McDonalds

A question about : McDonalds

I have 4 children and as they are growing and times are tough a trip to McDonalds is a rare treat as they are no longer satisfied with a Happy Meal, my eldest actually wants 2 burgers these days!! A full meal for five can cost in excess of Ј20, but I have a way to eat cheaper and fresher...

It is a little known (but brilliant) fact that McDonalds have a policy that the customer is always right, and staff are instructed that they must customise any burger how the customer wishes. Now I like a Quarter Pounder Deluxe (with tomota, mayo and sald) but they only run this at special times, but for many years i have requested the extra salad etc to be added to a regular QP with no problems (well 1 notable exception but thats another story), and have never been charged, the other bonus of this is though you have to wait for a few mins the burger is always made fresh.

My children love Big Macs (as do I) but these evil little treats on their own work out very expensive, so I get them to customise a double cheeseburger which i think retails at Ј1.20 (saver menu) to add in lettuce and a shot of mac sauce. The only difference (apart from we also get tomato which is non standard for a big mac) is the skank piece of bread in the middle is missing as are the sesame seeds but in every other respect its a big mac, in fact it actually tastes a little better imo.

At some McDonalds they will charge you up to 30p for the shot of mac sauce, but i dont mind paying that, others charge nothing, so a big mac turns out for around Ј1.20 to Ј1.50 made fresh. My local McDonalds even know the order my name is Malcolm we call this burger a mally mac they even know it as that, when they get an order for 6 mallys mac the order staff laugh because some poor guy in the back has to go make them up, but when the bill is between Ј7.20 and Ј9 for 6 big macs well we dont care.

Enjoy your mally mac! God bless the golden arches, i hope they never change that policy

Best answers:

• I used to work in finance and one of my clients was McDonalds. To correct a few of your mistakes...
  A double cheeseburger is Ј1.49. Lettuce and a shot of mac sauce should both be an extra 30p each. Actual price, Ј2.09.
  You are correct in that the burger will be made fresh (80% of the time..the rest you'll just get a normal double cheeseburger that's been unwrapped and sauce and lettuce added). Having said that, that's not always a good thing. Mistakes, slow staff and staff who don't follow procedure are common in McDonalds. 'Grill' orders are regularly given to the wrong recipients.
  You'd be better off finding some of the numerous vouchers that offer a bigmac and fries for Ј1.99. Or sometimes Ј2.49 depending on location.
  Alternatively don't eat at McDonalds. If you knew what went on behind the scenes it'd put you right off.
• Were you Franchised or McCopco? You mentioned 'floor managers' whom I know still exist with some franchised stores but have been absent from company for a while.
  I only ask as I never dealt with the Franchised stores so can't comment on them. In general, the company owned stores were (mostly) poor.
• It was a franchised one, as are most of the ones in the area, all owned by the same chap. All of them were very well maintained and the training was overseen regularly by all levels of managment. I believe the same guy still owns them, although it's been a long time since I've worked there, one of my fellow floor managers is the store manager there now so I always get a good 'deal' on my orders when she's around!
• I used to work in a franchised McD's in Burnley, loved it, but I was only 16!!
  It was very clean, very efficient and had numerous hardworking staff.
• Didn't mcdonalds or franchise of just get slapped for sacking someone who did a "mates rate" mclfurry?
  I think she just did the old "bigger scoop" of chocolate flakes?
  I think it cost them about Ј10K for unfair dismissal.
  You could argue that they should be done for unrealistic advertising of "pictures" v's "what you actually get"
• In America they call this a Ghetto Big Mac. If you're that !!!!!, why don't you look online for copycat Big Mac Sauce recipes and make your kids a homemade version of the Big Mac?
  From food.com... they use miracle whip, but you could use mayonnaise....
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
• 1/3 cup French dressing, to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
• A friend of mine worked at macdonalds and there was once a competition between bored staff to see who could give away the most free food without being caught, it started with the odd extra small fries in a bag and escalated to one customer being given five extra meals, as you can imagine this was soon caught and a few of the staff didn't last long after that.
• I make up my own Big Mac sauce using the recipe from The Takeaway Secret and its no diffrent whatsoever!
• Another way to get a free (or cheap) meal from Ron's is to join the Police Force.
  When I was a Special Constable I ventured into the local on the way home and was given the meal I ordered free......apparently it was customary to give plods freebies.
  Obviously I only have knowledge of my local one but I am sure most McD's would welcome the plods being seen around their establishment (particularly as I know of another McD's which has to have security guards at night as they have been robbed so often).
• This all seems a bit too much for the sake of a few pence.....