Sometimes, I hate telling people I work at McDonald's. I always say it with a laugh.
McDonald's has that reputation that if you can breathe, you can work there.
Well guess what: I BREATHE. So I work at McDonald's. And I get paid pretty decently too. And I get to work with cool people. People who are different than I am. And I like that.
That being said, here are 10 things employees want you to know.
1. All Day Breakfast. Can we make breakfast for you at 2 in the afternoon? Yes. Will we enjoy it? No. Will it take longer? Yes. Will we be silently fuming at you? Probably. If you do that, please be patient with us. Breakfast will take longer in the afternoons since it's often Cook to Order.
2. McDonald's is busy. We get a lot of orders. If it's lunch, or another rush, please don't get offended when your order isn't the only one we are focused on.
3. McDonald's does have cheap food. However, if you order 8 sandwiches, don't expect your total to be under $10. Dollar menus are a thing of the past.
4. Want to complain that something is too expensive or that a sandwich should or should not be sold? Great. Tell us, and absolutely nothing will change. You wasted your breath and our time. Write a letter to corporate if you want something to change.
5. You're often complaining to the wrong people. Sandwich made wrong? Not enough nuggets in your box? The people you whine to up front aren't even the ones responsible for that. It's us in the back. Please don't take it out on people who had nothing to do with it. If you want something fixed, please treat us with respect. We want to fix things, but it makes it so much easier if you're kind and understanding.
6. Special requests. We can do them. But if you don't want salt on your fries, please understand that we will need to make a new batch. That will take time.
7. Please have your money ready. Whether it's at the drive thru, or dine in, if you have exact change, please have it ready. Every second is counted at McDonald's and we want to be able to serve our customers as fast as we can.
8. Tired of waiting for food? Believe me, we are beating ourselves up already for being slow.
9. We are human too. We aren't just mindless robots. We have feelings, and those feelings can get hurt. Please be kind.
The most important thing you need to know about US:
McDonald's hires so many people. Many of us are high schoolers. Some of us are holding our first job. For some of us, this is our second or third job we are working to make enough money. Many of us are social "rejects," trying to get back on our feet, going through school, and helping our families. We are here to learn responsibility. A lot of us are LGBT, covered with tattoos, have gauges, use rough language, come from broken homes, and are trying to be accepted. I'm one of the lucky ones who does have a nice house to go home to. I'm loved, and I'm cared for. That's not the same for all of us. Some of us have mental illnesses. Some of us have physical ones. But we all still try.
That's the most important thing of all. And I'm pretty proud to work for a company like McDonald's who sees past differences, and treats us the same.
