The McDonald’s on Coney Island and Ditmas Avenue, where I live, is where the local crowd allays their after-school, after-midnight and after-doobee munchies. This place is not your archetypal Ronald McDonald house. In fact, it is the opposite. Ketchup is on the floor instead of the ketchup dispenser, napkins are a luxury and the average serving time is almost 5 minutes. And to sum up – it’s quite an experience, but you get exactly what you order.
The first time I went to McDonald’s to complete this assignment I forgot to ask for a receipt, so I was forced to go again. It paid off given that now I can delve into the management process of both fast food franchises, compare and contrast my experiences, and most importantly avoid being redundant.
About a month ago during brunch I went to McDonald’s near my work with a friend/neighbor/co-worker, who volunteered to be the guinea pig (provided that I’m not a big fan of greasy, fast food that never putrefies). The place was empty, however brimming with personnel. I ordered a hamburger with 4 pickles and small fries with no salt, trying hard to contain my grin. The ordering process was swift and straightforward, yet I felt that the person taking my order overlooked how important the instructions of “4 pickles and no salt” actually were. So I repeated my order and emphasized that I only needed 4 pickles, no more no less, and no salt on my fries. I did this twice. The girl taking my order smiled, as well as the rest of the personnel standing at the counter, and relayed the information to those making my hamburger in the back, stressing that they put only 4 pickles. After some stares at the anally-retentive, control freak of a guy in business attire, more concerned about the pickles on his hamburger at 11 AM in the morning, than anything else in the world, the order was ready. I timed the whole process at 1 minute and 30 seconds. Throughout the whole ordeal about 5 people got involved: the girl who took my order and put the fries and the hamburger into a paper bag; the manager who packed my small fries carton full of unsalted fries; 2 people in the back who prepared my hamburger, functioning as a conveyor belt; and another employee who repeated my instructions to both the manager and hamburger assemblers in the back. Aside from stares, which made me quite uncomfortable, the ordering and waiting process were satisfactory. In fact, one of the staff members even joked about how tough Tuesday mornings are, and a hamburger with 4 pickles sometimes makes the world go round. My co-worker, a.k.a. – the guinea pig, found the fries to be unsalted as ordered, but after carefully examining the hamburger we found that it contained 5 and a half pickles. What a comedown!
Considering the serving time and how my order was processed I would rank the management process as very efficient. I would go even further and say that personnel involved worked like a well-oiled machine, such as one employee taking initiative to repeat my instructions and the manager filling a small carton with fries as soon as the order appeared on the computer screen. Nevertheless, there is sill the issue of 5 and a half pickles instead of 4. This slip-up can be attributed to the general logic of “more is better than less” that influenced the decision of the overachieving personnel in the back. For ranking’s sake, I would grade the manufacturing process and communication as average (factoring in the speedy order process and the unnecessary 1.5 extra pickles), coordination as excellent, and customer service as slightly above average (bearing in mind how self-conscious the 8 person staff made me with their stares). Nevertheless, I wasn’t satisfied with my order, and in the case that I enjoyed a McDonald’s hamburger with 4 pickles and small, unsalted fries, next time I would try my luck at McDonald’s 3 blocks down the street.
After I realized that I forgot to get a receipt I scheduled another “4 pickles and no salt” experiment with my friend/neighbor/co-worker and guinea pig – Alex. At his request we went to a local McDonald’s, so that I would have a richer experience to write about. And I did. Approximately a week ago at 11 PM on a weeknight, Alex and I drove into our neighbor‘hood’ McDonald’s, the location of many childhood memories. There was a line of a few people, and the personnel consisted of about 6 people, three of which were in the back. The manager seemed brash, overworked but eager to take the order and help his employees in the process. When the line cleared the manager took my order, spit out the receipt and change in the matter of seconds. After I repeated my order he also reiterated the “4 pickles and no salt” instruction in an army manner, both to himself and to me. Instantly I knew that the guy meant business. The manager shouted to the staff in the back to put only 4 pickles onto my hamburger, while he filled up a small carton with fries. He did this on another occasion 3 minutes later when my hamburger was actually being made. It was evident that compared to the McDonald’s on Fulton, this franchise was greatly understaffed, especially if we take into account the constant line of customers and drive-in orders. The manager kept a short leash on his employees, but in no way deprecated them. He used an authoritative style of management, and exerted more effort and steam than a coal powered locomotive. Roughly 5 minutes later my order was ready. The fries were unsalted once again, something both me and Alex have come to expect. However, the sense of genuine triumph came after we discovered exactly 4 pickles on the hamburger. ShaZZAAM!
I would assume that about 3 staff members were involved in process. Those were the manager, and the two employees in the back who produced my hamburger. I was treated very well while I both ordered and waited, and I didn’t mind lingering that extra time. I would rate the manufacturing process as good, communication between the staff as excellent, coordination as excellent, and customer service as good.
As a consultant for McDonald’s I would recommend the franchise on Fulton to train their back room employees to prepare very specific orders, such as mine. I would possibly advocate an option to pass on such specific information through computer screens used in the ordering process. As for my neighborhood McDonald’s I would not advise any change, except to hire more personnel, so that they can alleviate the pressure on the manager, and cut the serving time threefold.
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