The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
McDonald's has just launched a new adult Happy Meal in Canada, and as a former employee of the brand, I sympathize with how chaotic it must be for staff right now.
I have very fond memories of my time working at the drive-thru when I was 16, but in all of the customer service jobs I ever worked, there were some behaviours in particular from McDonald's customers that would grind my gears.
If you've ever been guilty of doing any of the behaviours below, please reconsider — I know the staff will appreciate it!
Asking for a specific toy in your Happy Meal
Listen, I know your kid has their heart set on a certain toy, but if you're going through the drive-thru, it's not always feasible to communicate to the person running the food that you need a specific iteration of whatever trinket is being given in the Happy Meals.
That being said, if you come into the restaurant itself, it's much easier to accommodate those requests. We want your kid to be happy and we want you to get the exact McNugget Buddy you want in your adult Happy Meal — just don't ask it of us in the drive-thru!
Asking for "fresh" nuggets
Asking for "fresh" McNuggets is a request that came in surprisingly often and is a sure-fire way to annoy everyone on the line.
In my experience, nuggets (and most meats) are cooked in batches throughout the day as needed and are kept warm until they are used.
Asking for fresh nuggets means you're forcing someone to get out an entirely new bag of nuggets and cook the whole lot of them, which takes more than a few minutes away from what that person would normally be doing and could result in an excess of product at the end of shift, which means it gets dumped.
Like, my friend, you are at McDonald's. Maybe adjust your expectations a bit?
Asking for "fresh" fries
Asking for "fresh" fries is less annoying than asking for "fresh" nuggets, but it's a bit of a silly ask.
During busy periods, the fries are almost constantly being replenished. Even during calmer times during the day, they may sit for a maximum of ten minutes before they're all used up.
Quite frankly, there's really no difference in the quality between fries that come straight out of the fryer and those that have been sitting in a warmer. But hey, if you want to stare at me for three minutes while I fry them up fresh, you do you.
If you ask for fresh fries at the drive-thru during the overnight shift, there's zero chance you're getting them. At my location, we'd just dunk the already-done fries in the oil for a few seconds — think of it as a "refresh." Sorry, not sorry.
Complaining about the ice cream machine not working
You know what sounds good on a hot summer day? An ice cream!
You know what rarely works? The ice cream machine!
I absolutely understand that this is frustrating, but getting annoyed at me is not going to solve your problem, just like it didn't solve the problem of the dozen people before you who complained.
I made about $12 per hour when I worked at McDonald's (which was pretty damn reasonable in 2006 for a 16-year-old). I promise you I was not responsible for the state of the ice cream machine and had no sway in whether it was fixed or not.
Leaving your spawn unattended
The number of parents that would come in, order some food and then just... leave their child was astounding (and possibly illegal?).
They'd generally be a little sneaky about it and stash their kid in a corner a little out of sight, but c'mon, we're not babysitters!
As well, if your kid is in the play place, you really need to keep an eye on them — mishaps can happen and it really isn't up to the employees to make sure your kid isn't kicking another.
Asking for secret menu items and expecting us to know what they are
If you want to modify something in your meal, sure. Asking for a bunch of modifications might make us roll our eyes, but it's usually do-able.
What I can't do for you is punch in an item I've never heard of that is not on the menu. No, there really isn't a secret menu, and asking me about it isn't going to get you anywhere.
Thankfully, TikTok wasn't a thing while I worked at Mickey D's so people didn't hit me up with too many wild secret menu requests, but I do feel for those who work there in the age of social media.
Flirting
I used to work the overnight shift at the drive-thru and it was a real introduction to how gross people can be. Around 2 a.m., when the bars and clubs all closed, a wave of drunk people would be rolling up for food. This brought with it behaviour that was cringey at best, and unsettling at worst.
At first I would be quite upset when people would say something lewd to me, but it was character-building in the sense that I learned to be empowered and tell people they weren't going to get served, so keep driving. Bye!
Rude people
That brings me to a customer service classic — rude people.
This might be common sense to many but don't yell at the person doing their best to get you your food. It's likely not their fault it's taking a while, that there's a line-up, that it doesn't have the perfect ratio of ketchup to mustard that you desperately need, or that your kid is unhappy with the toy in their Happy Meal.
We're all just trying to make it through the day, so show a little kindness the next time you visit a fast food place!
This article has been updated since it was originally published on October 5, 2022.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
