I used to work at a McDonalds
One of the most soul-destroyingly dull places imaginable, especially when you're one of the few staff there who speaks English. And the only one to have to shave in the name of hygiene.

I'm always shocked at the levels of utter uselessness of the staff at these places. It's more complex than just "do ya want fries wi' tha'?" but not much more.

It takes 45 seconds to cook a happy meal burger (42 if they're in a busy period and the grille's real hot). And they cook 9 burgers at a time. In those 45 seconds you get the meal mostly sorted. Which means that it takes about 1, maybe 1.5 minutes to dish out 9 burgers of the style you were asking. Or maybe 2.5 if it's a quarter pounder.
I used to manage this- which is surprising given how incredibly bone-idle-lazy I was back then.
If you're served your grilled stuff before your deep-fried stuff has finshed cooking, they're incompetent. The fried stuff takes longer to cook and longer to prepare, and the grilled stuff cools down faster.

Staff on tills aren't supposed to handle food unless it's wrapped (or chips)- if you see them disappear into the kitchen then pass it through the hot-slide to themselves try to report them to customer services or someone. It's a violation of the staff handbook.

Everybody- make it difficult for them. Make them have to work to a decent standard of customer service. No-one expects perfection from them, but they could at least stop being so fucking bone idle. You never know, if it drums some work ethic into them you could really change their lives for the better.
( uberdeity Wondered why Owen Lars knew of the term "hell" on, Wed 28 Jan 2009, 13:11, 1 reply)

cook 9 at a time?
Not when I worked there. 4 clamshell grills on regular? You can do 48 simultaneously - 12 under each. Although technically only 36 on the grill at anyone time as by the time you've laid the last lot, youve taken off the first. And so on

9 quarters though fit under a grill.

I quite enjoyed my mcdonalds time (upto 1991). The studenty people that worked there were great, the locals (full timers) were ok, mostly it was a good bunch of people, and we actually respected the job. We were paid well for our ages, got as many or as few shifts as we liked mostly, got free food, I got some management training - almost considered completing my Floor managers course, but all in all good times. Not sure whats happened since. Are kids thicker? Are they too posh to wash? Has the hiring policy changed? What? Would love to know as without doubt in the last 10 years or so they have only employed the seemingly unemplyable.
( I have run out of coke is a little sweaty, Wed 28 Jan 2009, 14:55, closed)

My mistake
I spent too long at the quarter grille, so that' sort of stuck in my head.

Paid not horrendously (not _well_ but marginally above minimum wage, which is pretty good going if you're working weekends as a recent school leaver). They're not too posh to wash, they just don't.
Like you say, they only seem to employ the seemingly unemployable now- it's been a gradual descent. I believe some branches are recognising this and trying to sort it out now- the Credit Crunch could help with this as there'll be a lot of people looking for work. People who actually speak the language to the extent that they can get through the whole menu without having to ask for help.

Just had a McD's from my not-so-Alma McMater for old times' sake. They took a good 20 minutes to cook a big mac meal, got the order wrong and the chips were cold. Cockbites.
( uberdeity Wondered why Owen Lars knew of the term "hell" on, Wed 28 Jan 2009, 15:50, closed)