McDonalds Suckage

[calulu]

As I alluded to in another thread. Major scary Mickey Dee's suckage complete with management and employee suckage. I even considered complaining about it on Planet Fleabag but resisted.

Let me state that while I agree McD's food can be crapola it does have it's moments. With my severe food allergies I know I can always get one of their salads, fruit and nut salad, chicken wraps, ice cream and not react. So for me if I'm stuck and have to grab something fast to eat McDonald's is it. Particularly since Starbucks discontinued their gluten free line.

The Friday before the 4th of July I was just having the worlds worst day at Flowers O Suck. Angry ranty people screeching in my ear when they discovered they could not send flowers on a holiday. Once my lunch hour of 7pm rolled around I said, screw this, and ran out the door to McDonalds to get an ice cream cone. It was super hot, I was super mad and their soft serve cone is a perfectly acceptable treat on a diet. I needed a treat and I needed a time out away from my office at home.

We only live five minutes from our nearest McDonalds and they've been pretty wonderful to us through the years. I get there and as usual there is a long line at drive thru. No worries, I get an hour off for lunch but I stick to regular eating hours because my illnesses, I already ate dinner at my five pm coffee break, I just needed a break from everything. The kids all wanted me to pick up something for them, one wanted chicken nuggets, another wanted an apple pie and a snack wrap.

The line started out moving slowly, which didn't bother me, ten minutes in and out, no worries but as I sat there, my car trapped bumper to bumper between two others I noticed a crowd gathering in the parking lot. A couple of the employees started fighting and friends surrounded them. The manager on duty came out and started arguing with them, Everyone in the store working left their posts and came out to watch the fight.

And here's where it gets scary. Okay, so there were cussing and screaming and f-bombs. I kept waiting for the manager to tell them to leave immediately or he was calling the cops. No such luck, he kept arguing with the two fighting with each other. Knifes came out, someone got cut and one of the participants started screaming at the people in the drivethru, "What the fuck are you staring at, assholes?"

I'm a little old middle aged greying granny who stands 5'2" and no threat to anyone and I started feeling very afraid when a couple of guys came over to the drive thru and started arguing with a couple of the people in the cars. I was praying no one had a gun.

After about thirty minutes the fight participants drove off with their knifes and dripping blood and the employees went back to work. When I got my bag home I realized that they'd given me someone else's order along with my ice cream cone.

I wrote corporate a letter and received a 'sorry about that' letter not addressing any of the issues I complained about with a card for a free extra value meal as compensation. I wasn't looking for a freebie at all, I wanted them to investigate what happened and impress upon the manager that allowing that ruckus to continue and escalate while the employees abandoned the store is not a proper response.

[BaristaTrav]

just.. wow. ok. Please keep us updated on what Mickey D's corporate (known for having the worst PR in history) handle this.

[Jetfire]

Considering you were not directly involved, I doubt you'll hear more about it one way or another. HR issues tend to be kept in house as much as possible, and since you really don't have a reason to be informed on the results of any actions (if any) they do, you won't hear anything more.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I'm not sure what the benefit of writing Mickey D's corporate about this would be.

Some employees decided to have a knife fight in the parking lot. The restaurant must've hired a few fucktards. If anything, this would be an HR issue to be handled in private.

[calulu]

You can only write corporate if you go to the McDonalds website. My poor husband had already tried the next day to talk to the manager who told him that it was none of his business and it had been handled. As he was testily telling off the hubby their register computer system crashed and they closed the joint down for three hours. I wrote because it seems like there have been a handful of recent incidents where the store management made some bad decisions. The hubby also said as he was leaving those same groups of kids that had been fighting the night before were in the parking lot shouting obscenities at each other again.

I was surprised by the standard form letter I got that literally read "Thank you for concerns. McDonalds values their customers and takes all of their concerns into consideration. We hope you'll shop again at McDonalds in the future. Enclosed is a card for a free meal.."

Let's contrast that with Wal Mart, the only other complaint letter I've written to a corporate office in ten years. I complained to Wal Mart because we were hosting two visiting Ukrainian dignitaries as part of The Carter Center's Friendship Force, both were the equivalent of a senator or congressman. We asked them what was one thing they wanted to do and they first wanted to go to Wal Mart and shop. We took them there and the store was filthy and grimy and there were only 3 cashiers open for a huge Supercenter on a Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. We waited in line over an hour.

I wrote the letter telling them how embarrassing it was to have foreign dignitaries with us to the point where one of them joked it was sort of like old style Soviet Union store. I asked that they a) consider keeping the store cleaner and b) try to schedule more cashiers on the weekend.

Wal Mart did not send me a form letter, corporate called me and asked me to explain in what way did I find the store dirty. I explained what I meant in detail, they offered me a gift card, apologized and said that they would be taking steps to rectify the situation. I told them I was not after a gift card and I turned it down, only for them to make a better effort to clean the place and see that tha manager properly scheduled people. The next time I went into Wal Mart on a Sunday afternoon it was much cleaner and there were more cashiers.

Just tell me you'll be rectifying the situation and that's enough.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I have to say, I think those foreign dignitaries got a pretty good taste of American life, or at least American shopping preferences, from that Wally World.

[Food Lady]

who told him that it was none of his business

Um, if your safety is threatened, it IS your business.

[fma_fanatic]

You honestly have better luck calling than you do writing. I mentioned a McDonalds near us that shortchanged me one time and the cashier arguing with me that she'd given me my change, despite me showing her my empty wallet, empty pockets and SO saying that no, I had not got my change.

I did ultimately get it, but the way it was handled could have been done so much better. So I called and complained. Got some free McDonalds funny money and a hand written apology. I think I still have the funny money somewhere. That particular location still sucks from what I've heard from other people who have been there.

I'm surprised that no one had called 911. I know I would have, and I haven't hesitated to do that in the past. A few years ago, SO and visited a local Rally's and called the police after we saw an employee start whaling on a customer on the other side drive thru. We got our meal for free from the manager to apologize for the inconvienence. That's responsibility, IMO.

[calulu]

Yeah, I was surprised no one called the cops either. I tried but discovered I'd left my cell phone at home... lesson learned don't leave home without it.

[CaroPhoenix]

Calulu - this isn't the one near the Pig 'n Steak, is it? Just wondering ...

[calulu]

Calulu - this isn't the one near the Pig 'n Steak, is it? Just wondering ...

Nope, if it had been that one the sherrifs deputies would have pulled knifes and joined right in! This one is in my adopted home town, next town over from Pig N Steak, Culpecker.

[CaroPhoenix]

Culpecker? HAHAHAHAH! I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything at the time I read that. That's too funny.

[dalesys]

Nope, if it had been that one the sherrifs deputies would have pulled knifes and joined right in! This one is in my adopted home town, next town over from Pig N Steak, Culpecker.

Doncha mean shurf's dippitys?

[calulu]

Culpecker is my not so affectionate nickname for my town. The sort of place that only gets the news when nekkid fat women steal trucks and crash them or someone robs the local bank with a stick and then walks through the middle of town with the loot and gets away with it.

dale you are so right!

[Ironclad Alibi]

Culpecker? I visit a Ruby Tuesday's about once a month for lunch with former co-workers. We are meeting there next Wenesday. It's about an hour's drive from Arlington.

I had a brief tour of Culpecker several years ago when one the aforementioned co-workers was looking for a house in the area. He ended up buying near Richmond to be near his grandchildren.