Reasonable Service

The closest McDonald’s to my house is the one on Hwy 71 & Brooken Hill. My family doesn’t like it. When you walk up to the counter, you are as likely as not to be met with a dumb stare. No greeting, no smile; just the counterperson challenging you to make them work.

My son always orders a plain hamburger. No cheese, no condiments, nothing. Just a plain piece of meat between two pieces of bread. This McDonald’s cannot do that. His dry burger invariably comes with cheese or mustard. Then the employees make a big deal about it not being their fault. If not his burger, then they mess up another part of our order. Almost always.

My quarter-pounder with cheese came without cheese once. When I returned to the counter to have it corrected, they gave me two cold pieces of cheese in a box and refused to remake my meal. There are many more incompetence stories, but you get the point. This McDonald’s is so consistently unreliable that I even printed up cards once that said on the front side: “I was so sure you would mess up my order that I printed this card.” The back side of the cards said “McDonald’s Hwy 71 & Brooken Hill” so they would know they were specifically for them.

My family might tolerate their incompetence if they would stop treating us like we were an intrusion on their behind-the-counter shouting matches.

We drive past this McDonald’s to get to the good McDonald’s on Towson Avenue. What a contrast in same-name businesses! My kids call it the “Minority McDonald’s.” It’s staffed primarily by Black and Hispanic workers. We rarely see any white people working there.

Minority McDonald’s is our favorite one. It’s cleaner than any of the others, and as you approach the counter, the counterperson smiles and asks for our order. If there’s a line, they move quickly and cheerfully. Our order has never been mixed up. More importantly, they act like they like us.

I know the McDonald’s business story. What a brilliant corporate plan! How sad, though, to have all the money invested in marketing and customer satisfaction killed by an under-trained counterperson who perceives you as an intrusion into his or her busy schedule.

We rarely go to the Hwy 71 McDonald’s. If we need fast food fast, we go across the street to the new Taco Bell, which, by the way, has outstanding service. Otherwise, we drive to the Minority McDonald’s.

I appreciate reasonable service.