In a Multiple Pickle World

Two days ago I went to McDonald's to get our special order. When I got there, the manager was standing right next to the cashier at the time of my order, so as soon as he heard my order he started punching it into the register. I asked them to make sure the receipt specified 5 pickles and well done fries with Big Mac sauce. At first he said that he can't put in 5 pickles, but after a second or so he said, “oh yeah I can do that.” I also suggested he can push the button 5 times otherwise, but he came up with a way to add it already. When I got the receipt, it showed "1 PUTIN5 PICKLE,” but it didn't specify “Well done” for the fries and “Big Mac sauce.” I kept asking to add this, but the manager repeatedly said that he cannot do that and that it's not possible in this store, so I asked if he could handwrite it on the receipt and sign, and then I remembered that our professor had said in class that we could do that and also ask for their business card. I asked for his card, but he said that he doesn't have any. He handwrote the additional information on the receipt and signed it. While writing this report I feel like I was hired as a management consultant, and many of my observations here are from this point of view.

For my order and receipt generation, two people were involved; the cashier and the manager. Since the manager happened to be standing next to the cashier when I walked in, he was accessible and could answer questions and punch in the special order. Since the people who prepare the food are in the back, I’m not sure how many were involved. However, the manager possibly re-packed my food. At first, the food came pretty quickly, in a bag. Before I even reached out to it, the manager grabbed the bag and said, “Let me just double-check that they have given you the correct order,” or something similar. He took the bag to the back, and came back a few minutes later, with what I think was a slightly bigger bag. Maybe the order wasn't correct and maybe he waited for a new burger. After I got my order I also double-checked it, and it was correctly a burger with 5 pickles, fries, and sauce on the side to dip them in. I took the pickles off and ate the food (I don't like pickles).

While I was still waiting for the food, two other cashiers came by and started talking to my cashier (while the manager was still in the back checking my food), and for some reason, one of the cashiers took my receipt and crushed it in her hand and was about to throw it out! I said, “Wait that's my receipt!” and she said, “Oh I'm sorry, I'll straighten it out for you” (it was now wrinkled). At the same time, the other cashier printed out a new receipt. Since the manager had handwritten on the other receipt already, when he came back I had to ask him again to specify and sign again, and he did.

When it comes to communication, there seemed to have been an unspoken communication between the cashier and the manager. The communication pattern was mainly between the manager and the cashier, and me the customer. However, they did not say that much to each other, it was mostly a quiet transaction. As soon as the cashier started hearing my order, she smiled, and since the manager was right next to her, he just stopped whatever he was doing and silently started punching things into the cashier. During my order, she asked the manager if she should charge extra, and he said no. I asked them to please make sure that those things were specified on the receipt as well. It was mostly me and the manager talking. The communication between the manager and the other employees seemed limited, and instead of delegating a task to one of them, he took matters in his own hands and checked that the food was correct. It’s possible he asked someone in the kitchen to re-do the order. Also, the communication between the manager and the cashier was more non-verbal, like they knew what to do right away. When I first came in, the girl smiled welcoming and asked for my order. However, it took a few tries before I could actually order, because there was another customer that said he hadn't ordered yet and there was a strange moment then. She had asked me to order, and at the same time started talking to the other customer and other employees, but he replied that it was ok and that he could wait. I would suggest that they communicate more between the employees and the manager, and between them and the customers. For example, the cashier should have communicated better with me and the other customer in the above-mentioned situation in the beginning of the visit. After that, I felt that I was heard, taken seriously, and accepted as a customer.

It took a while to get my order. At first, my order came pretty quickly. However, after the manager grabbed the bag to double-check it, it took a while. Maybe the order wasn't correct, and maybe he was waiting for another burger. The wait felt quite long, although it might have just felt even longer since I was a bit nervous. In the past I have experienced varied waiting times, both shorter and longer than this. However, since this was a special order, it is ok that it took a few minutes, and it seems like it was an acceptable waiting time.

I was quite surprised that the manager kept saying that he cannot enter some of my special order on the machine (well done and big mac sauce). I kept asking and asking, and he said it wasn't possible. I even suggested, “How about if you use the 'well-done' button that can be used to specify hamburgers?” and mentioned that I've seen it before, and he said that they don't have that option. When I talked to my roommate later in the evening, she said that had worked there and confirmed it really isn't possible to enter. I realized that I've probably seen it in other burger places such as In'n'Out (in Los Angeles) and other fast food places. I'm wondering if anyone doing this assignment was able to get “well-done” specified on the receipt? Maybe smaller branches have a more limited choice of buttons at the cash register? I'm not sure.

