The Very Official McDonalds (and other fast food outlets) Thread

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Square Eyes
Posts: 630
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.38

Can we talk about McDonalds ? Feel free to talk about other fast food establishments but I think Metropol needs this thread.

So I've had cause to frequent a few McD's since the rollout of this new self ordering kiosk & table service which appears to be nearing universal coverage.

Hasn't the service though suffered ? It's like they receive too many orders too quickly and they can't cope in the kitchen, that and the piecemeal nature by which the order is constructed, ie. someone pours a drink, sticks it on a table, someone else gets the other elements of the order, locates a drink attempts to match it up and then someone else puts it all in a bag or a tray and then shouts your number. Nobody anymore appears to have overall responsibility for all the component parts of your order.

Meanwhile whilst there is no longer a queue to order, the queue has shifted to everyone milling around waiting for their number to come up, to be beckoned forward like in a branch of Argos, usually some 15 minutes later. Not very fast food.
all new Phil
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Location: Next door to Hell

The one across from my work was an early adopter and, despite being pretty busy, they seem to cope pretty well with the new system. Don't think I've ever waited more than 5 minutes.

I went to one in Paris city centre recently, which was also using this system. From ordering we were stood waiting for about half an hour, at a time when it wasn't overly busy. I've also been to one on the outskirts, which was also using this system and was absolutely rammed. Despite this, we weren't waiting more than 5 minutes or so from ordering.

I think it depends on the individual restaurant and the people working. Being nosey I tend to watch what they're doing like a hawk, and it seems like the systems are really good that they have in place. I think if you've got a team working who can't be arsed or aren't well managed, it can easily fall apart.

It's a system we've looked into using in the company I work for and have trialled.
Alexia
Posts: 2999
Joined: Sat 01 Oct, 2005 17.50

MAX in Sweden also has this system, but with a hugely more varied menu and customisation on practically everything. I visited a branch near Stockholm Centralen station and we got served within 10 minutes of placing a large, customised order. And it was much much nicer than McDs.

Only ever go in McDs on Paddlingpool station now which is, and probably always will be, old-school counter order. And because I'm a fusspot (and still on a diet) I order the grillled chicken garlic wrap SANS cucumber and lettuce which means I have to wait anything up to 5 minutes for it to be prepared.

My fast food of choice is Nando's. Don't touch Five Guys or any of these new American shake shack style places.

Nowt wrong with a good old fashioned sausage and chips with curry sauce mind.
Martin Phillp
Posts: 1500
Joined: Wed 11 May, 2011 01.28

I prefer the new way of ordering. Ordered a hot drink recently at the end of Oxford St and the whole transaction was faster than waiting in a queue which would be full of tourists and people making complex orders for Happy Meals.

I've also been to a couple of suburban restaurants where the service was a lot quicker than the lines of queues. The only time I had to wait longer than a few minutes, a member of staff gave me the food at my table.
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Andrew
Posts: 334
Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 18.18

In my experience in the newer/refurbished city centre restaurants, even if they don't use the Argos system, they'll still be using the 'multiple people compiling the order' system.

It's better to take all the orders than to take one, mess about for ages dealing with it, then to take another, as the kitchen will know what's coming up quicker.

McDonalds in London can be fun, with queues where you don't know how many tills are actually serving one queue and you always end up in the one that only has one till at the end of it, with a tourist in front ordering for their entire party.

The worst service IMO seems to be Burger King in a service station, I've never been to one that doesn't have a very skeleton staff with no food ready and therefore rush cooked together.
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Pete
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Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.36
Location: Dundee

The two biggest annoyances of the argos system are:
  • when for some reason they call the order contents rather than the nummber
  • when they make your coffee with cream on it first, and by the time they've got the food ready the cream has melted away :(
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gottago
Posts: 274
Joined: Thu 29 Jan, 2009 19.50

Has anyone made much use of the table service? I've only used it when paralytic in order to reduce the chances of me falling over and smacking my teeth on the counter.

I'm surprised it doesn't slow down the counter service.
Martin Phillp
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gottago wrote: Sun 25 Jun, 2017 15.31 Has anyone made much use of the table service? I've only used it when paralytic in order to reduce the chances of me falling over and smacking my teeth on the counter.

I'm surprised it doesn't slow down the counter service.
They have it in the Uxbridge restaurant, but only in one area downstairs.
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woah
Posts: 369
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Martin Phillp wrote: Sun 25 Jun, 2017 17.16
gottago wrote: Sun 25 Jun, 2017 15.31 Has anyone made much use of the table service? I've only used it when paralytic in order to reduce the chances of me falling over and smacking my teeth on the counter.

I'm surprised it doesn't slow down the counter service.
They have it in the Uxbridge restaurant, but only in one area downstairs.
There's a branch in a shopping centre here in Sheffield where you can enter from the upstairs seating area and order your food to an upstairs table at one of the screens, without even having to be on the same floor as the main counter/kitchen. It's great!

It used to have an upstairs counter in that same area that only sold hot drinks, muffins and the like, though you could bring food from downstairs if you wanted. I think that must have been fairly unique.
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WillPS
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woah wrote: Sun 25 Jun, 2017 19.54
Martin Phillp wrote: Sun 25 Jun, 2017 17.16
gottago wrote: Sun 25 Jun, 2017 15.31 Has anyone made much use of the table service? I've only used it when paralytic in order to reduce the chances of me falling over and smacking my teeth on the counter.

I'm surprised it doesn't slow down the counter service.
They have it in the Uxbridge restaurant, but only in one area downstairs.
There's a branch in a shopping centre here in Sheffield where you can enter from the upstairs seating area and order your food to an upstairs table at one of the screens, without even having to be on the same floor as the main counter/kitchen. It's great!

It used to have an upstairs counter in that same area that only sold hot drinks, muffins and the like, though you could bring food from downstairs if you wanted. I think that must have been fairly unique.
It was a McCafe at some point wasn't it? Didn't really catch on over here but still have quite a few on the continent.
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jonathan
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Alexia wrote: Sat 24 Jun, 2017 21.53 Only ever go in McDs on Paddlingpool station now which is, and probably always will be, old-school counter order. And because I'm a fusspot (and still on a diet) I order the grillled chicken garlic wrap SANS cucumber and lettuce which means I have to wait anything up to 5 minutes for it to be prepared.
I understand all chicken items are made to order (and beef items in Argos style restaurants without the warming cabinet) so your wait time shouldn't be different without the cucumber and lettuce.

I've had mixed experiences with the new system. Usually it's about the same wait time as previously, sometimes faster if it's a coffee only but sometimes slower. On a couple of occasions I've had to ask them to remake a McFlurry when it's busy because it's been prepared straight away and melted but the wrap takes longer to arrive.
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