JE
Josh’s Honest Eats
Oct 30, 2026
Extremely Disappointing Experience — October 30, 2026
After an enjoyable evening of trunk-or-treating with my children, my family and I stopped at this McDonald’s on Santa Barbara Boulevard around 8:00 PM. We placed a $99.11 order through the kiosk, expecting a pleasant family meal. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing.
Cleanliness was my biggest concern. My seven-year-old daughter needed to use the restroom, and while waiting for a stall, I witnessed an employee leave without washing his hands. The restroom itself was disgusting. Toilet paper was draped over the toilet, the floors were filthy, and I personally had to clean the toilet seat before my daughter could use it.
The dining area wasn’t much better. Table-number tents were scattered around, and I had to retrieve one from another dining table. When we arrived, only two tables were occupied and nobody was waiting at the counter.
I observed at least eight employees behind the counter, including someone who appeared to be a manager. During approximately 30 minutes inside, I saw one employee change the garbage bags and employees mop behind the counter, but nobody cleaning the dining tables, floors, or restroom. I understand drive-thru and online orders may have kept staff busy, but cleanliness should remain a priority.
Our $99.11 order was also significantly incomplete. We were missing my daughter’s six-piece Happy Meal, including the promotional Halloween bucket, two Big Macs, and every dipping sauce we ordered. We purchased more than 40 chicken nuggets, plus a six-piece Happy Meal, yet not one sauce was provided.
We received part of our food while waiting for the missing items, which contributed to our fries being cold by the time we arrived home.
Food: 2 out of 5 stars. The food wasn’t inedible, and my children enjoyed their meals. However, the presentation was extremely poor. My Big Mac was sloppily assembled, with ingredients spilling out and the bun misaligned. My Daily Double was similarly poorly prepared, and my wife couldn’t finish her Big Mac because of how badly it was assembled. I took a photograph to document the condition of my sandwich.
We arrived around 8:00 PM and didn’t get home until shortly after 9:15 PM, despite living only about 2.5 miles away.
What makes this particularly disappointing is that I’ve visited this location several times before and had genuinely great experiences.
If I were responsible for managing this franchise, I would be appalled by the condition of the restaurant and the overall customer experience.
I understand this is fast food, not fine dining. But basic hygiene, cleanliness, accurate orders, and properly assembled food should be reasonable expectations.
For $99.11, this experience fell far below acceptable standards.
I sincerely hope franchise ownership and management take this feedback seriously. This location has done better before, and I hope it can return to those standards.
This was one of the worst experiences I’ve had at a McDonald’s. We waited nearly 30 minutes for our order while the restaurant was visibly understaffed and customers at the front counter were repeatedly ignored. The inside of the restaurant was also extremely dirty and unpleasant.
The employee taking orders was disrespectful and dismissive toward customers. She was slamming food onto the counter, walking away from people, and generally acting as though customers were an inconvenience. There was also a noticeable body odor issue that made the experience even more unpleasant.
After finally receiving our order, we realized a drink was missing. When we asked about it, we were questioned about not having a receipt, even though the machine had not printed one for us. Instead of helping, the employee walked away and left us waiting another 10 minutes. She eventually came back with the drink, slammed it on the counter, and walked away without saying anything.
Waiting nearly 40 minutes just to receive a basic order and a missing drink is unacceptable, especially when the staff is rude and dismissive throughout the entire experience. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated experience at this location either. The service here has consistently been poor.
Management seriously needs to address the cleanliness, customer service, and overall treatment of customers at this location.