This is why I am disgusted with most of the restaurant industry.

*disclaimer* I promised myself I would come home and write tonight. I did not proof read before posting. There may be typos.*

So, this morning I drive to the McDonalds that is closest to my self-induced daily hostage situation (my job). Ugh. I order a Sausage McMuffin meal at the drive through speaker. The person taking the orders is nice enough and told me to pull around. When I got to the window this dude’s hair was everywhere and he was wearing a hoodie over his messy hair. Although I was seriously disappointed in the way he chose to show up for work, I was more mortified at his hands! His nails were filthy. Yuck. This was the cashier. The person making all face to face contact with every person that comes through the line. Clearly no one, and I mean no one cared enough to train this young man on work place appearances or basic hand hygiene. So, I know everyone in the world got a freaking crash course on how important hand washing is back in 2020. And, just in case if anyone is wondering it is still important and relevant today. Especially and most importantly when you’re in the food business!!! I am totally and completely frustrated with the lackadaisical downward spiral that food service is going. And, today I want to list my complaints and what the restaurant industry needs to do now!

1. As stated above, no one seems to care about personal presentation anymore. When I was a kid and I went to a restaurant everyone wore a CLEAN uniform and they wore it properly while representing the company you worked for. I am demanding proper work attire be brought back in to normal practice without exception. If you cannot wear the uniform you cannot work here. Period.

2. So, also as I have already said hand hygiene is super important and so is how a person manages the hair on their head and face. Clean hands, neat facial hair and appropriate hair coverings should be the norm. This must be the requirement. I don’t want to think about where someone’s hands have been before they got to me. Where is the hand washing sink in proximity to your work station? I need to see clean hands and know that those hands have just been throughly washed before we started talking about my food. In addition to that, although a person may have beautiful braids, locs, long ,short, wavy or straight hair, if it is all over your head …it’s all over everything else. So, wrap it up!!

3. I need to know who is running the restaurant? I never see a manager. Everyone looks the same and acts the same. Who is doing the training? Where is the customer service class being held? Was it canceled somewhere back in 2012? Because, I mean almost no one has any customer service skills these days. (For anyone reading this who has kids: THE TRAINING STARTS AT HOME). So, in case you can not figure this out. I buy a lot of take out food; fast food or otherwise. I know that this is not the best choice health wise but, right now I am a busy woman and there is only so much I can do in a day….. Moving on…. and Back to Basic Customer Service 101: Why is it so hard to say “Hello welcome to “Best Burgers” may I take your order? And, why does the order taker have an attitude problem? Bad attitudes have no place in customer service. Even if you are not happy to be doing this particular job nobody should know about it but you until after the end of your shift. So restaurant owners and managers can you please get back to basic training with your employees and then do it again and again. Remember, it’s your business that they are representing and they are also failing it too.

4. Ok, this is a big one. It’s right under hand hygiene and just as important for anyone that is serving and selling hot food. Bosses, owners and managers listen up: CAN I GET SOME HOT AND FRESH FOOD? It seem as though good fast food is a myth now days. Most fast food is not even hot when you get it; it’s lukewarm at best. What’s up with that? Do you McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy’s have a thing against hot burgers, hot buns and freshly melted cheese? Is there a law against fresh out of the grease fries? And, last but not least? What’s up with making the pops in advance? Who does that? Don’t you know that letting a coke sit for minutes on end dilutes its power of the throat burn? That’s the reason I order a coke to make sure I am still alive inside. Besides that, the supposed ice is the palate cleanser after my meal. But, now it’s gone because it was sitting in the window for 10 minutes before I placed my order. Listen up Fast Food Restaurants if you make the food to order the customers will come. Probably more customer than you had before, if you promise them good hot food made with love. People do not mind waiting for good hot food. But they can get pretty feisty if they wait 5 minutes for cold burgers and hot pop.

5. My last complaint for today is: There are too many items on the menu. Stick to what you know and do that thing well. Stop creating new items for your menus. Bring back the classics. Burger King, can we get a whopper sized whopper? In the whopper box with what I ordered marked on the front of it like when I was kid? Wendy’s: Where are the old fries? Those new fries are not real fries; you can’t fool me. I am a fry fanatic. And, where is the Big Classic? Also, you do not need to sell breakfast. You are a lunch and dinner spot. Be a lunch and dinner spot. McDonald’s: (deep sigh)….. What happened to the fried apple pies and the McDonald Land cookies? Why did you change the Quarter Pounder with Cheese? The new one is trash by the way. Also, throw away the fritter and bring back the danish from decades ago.

Signed,

A Life Long Fast Foodie