd be okay with wearing Macy's jewelry, makeup and perfume every day to work, and I had to honestly say no, causing me not to get that job. I'm certain it would have paid better, and certainly would have been an easier pace of work, but to be someone I was not sounded too rough. Since I don't wear makeup, perfume, or much jewelry, the choice seemed clear.
So I then applied at McDonalds. I was called in to three different stores, given interviews, and promised jobs at all of them. Only one followed up with me though, after the interview, so that became "my" store.
My first impression of my coworkers was that they didn't want me there. Most were unfriendly at first. I also remember that my first day of work, the floor manager called one of the crew trainers over and said "________, you'll be training Virginia today", and the crew trainer made a face and asked "Do I have to?"
I felt like I was a bother and a nuisance to everyone on crew. After watching hours of videos in the workroom about procedures and each different station, I felt more lost than ever. It wasn't until one of my managers (a guy with a totally sarcastic but hilarious attitude) said "You won't learn til you actually do it", and showed me exactly how to fry the fish, and nuggets, and fill the trays, and press the timers, and everything else in the kitchen that I really GOT it. This was only about three days into working.
This manager in particular was the one who always saw my potential. At least I guess he did. After working on the fryer for about 2 weeks, he said "You need to learn the grill too". So he taught me the grill.
When I was fast on the grill, he said "You need to learn to do both at once." So he taught me, and I did both for a few months. Then he said "You need to learn to make the sandwiches". So he taught me, and from then on, I was almost always making sandwiches every day. I knew that I had mastered the fryer, grill, and making sandwiches quickly and in the times necessary for fast food. I seemed to have reached the end of my stations though, because I started asking if I could learn to take orders, or make smoothies and coffee, and was never given the chance.
I knew and understood that this wasn't because the management thought I'd stink at it...but because I was fast at making sandwiches. They wanted to keep me there. I literally made sandwiches for an entire year, never learning anything new. It wasn't until my yearly review that this changed. On the yearly review I was told that I was excelling at everything, but couldn't be given a raise because I hadn't learned to take orders or do drive thru. I kindly said that I had been asking to learn for nearly a year. That next week, I was trained on drive thru and front counter, but only briefly.
It was at this point that I started noticing lots of discrepancies with the company. For instance, in the books, and video training, we were taught to only make two sandwiches at one time, no more. But on the floor, our primary concern was getting the food out to the customers in the shortest amount of time necessary. In front of me was a video screen where each order would pop up. I would then make these orders and send them down the line to the person who was bagging the items. It wasn't uncommon to have two orders pop up at once (one in drive thru and one at the counter) and then another and another. Busy times of the day could fill up the entire screen. Of course, it was never okay to have a full screen of orders, so my goal was always to dismiss them as soon as possible.
The problem arose when an order would come up with something like this: "14 cheeseburgers, 4 big macs, 6 bacon mcdoubles" and then two other orders pop up after it.
If I were to follow the video instruction which says to make 2 sandwiches at a time, that order would be on screen for about 7-10 minutes, which is entirely unacceptable. However, if I made about 4 sandwiches at a time, I could cut that in half. If I made 6 at a time, it would take even less time. So that's what I did. Until one day the owner of the store came in to inspect and time people on different stations.
Since I was making sandwiches, I knew I would be timed on my speed. Sure enough, a huge order popped up on screen, and I began furiously making sandwiches 4 at a time. The owner noticed and snapped at me that I wasn't following procedure and to make only two at a time. I did as she said and switched to making 2 at a time, and the order seemed to take FOREVER to finish. I knew she was timing how long the order was on the screen, but there was absolutely no way to speed it up making only 2 sandwiches at a time.
After scrutinizing my work and breathing over my shoulder for nearly 30 minutes, she finally said "You're doing well. But your screen needs to be cleared faster", and walked away.
I felt so much like saying "Have you ever completed an order like that, making 2 sandwiches at a time, in shorter time?"
Of course I didn't. But it just solidified in my mind that McDonalds, like probably all of the other fast food companies, sets truly ridiculous times for their employees and then throws in a rule like "only make 2 sandwiches at once" and still demands that the order be made, and delivered in less than 23 seconds.
I totally understand the significance of the rule. It makes sense that if you're making 4 sandwiches at once, they are all laying out, open on the counter, thus getting cold and unfresh. But I was literally making sandwiches in seconds, never minutes. The bun was still warm from the toaster by the time the sandwich was being placed into the warming spot.
But why the ridiculous rules? Because the customer demands it. After about a year and a half of working in this environment, I decided it definitely wasn't for me. I could have worked my way up the chain, to crew trainer, then manager if I had wanted. But as a manager and crew trainer, you are supposed to enforce the rules like "no more than 2 sandwiches at a time". I knew I couldn't rightfully do that, since it made no sense put to the test in real life.
I'll always remember my time spent at McDonalds with some fondness, but mostly as a learning experience. As customers, if our expectations are ridiculous (expecting to order and receive a meal in 23 seconds), we'll get what we pay for: junk food, and bad service (in most cases).
This post isn't meant to simply criticize McDonalds. I still enjoy eating their McDoubles, though they're terrible for you. I still go to McDonalds, mostly on road trips. But like all fast food places, they have their flaws. I noticed these first hand, working there. I am thankful for the experience I had there, and it instilled in me a deep appreciation for food service workers- especially the ones who do a good job, and take pride in their work.
Next time you go to a restaurant, fast food or fine dining, take note of the workers who are doing their absolute best and respect them even if the food is slightly late. It could just be because of a silly rule about only making 2 sandwiches at once. 😃
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