PG
Pinky Guerrero
Jun 5, 2026
My husband and I visited this McDonald’s location last week on our way to Nevada for a family emergency. During that visit, we specifically commented on how kind, polite, and welcoming the staff were. Given everything our family was dealing with, that kindness truly meant a lot and left such a positive impression that we intentionally planned to stop here again today on our way back through Wickenburg.
Unfortunately, today’s experience was completely different.
While placing our order at the drive-thru speaker, we politely requested buffalo sauce. The employee taking the order (Receipt #1396, Register KS#13) responded by telling us we could simply ask for it at the payment window. We thanked them and followed those instructions.
When we arrived at the payment window, we requested the buffalo sauce as instructed. The employee assisting us (Receipt #1502, Register KS#15) immediately responded in a rude and dismissive tone, stating, “Okay, we charge for it.”
We were surprised because we had already paid at that point and had not been informed beforehand. We immediately replied that it was not a problem and that we would gladly pay for the sauce.
However, instead of simply processing the request, the employee repeatedly stated, “We charge for it,” despite us repeatedly confirming that we understood and were willing to pay.
When we explained that we had originally attempted to order the sauce at the speaker and had been directed to request it at the window, the employee responded, “Well, yeah. It’s not on your order and I don’t know why they would say that because we charge for it.”
Again, we explained that we were simply following the instructions given by another employee.
The issue here is not the 39-cent charge for buffalo sauce. If I request something extra, I fully expect to pay for it.
The issue is customer service, communication, and execution.
As customers, we followed the instructions provided by your team, communicated clearly, used our manners, and remained respectful throughout the interaction. We should not be made to feel like we are causing a problem when we are simply following the directions given by your employees.
This experience highlighted a lack of communication between team members and a failure to maintain a consistent level of customer service. Employees represent the McDonald’s brand, and while mistakes happen, there is no reason for customers to be met with frustration or attitude when they have done exactly what they were instructed to do.
What makes this especially disappointing is that our experience just one week ago at this same location was outstanding. We know this restaurant is capable of providing excellent customer service because we experienced it ourselves.
I hope management uses this as a coaching opportunity regarding communication, professionalism, and customer engagement. Kindness goes a long way, especially when you never know what someone may be dealing with outside of your drive-thru window.