fast food orders

[happy_face]

Whenever I go to McD's, KFC etc and I just want a burger they always look at me to say "And" and then they say "Big Mac Meal?"
No I don't want a friggin meal, if I had I would've asked for it. It's like they don't understand the concept "on it's own"

[Loosehead]

I know what you mean, they cannot comprehend it if you don't want chips, drink, milshake, apple pie, go large, go larger! Just a burger? what? "got a right weirdo here!"

[tubeway]

Try asking for chips - The look you get then is amazing - it does not take a brain surgeon to work out that many people call fries chips. I would have thought that most fast food servers could probably work this out too.

[Loosehead]

yeah you can have great fun with that one, you ask for chips and the guy rather condescendingly says "fries". If I'm in the mood I say "no I want chips, haven't you got any chips", then they still say "fries"? back at you eventually they realise and say "ok" and get on with it.Sometimes you get an intelligent one and they realise straight away and have laugh with you, but they are rare. They know that we Brits call fries chips but they are struggling with corporate brainwashing.

[andy hughes]

I think you are being a little unfair here -

the burger chains train their staff to rigouorus standards, in the same way, in every restaurant throughout the world. they are trained to sell 'the product' in a specific way, and to offer customrs ' the product' regardless of what they ask for. So, they may sound a little robotic, and appear not to understand, but in reality, they are just doing as they are told - on pain of the sackif they don't!

[delboy3]

It's what they're trained to ask and are then on automatic pilot. And they only hear part of your request, e.g. I clearly say "a quarter pounder meal to take out, please" and they ask "do you want to eat in or take out", having switched off halfway through my request. My wife once ordered a black coffee only to be asked if she wanted milk with it.

[orlando]

andy hughes -

sad but true - as a former MCdonalds employee, can say that the management makes you say certain things and you have to ask - in my day it was: "do you want fries with that?"

[shaneystar]

And I feel sorry for any poor devil that has to work in these awful places .No wonder they are on auto pilot.

[birdy72]

I don't feel sorry for them or would say they are robotic - many companies try to up-sell - this is the world we live in and many places do it, be it McD's or a top end restaurant or electrical goods store etc. It's all about making money at the end of the day.

[Litchick]

In America, they call French Fries "FREEDOM FRIES" which I think is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous.  It even says that on the menu, so when I order I PURPOSELY ask for FRENCH fries....one snobbish waiter actually asked me, "Do you mean Freedom Fries?" and I said, "no -- I mean French Fries -- I don't know what the heck Freedom Fries are!"

[Loosehead]

So they didn't have any chips either litchick?

[turkey154]

i actually work at maccys and Andy Hughes is right, we do get trained what to say. Plus we also get trained to sell up as birdy 72 so rightyly said, and just for shaneystar 'these places' arent that bad to work in actually and i really enjoy my job. at the end of it, if you think it is that bad, dont eat there, we are just doing our job....just like everyone else...

[shaneystar]

I didn't mean it like that.Not getting at anyone personally.
If you enjoy your job, then good , that's fine.
I just don't like Macdonalds or their business practices full stop and would never eat there.

[MJT2003]

OK, try this - ask for a plain McFlurry.

 

They look at you as though you have two heads and are speaking in Swahili.

[MJT2003]

Or this one: "I'll have a fish burger please". Again, Swahili.

 

Also, why don't they ever have any fish burgers ready???

[happy_face]

oh they have fish burgers ready in mine. So ready that thy've been lying there for hours. They're so dry and dehydrated when you get one. So I always have to ask them to cook a fresh one.

[hannahjo]

I once asked for a chicken sandwich in McDonalds. The server looked at me like i was speaking in japanese... they really didnt get what i meant until i said 'McChicken sandwich'! That little 'Mc' makes all the difference...

[Litchick]

Loosehead, just got your reply now -- no, no chips OR CRISPS either! :)

[d0gsb0dy]

Another scam, and this is done all over, is to ask if you want ice in your coke. If you are silly enough to say 'yes', a large portion of ice is put in the glass and the coke, already chilled by the way, is poured on top. You then get a watered down drink, and pay over the top for it.

[Dark Angel]

I sympathise with the staff, as I have worked in food service and catering. The staff do as they are instructed, and sometimes things go wrong that are out of their control. Sometimes guests get angry if the food is not ready on time. But that is not the waiters fault.

[Sweet G]

Agree with all of the above. Its the training that throws the counter staff when you step outside of the boundaries by requesting simple orders. I find it amusing. I used to work in McD's many moons ago and it was the making of me I was 16 and I had to wise up very quickly. I would never belittle anyone for working in these establishments, because THEY ARE WORKING and not lying around letting the state subsidise their idleness. I very much dislike comics/DJs/smart arses who still think its hilarious to make jokes about fast food workers.