Well, it's been 20 years since I worked under those golden arches, back when they still listed how many billions had been served. To give people an idea of just how long ago that was, here's some small factoids:
I worked there when they introduced Chicken McNuggets.
The slogan at the time was "You deserve a break today".
I worked the very first Monopoly game they ever did. Ever.
Drive thru time was expected to be less than 120 seconds from the time the car arrived until it was pulling away.
When I started, they still hired people who had their primary duty as keeping the dining area clean, and scheduled people for just such shifts. I know, as I was one of them.
So, here's the stories that I can remember, all condensed into one post:
If I Wanted Hot Water, I'd Order F'ing Hot Water!
Early morning rush, I think it was a Sunday morning. I was only 16 at the time. Three or four registers open, lines 5 and 6 people deep. First I notice of this SC is that he is screaming "If I wanted hot water, I'd order f'ing hot water. I ordered hot tea, now where's my g'd'mn tea bag!"
Turns out he'd gone through the drive thru, ordered hot tea, and they forgot to give him a tea bag. Simple mistake, easily correctable, but he had to correct it at the top of his lungs. A manager gave him the bag, and he was gone.
The Disappearing Employee
A coworker went on break. While there were still customers in line. And didn't tell anybody she was doing it. I didn't notice, as we were busy, until one of the customers at the front of what was her line asked me what happened. I found out she went on break. So, I did the only thing I could think to do: Took their order and my customer's order at the same time. Both were understanding that I was trying to make things right, so we got that fixed fairly quickly.
The Time To Serve Contest
So, the shift managers had a great idea: for the next hour, run a contest for the cashiers. Whoever has the lowest time to serve gets a free sundae and a short paid break (I think it was 15 minutes). I worked my ass off for that hour to try and make it happen. When it was done, the managers declared the winner to be the slowest moving person up front. And I don't mean just that I was bitter. The person who supposedly won was the slowest cashier. Everybody else would handle 3 customers to her 1.
Why the managers decided to mark her the winner, I don't think I will ever know.
The Wrong Promotion
This section might belong under Morons in Management, but it's a quick one, and caps off my time there. This job was my first ever job, and I was there for nearly three years. I was working for a franchise owner who owned four stores. Some time after I started, another woman started who attended the same high school I did. For reasons I've never known, she hated me with a passion. She got promoted to manager.
I found this out one night while working the back drive thru window. Per policy, I charged someone for an extra packet of McNugget sauce (yes, they did charge when you got extra, something like 50 cents or 10 cents, I forget which). She promptly chewed me out. That's when I found out she was promoted, just didn't have the uniform/title yet.
I turned in my two weeks that night, since I knew I could either be fired or quit. The supervisor of the stores (second only to the franchise owner) had a meeting with me to ask why I was quitting. I told him the truth.
She quit a few months later. From what I understand, it was due to not being given the authority that comes with being a manager, and not being allowed to do the things managers are supposed to do. I like to think I helped make that happen
I worked there when they introduced Chicken McNuggets.
The slogan at the time was "You deserve a break today".
I worked the very first Monopoly game they ever did. Ever.
Drive thru time was expected to be less than 120 seconds from the time the car arrived until it was pulling away.
When I started, they still hired people who had their primary duty as keeping the dining area clean, and scheduled people for just such shifts. I know, as I was one of them.
So, here's the stories that I can remember, all condensed into one post:
If I Wanted Hot Water, I'd Order F'ing Hot Water!
Early morning rush, I think it was a Sunday morning. I was only 16 at the time. Three or four registers open, lines 5 and 6 people deep. First I notice of this SC is that he is screaming "If I wanted hot water, I'd order f'ing hot water. I ordered hot tea, now where's my g'd'mn tea bag!"
Turns out he'd gone through the drive thru, ordered hot tea, and they forgot to give him a tea bag. Simple mistake, easily correctable, but he had to correct it at the top of his lungs. A manager gave him the bag, and he was gone.
The Disappearing Employee
A coworker went on break. While there were still customers in line. And didn't tell anybody she was doing it. I didn't notice, as we were busy, until one of the customers at the front of what was her line asked me what happened. I found out she went on break. So, I did the only thing I could think to do: Took their order and my customer's order at the same time. Both were understanding that I was trying to make things right, so we got that fixed fairly quickly.
The Time To Serve Contest
So, the shift managers had a great idea: for the next hour, run a contest for the cashiers. Whoever has the lowest time to serve gets a free sundae and a short paid break (I think it was 15 minutes). I worked my ass off for that hour to try and make it happen. When it was done, the managers declared the winner to be the slowest moving person up front. And I don't mean just that I was bitter. The person who supposedly won was the slowest cashier. Everybody else would handle 3 customers to her 1.
Why the managers decided to mark her the winner, I don't think I will ever know.
The Wrong Promotion
This section might belong under Morons in Management, but it's a quick one, and caps off my time there. This job was my first ever job, and I was there for nearly three years. I was working for a franchise owner who owned four stores. Some time after I started, another woman started who attended the same high school I did. For reasons I've never known, she hated me with a passion. She got promoted to manager.
I found this out one night while working the back drive thru window. Per policy, I charged someone for an extra packet of McNugget sauce (yes, they did charge when you got extra, something like 50 cents or 10 cents, I forget which). She promptly chewed me out. That's when I found out she was promoted, just didn't have the uniform/title yet.
I turned in my two weeks that night, since I knew I could either be fired or quit. The supervisor of the stores (second only to the franchise owner) had a meeting with me to ask why I was quitting. I told him the truth.
She quit a few months later. From what I understand, it was due to not being given the authority that comes with being a manager, and not being allowed to do the things managers are supposed to do. I like to think I helped make that happen
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