Mcdonalds new ordering system
Discussion
craigjm said:
I would rather wait 5 minutes and get the burger I want, how I want it, fresh than the old days of ending up with a cold Big Mac and icy fries because they had been sitting around for ages. Used to be even worse if you used the drive though. All the crap at its time limit went out the drive through because they know you won’t take it back
Unless you sit in the car park to eat it 
dickymint said:
Unless you sit in the car park to eat it
They knew you wouldn’t take it back even if you were the type that goes to the drive through and sits in the car park. Taking it back would entail having to go into the restaurant and if people wanted to do that they would do it in the first place.One of my friends was a regional manager for McDonalds about 10 years ago and he made it clear that any food over its time limit went out the drive through window rather than in the bin. The best way back then to get a fresh burger was to ask for one with no pickles or whatever so they had to make it fresh.
I always order my burgers plain with no cheese or relish of any sort.
It seems they then have to cook them up and although it takes a few extra minutes they're always properly hot.
On an aside with the touch screen ordering: I notice the front page includes a language selection.
Presumably you could then walk into a McDonald's in any Country and order in English ? Seems useful.
It seems they then have to cook them up and although it takes a few extra minutes they're always properly hot.
On an aside with the touch screen ordering: I notice the front page includes a language selection.
Presumably you could then walk into a McDonald's in any Country and order in English ? Seems useful.
cologne2792 said:
I always order my burgers plain with no cheese or relish of any sort.
It seems they then have to cook them up and although it takes a few extra minutes they're always properly hot.
On an aside with the touch screen ordering: I notice the front page includes a language selection.
Presumably you could then walk into a McDonald's in any Country and order in English ? Seems useful.
Yes you can if they have been rolled out in that country. Not many countries do have the option yet which is a real shame. Especially when you don’t know what the burger are. I am in South Africa at the moment and they have a Mcfeast and a McRoyal with no description for instance. Although the do have a double quarter pounder.... nice It seems they then have to cook them up and although it takes a few extra minutes they're always properly hot.
On an aside with the touch screen ordering: I notice the front page includes a language selection.
Presumably you could then walk into a McDonald's in any Country and order in English ? Seems useful.
craigjm said:
Yes you can if they have been rolled out in that country. Not many countries do have the option yet which is a real shame. Especially when you don’t know what the burger are. I am in South Africa at the moment and they have a Mcfeast and a McRoyal with no description for instance. Although the do have a double quarter pounder.... nice
mcdonalds.co.za said:
McRoyale®
A FEAST FIT FOR ROYALTY
A mouth-watering 100% beef patty, tasty cheese, crisp lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion, smeared with tangy mayo, mustard and tomato sauces in a sesame seed bun.
and...A FEAST FIT FOR ROYALTY
A mouth-watering 100% beef patty, tasty cheese, crisp lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion, smeared with tangy mayo, mustard and tomato sauces in a sesame seed bun.
mcdonalds.co.za said:
McFeast® Deluxe
THE DOUBLE CHEESE FEAST.
The McDonald's McFeast Deluxe Meal is served with two 100% beef patties, cheese, onion, tomato and lettuce, served in a bun with fries and a drink.
Surely you should go for the proper local choice though:THE DOUBLE CHEESE FEAST.
The McDonald's McFeast Deluxe Meal is served with two 100% beef patties, cheese, onion, tomato and lettuce, served in a bun with fries and a drink.
mcdonalds.co.za said:
Boerie Double
LEKKER LOCAL FLAVOUR.
Get the South African vibes going, with two boerewors-flavoured patties, smothered in ketchup, mustard and grilled onions.
LEKKER LOCAL FLAVOUR.
Get the South African vibes going, with two boerewors-flavoured patties, smothered in ketchup, mustard and grilled onions.
Gary29 said:
TaylotS2K said:
I estimate the waiting time has gone up about 2 or 3 minutes since the new system has been introduced. And that's from a few McDonalds around the country.
I reckon a lot of it is down the sheer amount of choice they have these days, I blame entitled millennials for this 
The main selling point of a 'fast food' outlet is fast food, you achieve this by having a small menu and racks full of the stuff waiting to be thrown at the next customer.
People are too fussy, so we all have to wait longer as a result.
It's burger and chips not fine dining.
TaylotS2K said:
Gary29 said:
TaylotS2K said:
I estimate the waiting time has gone up about 2 or 3 minutes since the new system has been introduced. And that's from a few McDonalds around the country.
I reckon a lot of it is down the sheer amount of choice they have these days, I blame entitled millennials for this The main selling point of a 'fast food' outlet is fast food, you achieve this by having a small menu and racks full of the stuff waiting to be thrown at the next customer.
People are too fussy, so we all have to wait longer as a result.
It's burger and chips not fine dining.
The car equivalent is the Model T production line, with it's famous restrictions on spec, and the modern MINI offering which has a supply chain and production process absolutely optimised and capable of handling immense variation and complexity.
TaylotS2K said:
I saw a documentary on McDonalds a couple or so weeks ago. They started out with a more complex menu, then realised by simplifying it, giving less choice it would make the customer get the food quicker and the food would be of better quality. It seems they've reverted to how they started off by giving more choice. I do appreciate that technology changes and things are now possible that weren't way back then.
'The Founder' film with Michael Keaton explains all this, it's actually an enjoyable film in it's own right, not sure how factually correct it is, but it's worth a watch if this kind of thing interests you.TaylotS2K said:
I saw a documentary on McDonalds a couple or so weeks ago. They started out with a more complex menu, then realised by simplifying it, giving less choice it would make the customer get the food quicker and the food would be of better quality. It seems they've reverted to how they started off by giving more choice. I do appreciate that technology changes and things are now possible that weren't way back then.