The organization seemed pretty good here. I was there around 5:30pm, and it probably helped that there were very few customers at this time too. Also, this was a small branch with a drive-in, so most orders were probably handled at the drive-in. It seemed like they had a lot of time to help any customers that walked in, like me. I'm not sure if they usually include the manager to handle all special orders, but maybe this was more possible now because of the small amount of customers at this time. I liked that he did that, and it was a professional way of handling a customer with special requests. Overall, I felt that they were professional regarding the food, as when my food came and the manager took the initiative to double-check that his customer (me) had gotten the correct order. They seemed to be a little thrown off by my request to specify it on the receipt, but he was ok with handwriting on it and signing it. If I were the manager, among the things that I would do to better accommodate special orders would probably be to make sure that the register could handle special orders at any time. There should be options that can be edited and adjusted. Any order should be able to be specified on the receipt. People may have various reasons for wanting an order specified on a receipt, and the customer shouldn't have to feel embarrassed or out of the ordinary for asking for it. Also, I might bring a group of employees together to discuss various scenarios that may occur, such as specific food requests and possible variations of that. I would also come up with plans to handle those orders fast and efficient in the kitchen, when we do receive them. Contingency plans should also be developed, just in case! Five pickles shouldn't seem like a strange request. When you really think about it, it seems like a perfect amount on a burger! It covers the whole burger! So for those who really do like pickles, I can see how five pickles would be the perfect amount. When it comes to the fries, why not being able to get well-done fries? Some people are concerned with food safety, and some are extreme about it, so this should be an option that people shouldn't have to feel weird about asking for. I understand that it is an unusual request, and I was prepared for some smiles from the staff, but imagine if there were a customer who were really serious about their order. Some might feel laughed at if the staff doesn't keep a straight face, like they would do if the order was “normal.” Furthermore, it might be a good idea to train the staff on handling unusual orders and the way they react to unexpected orders. I really didn't mind the smiles, but some people might. Like I do in various aspects of my life, I think about possible scenarios and their outcomes before they happen, so that I will be prepared to handle them. Within management, this would be a manager type called a “problem seeking manager.” This would be a good way to handle any possible orders and their outcomes.

I didn't expect the cashier to be trained in punching in a special order, and I expected to get a manager involved. However, maybe they should train cashiers to do this too; why should they need special permission to enter five pickles? Regarding the manager, he seemed trained and competent for his position. He handled things well, and showed professionalism. However, one major weakness, if that could be called that, was that the manager was not prepared to show a business card. He said he didn't have any business cards. He could have been even more professional, and hand me a business card and propose that he can be reached if I needed anything. Also, since my order required a manager input, it didn't give me a chance to see if the cashier was trained in her job, although she knew that the order required the manager and let him do it. Other than that I didn’t really notice other weaknesses in the manager and employees, except for that the cahiers could have been a little more professional in their customer service.

What I remember most from my visit is the manager's professionalism and the way he handled my order. He didn't smile or made me feel unusual at any point, and he took the order seriously. I think that he displayed great leadership, in various ways; for example, when he took initiative to check my order and make sure that I got what I asked for. The manager took a leadership role that made other employees fade into the background. One thing he did lack was a business card, and that was a disappointment. Every leader and manager should have a business card to hand out at any time. Good leadership is necessary at any job, especially at companies where they are dealing with customers and should have good customer service. An improvement suggestion for the manager would be to always have a business card ready, and to prepare for unexpected situations ahead of time.

In conclusion, I learned that it really is possible to get unusual requests granted, sometimes even with no extra costs. We just have to ask for it. This was an interesting assignment, but I do admit that I was nervous before. However, I did learn from the experience too. I want to get involved in various management positions as well, to make a difference in a company and among employees, and if the company has customers then I'd love to influence them as well. New York is a good place to do this assignment too, as there are so many different people with various ideas and requests. I wonder what kind of unusual requests they have gotten in the past. Maybe next time we should ask for Well-done Pickles and Five Fries!