What I learned working at McDonald’s
It was the first job I could get. It was the only job I could get at that time. I tried applying to be a waitress, a shop attendant, a dishwasher (yes, actually manually washing plates, pots and pans) … nada. Zilch. Nothing.
For the longest time, I sulked at the thought of not even being considered for a dishwasher job. I thought I was at least qualified for that.
Maybe it was fate, that a complete stranger we happened to talk to outside a grocery store knew someone who had a daughter who knew someone at McDonald’s … and they may be hiring. Life works in interesting ways.
Looking back, it was hopelessness and helplessness that led us to talk to a complete stranger to ask if they knew any jobs. It was a complete shot in the dark. In hindsight, it was a blessing.
Working at McDonald’s has proved to be one of the best experiences I had which had taught me a lot of life lessons: responsibility, hard work, patience, due diligence. Working at McDonald’s instilled in me the value of saying of please and thank you constantly, and the value of being appreciative of customers who come to our store, and colleagues who’ve got your back.
I worked in 3 areas: lobby, grill, till. Sometimes I wish we had drive-thru, as I would have wanted to try that. At that time, it seemed like the space-age thing to try.
Lobby
Whoever works in the lobby needs to make sure the restaurant is clean — tables cleaned, floors mopped (with nobody slipping on any wet areas!), washrooms cleaned. You need to constantly watch if the garbage bins are full (and replace them ASAP), if some customers left their trays and traces of food on the tables and on the floor. You are CFO — Chief Floor Officer. Anything goes amiss, it’s on you.
Memorable moment: There is an elderly lady, one of our regulars, who always looks for me. For what it’s worth, I am her favorite person (or so she says) because apparently I talk to her AND I clean the washrooms well. She can use the washroom without any worries when I am the one who cleans it. I’ll take that as a compliment. It is literally a dirty task. But if my job is to clean the washroom, I will.
Grill
Whoever works in the grill needs to fulfill the orders AND needs to make sure the food is done right. This is a job that cannot be taken lightly. Uncooked or improperly cooked food can cause serious harm. We should properly dispose eggs — make sure no contamination. No half cooked meat. No leaving raw materials out of the fridge. No forgetting ingredients.
Memorable moment: Not sure if anyone remembers 25 cent burger, or 50 cent cheeseburger deals. Initially this deal allowed any customer to buy AS MANY burgers as they want. Thankfully after a few days they had limits on the number of burgers that can be bought by a single customer.
I used to work those shifts in grill. I cooked hundreds of burgers every single shift. Making sure each is properly cooked and wrapped, while keeping tab of all other responsibilities in the kitchen, is no easy feat. Plus, I smelled like a hamburger for weeks (or months?).
Till
Working at the till, or being the cashier who takes the orders, is not a walk in the park either. Whoever works in the till should make the customer feel welcome. Greet the customer, take the order right, pack the order right. We need to keep the customer updated as well, especially when we’re backed up. When we mess up, we have to be accountable, and make it right with the customer.
Memorable moment: Some customers would line up for my till. Even if other tills are open. Because they want to say hi to me.
I’ve taken the time to get to know my customers — by name, by their order, by their interests. It matters to me. It’s not always possible, but I try.
Since I work in lobby sometimes, on downtimes, I get to chat with customers. I know their usual orders. I know the times they usually come in. Some would talk about their kids. Some would talk about courses they’re taking in university.
The McD Experience
It is easy to dismiss some jobs. Would I have taken the McDonald’s job if I had other options? I am not sure. It wasn’t my first choice. It was a lot of hard work. It was not glamorous work at all .But this experience has brought me many fond memories, and taught me so much about business, management, leadership, customer relations.
The lessons I learned, the people I met, the stories I am now able to share — priceless.
This is an updated article. Original article was published in LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-i-learned-working-mcdonalds-donabel-santos/
