The Pickle Effect

As an ex-avid fan of fast food, I did not mind the excuse of stepping into McDonalds for unsalted fries and a four pickled hamburger. I went to two different locations, one in Brooklyn, and one in Manhattan during different hours. I stepped into the one in Bensonhurst; Brooklyn at around 10pm, there was no line but limited seating. I asked specifically, “Hi, Can I please get a hamburger with 4 pickles and fries without the salt?” She looked at me indifferently and said “okay, anything else?” I responded with “4 pickles, and don’t forget, no salt”. She said, “Okay, your total is $2.17 and your fries will take 3 minutes”. In utter shock at her casual attitude, I looked down at my receipt which stated everything I asked for, it was flawless. I looked up to see their process, one girl waited by the fries, the cashier clarified to the extra pickles, all within 2 minutes and nothing out of the ordinary.

On the other hand, 7pm at the McDonalds by Astor Place, Manhattan did have a line. The cashier, Crystal was not necessarily nice as she looked up at me from the register as if I’m some sort of weirdo once I asked specifically for 4 pickles. I wasn’t charged extra but the pricing was different, it cost roughly $3, probably because Manhattan generally does cost more than Brooklyn. Either way, I was put aside to wait for my order along with 4 other customers. The customer ahead of me ordered a McFlurry and they forgot her M&Ms which they didn’t apologize for. In the back, the hamburger boy made my burger in seconds like sprinkling salt on fries. When completed, a random cashier screamed out my order, “Fries and hamburger with extra pickles! Or something…” I grabbed my order with my head down of embarrassment as some girls giggled at me. The whole situation made it seem like I had some weird pickle fetish, way too easy to make a gay pun out of. I questioned Crystal regarding my receipt of why only one pickle was stated and not four. She said that’s how the extra 4 pickles are stated in receipts and as I left I can’t help but feel awkward as Crystal and her gargoyle-looking manager whisper something behind me back.
Customized transactions are not a problem in McDonalds, as it is rather common for customers to customize their orders especially for fries. One of the workers said, there would be customers who would specifically order unsalted fries but then ask for salt packets afterwards to get the freshest fries possible. With the disgust from Fast Food Nation, it was understandable that McDonalds would try their best to cater to everyone’s needs to regain their public image. Overall, the management, communication, and coordination for both locations were quick and efficient. Both locations were given roles to each worker to work as a team. (i.e. cashiers continues to take other customers, one specifically handles the flies, etc.). However, the customer service levels were very different possibly because of different hours and location.

Brooklyn was impressive but the employees in the Manhattan store were angry above the nose, and smirking below the nose. The order was correct but I wouldn’t want to go back there due to the negative atmosphere. There was an evident disregard for a good impression and the weird judgmental stare was not appreciated. I also wouldn't go back because it felt like I was a bother to them. I understand that it’s a McDonalds but I can easily just walk across the street for a slice of pizza, or some diner for an actual burger, or hop on a train for a few stops to a Burger King where there’s also a Wendy’s right across the street. An improvement in customer service is highly recommended. To start off the gargoyle-looking manager should change her attitude since she had the same attitude as her workers which set off a bad example. The cashiers should be more approachable and that one specific cashier shouldn’t have said “…something” along with my order because that shows that she was not familiar and that she doesn’t care for my order. I feel that it’s better to call out the orders by their order number instead of the actual item to respect the customer’s guilty indulgences. It also wouldn’t hurt to apologize for not completing a customer’s order correctly in regards to the McFlurry. More importantly; it is not just the quarter pound cheeseburgers or the dollar menus that draws the customer back in again, but the experience of the store in any restaurant or retail store. In conclusion, their customer service could use improvement as it made me feel uncomfortable asking for more help, they did not “love to see me smile”, and I wasn’t “lovin’ it”.