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| A variation of the McGangBang (Same ingredients, different assembling order) |
As I walk through the doors of the small McDonalds restaurant of my neighborhood, I think, ‘It’s alright Susan, the worst they can do is say no.’ Luckily, it is nearly dinnertime and the place is not too packed so I can get the job done without drawing much attention.
There are two ringers occupying the three cashier machines available. As I line up, I think about what to say to appear as normal as possible and to speed the process of my order. When I get to the front of the counter, I wait, unsure of whether it is my turn to order. The people in front appear to have already paid but the cashier is avoiding eye contact with me. I step up and say, “Hi, this may be an odd request but I would like to order a McGangbang with a signed receipt by your manager” but my cashier, Elma, does not hear my second request. “McGangbang? What? Mc-Gang-Bang?” Elma says enunciating each syllable. “Yes, a McGangbang,” I repeat in answer to her rhetorical question. Elma turns to the other cashier, Danielle, and laughingly informs her of my order. A woman in a blue uniform shirt, who I suspect to be middle-manager, steps up to the counter. I ask her if she knows what a McGangbang is. She smiles and nods and I think, “Great! I don’t have to explain myself.” I wait for her to defend my strange order but she continues to smile without a word, which meant either she did not quite hear me or is nodding in confusion. Moments later, the manager, Miguel, conveniently appears in front of the counter, and Elma directs my order to him by pointing a sluggish finger, “Talk to him.” I repeat the order to Miguel but this time I am quick to explain the contents of a McGangbang to avoid wasting more time. I say to him, “I would like to order a McGangbang, which is a McChicken inside the meats of a double cheeseburger.” Miguel is puzzled at first but agrees to do it as long as I pay for it. I assure him that I will and he directs Danielle to ring up the order. “Just don’t get me in trouble,” he says chuckling. He goes to the back where the burgers are assembled and gives directions to the food preparer. However, he returns twice—once to ask if I want the breads of the McChicken and again to ask if I prefer it wrapped or boxed. After about 10 minutes, including wait time, a paper bag with my order is handed to me. I carefully take out the big-mac box and flip open the cover to take a picture with the glorious sandwich. I see the chicken patty at the very center, the slice of American cheese, the mayo oozing out, the thin hamburger patties (upon careful inspection)….but it wasn’t quite a McGangbang. The buns were at the ends with the mayonnaise and lettuce, but the chicken patty was alone at the center. “You have to make sure if it’s right?” asks Miguel with a half-smile, hopeful that there would be no trouble. I smile, pose for a quick photo, thank him and his cashiers, and leave, feeling satisfied that I have nearly fulfilled the task.
If the store had been deserted that day, I might have asked for my order to be corrected but it was enough that the manager went through the trouble of taking my request. He was patient, listened to what I had to say and gave instructions almost immediately.
While the McDonald’s staff was friendly enough and carried out my order without much trouble, it was clear that their management process was flawed. It took longer than it should have just to ring up my order. One of the major problems was the lack of a process for special orders other than ‘no pickles’ or ‘extra ketchup’. My cashier did not handle the situation very well, in that she neither asked me to explain my bizarre order nor did she immediately transfer me to upper management. The other cashier was also confused and looked around puzzled until the woman in the blue uniform approached us. Unfortunately, she could not help me and had less to say than the cashiers. It wasn’t until the manager came up at the counter that things started moving along. The first cashier should have either tried to take matters in her own hands or looked to higher management for help instead of standing there dumbfounded. The middle manager wasn’t very helpful in that she couldn’t understand me and failed to ask me what I had wanted.
It is necessary for the staff to be prepared for unexpected events and in order to tackle extra-special orders, there should be a process followed. If the cashier can, she should try to resolve the problem herself. If she cannot, she should ask the customer to wait and refer the problem to the middle manager. If the middle manager cannot resolve this problem, she will then contact the manager. The staff should try to deal with problems as professionally and efficiently as possible. Although the McDonald’s staff did follow a similar process of referral, it wasn’t as efficient and smooth as it could have been. Time was wasted by standing around and communication was poor. For instance, the cashiers and the middle manager were slow to react and stood around idly instead of taking actions.
The only leader was the manager, a person with power, who was able to help by giving directions and moving the line along. He did not question my order but listened patiently and said that it could be done. He took my order to the back, guided the food assembler, and made sure that the cashier rang my order. Leadership is essential in any job because even in McDonalds, there are problems presented that are not so ordinary.
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| Opening the Big Mac Case at the counter |
