At approximately 9:10 AM, I placed a drive-thru order using the McDonald’s app. I got a Sprite, a sausage egg McMuffin, and a hash brown. I have been eating this exact order for breakfast for over 30 years. I usually do not visit this McDonald’s, and I will never be back.
I received a sandwich that was burned, stale, and inedible. The bread was hard as a rock on both sides. It was beyond toasted—it was burnt.
I came inside to have the sandwich replaced. I waited for a few minutes, and no one ever came to the counter to greet me or anyone else standing inside. The lady pictured below was talking negatively among her coworkers, complaining about what she wasn’t going to do as she sleeved cold hash browns that had been sitting and were probably from the same batch as the room-temperature one that I had just received.
As a small crowd of patrons began to form in the lobby, I decided that using the drive-thru might be better for me because I wasn’t in a rush and don’t like crowds. I left so I could go through the drive-thru, told the employee on the speaker about my issue, and when I got to the window, the guy at the drive-thru looked into the bag, saw the sandwich (which I had opened), and said, “Oh, you’re talking about the bread.” I said, “Yeah, it’s hard on both sides.” He looked again, nodded in agreement, and said he would remake my order. I said, “Cool, thanks.”
A few minutes later, the lady pictured below came out with a bag and said, “I looked at your sandwich, and this is how they’re made, so if you don’t want it like this, you need to ask for it to be lightly toasted.” I looked at her and said, “Okay, I understand. You can just give me my money back.”
I do not argue with people who are confrontational, nor do I accept food from them. I went to park my car so I could come inside to get the refund, and the entire time I was parking, she continued speaking to me in a disrespectful way, as if the refund was coming directly out of her paycheck. She kept going on about how she was just trying to help me and how she had never had anyone respond this way when she tried to offer help.
Mind you, I wasn’t acting any type of way—I just wanted a refund. No big deal. She was clearly avoiding accountability for the quality of the food coming out of that kitchen, which I didn’t appreciate.
No one wants a burned, hard sandwich that they can’t even bite into, and you do not train your employees to serve sandwiches made that way. Most of us Americans have either worked at McDonald’s or have kids or relatives who currently work at McDonald’s. We don’t need a lesson on how to order food that we order all the time. I’ve ordered this same sandwich hundreds of times across the world, and never have I received a burned, hard, stale sandwich that I couldn’t even break with my fingers. Look at my McDonald’s app orders—this sandwich isn’t new to me.
Not only was she extremely rude to me, but her tone, energy, and delivery were disrespectful and offensive. She behaved in a very unprofessional manner. She shouted at me through the lobby, bringing attention to the situation for everyone there. Evidently, issuing a $4 refund became more of a confrontation than it should have been.
Well, she completely embarrassed herself and made me extremely uneasy and unwelcome.
If the owners or supervisors look at the cameras, they’ll see for themselves—I have no reason to lie. Her behavior was totally unacceptable, and I would never want her representing my business.
I didn’t know what she might do next. You can’t even ask for a refund without being verbally confronted. Her behavior was irate, alarming, and unacceptable. She is a concern to the employees around her. You cannot maintain a safe working environment if employees engage in shouting matches with customers. This is no way to treat the customers who make your job possible. I left the restaurant trembling. I will never be back to this location. Never.