This holds pretty much true for any restaurant. The bigger the menu the more the quality of the food suffers.The ordering system is not the problem when it comes to wait times. The problem is that every order is now made fresh because that is seen as how you keep quality high whereas in reality burgers are actually better after they have sat for a few minutes and cheese melted etc. This wasnt a problem previously under the warmers. The problem with the warmers and pre-made food is not the process its those that operate it and the lack of compliance to the rules of how long a product can stay in the warmers. This is what they have dealt with by going everything made fresh but its a sledgehammer to crack a nut
to me the definition of 'fast food' is placing an order and the food is on my tray in front of me asap, with no wait
if a mcdonalds is busy, I would have thought they could estimate fairly accurately what they needed to cook in order to sell what was cooked and waiting within a few mins. Cooking to order obviously reduces wastage but who goes to Mcdonalds for fresh high quality food..
I remember going to a really busy Mcdonalds in London years ago, you would place order, member of staff would run, get food (was all ready) and was on tray in literally seconds. Perfect fast food...
But then, it annoys me when I go to a chippy and have to wait for the chips to be cooked, if none are ready, or if they are cooked to order, that's not fast food...
if a mcdonalds is busy, I would have thought they could estimate fairly accurately what they needed to cook in order to sell what was cooked and waiting within a few mins. Cooking to order obviously reduces wastage but who goes to Mcdonalds for fresh high quality food..
I remember going to a really busy Mcdonalds in London years ago, you would place order, member of staff would run, get food (was all ready) and was on tray in literally seconds. Perfect fast food...
But then, it annoys me when I go to a chippy and have to wait for the chips to be cooked, if none are ready, or if they are cooked to order, that's not fast food...
HTP99 said:
In Kingston last weekend and had one of those Grand Big Macs, it was a disappointment.
Food was ordered on one of those screens, no ticket emerged and I didn't note my order number in time before it reset back to the home screen, so I had to go and find someone, to be fair she was great, very helpful and she sorted our food all fine for us.
The last time I was in McDonalds, October I think in Brixton, we used the screen to order and it was a faff.
Fortunately I don't frequent McDonalds very often (twice in 6m, see above), so it's not great hassle, but I don't think it speeds things up for the customer, I guess it gives the "restaurant" more capacity.
I'm sure Brixton used to hold the record for the slowest service of any McD's outlet so I reckon the new system must have speeded them up. Even at double speed based on my experiences in the 90s they'd be slower than most others on the planet, though! Food was ordered on one of those screens, no ticket emerged and I didn't note my order number in time before it reset back to the home screen, so I had to go and find someone, to be fair she was great, very helpful and she sorted our food all fine for us.
The last time I was in McDonalds, October I think in Brixton, we used the screen to order and it was a faff.
Fortunately I don't frequent McDonalds very often (twice in 6m, see above), so it's not great hassle, but I don't think it speeds things up for the customer, I guess it gives the "restaurant" more capacity.
SydneyBridge said:
But then, it annoys me when I go to a chippy and have to wait for the chips to be cooked, if none are ready, or if they are cooked to order, that's not fast food...
Agreed but there is a huge difference between fast food and good food. There is nothing worse than going into a chippy and getting your chips immediately but they are cold and as hard as cardboard because they have been sitting in the warmer for 20 mins. The estimation of what’s needed is important for fast food to be both that and good. This is something that KFC always fail at because the cook 3 tonnes of chips and they are not busy so you get cold fries.
On balance I would rather wait five minutes and get fresh hot food made how I want it
We used the touch screen system a few months back on the M5 services, easy enough to use I thought.
But, there about 20 people hovering around the counter waiting for their orders, clearly the ordering system was taking orders quicker than they could satisfy demand, it wasn't even especially busy.
And of course, we had items missing, you never get extra items do you?!
But compared to the Burger King that we had on the M3 a few weeks back that was utterly rancid, cold and virtually inedible, the Golden Arches was a triumph of fine dining.
But, there about 20 people hovering around the counter waiting for their orders, clearly the ordering system was taking orders quicker than they could satisfy demand, it wasn't even especially busy.
And of course, we had items missing, you never get extra items do you?!
But compared to the Burger King that we had on the M3 a few weeks back that was utterly rancid, cold and virtually inedible, the Golden Arches was a triumph of fine dining.
Coin Slot. said:
We used the touch screen system a few months back on the M5 services, easy enough to use I thought.
But, there about 20 people hovering around the counter waiting for their orders, clearly the ordering system was taking orders quicker than they could satisfy demand, it wasn't even especially busy.
And of course, we had items missing, you never get extra items do you?!
But compared to the Burger King that we had on the M3 a few weeks back that was utterly rancid, cold and virtually inedible, the Golden Arches was a triumph of fine dining.
Good business sense is usually to get the orders taken, and then deal with dishing them out. But, there about 20 people hovering around the counter waiting for their orders, clearly the ordering system was taking orders quicker than they could satisfy demand, it wasn't even especially busy.
And of course, we had items missing, you never get extra items do you?!
But compared to the Burger King that we had on the M3 a few weeks back that was utterly rancid, cold and virtually inedible, the Golden Arches was a triumph of fine dining.
Once people have parted with their money, they are less likely to ask for a refund and head elsewhere, or if they hadn't placed their order, they could just walk away.
So orders in quicker than out generally works if people are in a place, hungry and just think 'oh I'll wait a couple more minutes'.
loafer123 said:
Personally, I think their ordering system is a triumph. Easy to order, change your mind, customise and pay. Table service so you relax whilst they make your meal, and usually someone takes my tray of detritus from me before I get to the bin.
What’s not to like?
Run by a Brit, too.
Couldn’t agree more What’s not to like?
Run by a Brit, too.
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