"The band has been packing the house each week for nearly two years. The music starts at 7, but people start claiming their seats around 5. Anyone arriving after 6:30 will probably have to stand."That doesn't sound like a McDonald's ... but it is. The McChronicles has often wondered why McDonald's doesn't do something like this. We now see that a few of them do. Every region should have something like this - at least during the summer. Find out more about this awesome conce...
Monday, 28 March 2005
Thursday, 24 March 2005
A McChronicles team FLEW through the New Hartford, NY drive thru at 1PM today. The cars ahead moved right along, the order was taken professionally, the sandwich looked and tasted perfect, and the people were very polite.A McChronicles pet peeve is being handed a dripping cup of soda and having to contaminate a cupholder with the mess. During this visit, the outside of the cup was perfectly dry. Very much appreciated. Good job. Thank y...
Over and over again the McChronicles is reminded (in visits to numerous McDonald's) that the management feels it is acceptable to expose the customers to mops, brooms, mop buckets, abandoned "danger" signs, rakes, racks, snow heaps, and the such. These can be found both within and outside of the stores, in the drive thrus and in the dining rooms.Once in a while it is understandable (like with the case of the ice-damaged rain gutters at the New Hartford, NY store - they have been picked up). But when it is an every-day occurrence it just subtracts...
Wednesday, 23 March 2005
Location: Greenville, SCStore Address: Woodruff Rd & Highway 14Time: 1 PMOutside Appearance: Overall good, but there was some misc. trash in the parking lot.Service Time: 1 minute 58 secStated Order: 2 cheese burgers, 1 small fry and a small drink to go.Order Filled: 2 cheese burgers, 1 Med fry and a small drink to go. Loose one point for not listening to the customer.Overall Customer Rating: GoodSummary:On the cash register, a text message stated that the average service time was 58 seconds. The McChronicles' order, start to finish timed out...
Tuesday, 22 March 2005
Winter is rough in Upstate New York. The region is just thawing out - and as the snow and ice recede, McDonald's exteriors and landscaping are exposed. You'd think that the stores would look really bad - and many do. But the Clinton, NY store is an exception. The colors are vibrant, the landscaping is clean and orderly, and the place looks festive!The McChronicles suggests that the Clinton team lend a hand to the New Hartford, NY store and help them:remove the ice and snow from the sidewalk and parking lotremove the cleaning equipment from the...
An incredible story is told in the Seattle Times (written by Shirleen Holt). You've got to read about the dedication and commitment of a young Quiznos manager as she endured total abandonment by her store owner. She kept the store open in spite of amazing odds. The McChronicles LOVES this kind of commitment. Kudos to Dawna Len...
Greenville, SCWoodruff RoadOnline Time: Not Reported Order Wait: 1.25 minutes Quality: Great Service: Fair Cleanliness: Good Theme: Local College ColorsThe field team reported that all went fairly well during this visit. The cashier asked if the order was "for here or to go" three times (annoying). As for the sandwiches, we quote, "One cheeseburger with hasty wrap job and looked slightly mishandled (ie crushed)".But, is this OK? What if your bank teller asked you if you wanted your money in tens or twenties three times? What if your bills were...
Here we go again!The McChronicles team has filed numerous reports of sub-par product quality recently. Most of these reports occur when there is extremely low customer traffic in the store (no rush) and when the sandwich was prepared to order.The basic issue is that the products are crushed, smeared, messy, and sometimes have the stuff that's supposed to be on the inside on the outside!At the risk of repeating an earlier posting, this is a very poor reflection on the overall quality of the product and the company. Customers are picky - they appreciate...
Sunday, 13 March 2005
The McChronicles viewed with great interest NBC Dateline's expose of the USA's top 10 fast food restaurants, titled, "Dirty Dining" (aired this evening, 13 March). Key information delivered:Americans eat over 61 million fast food meals every dayThe USA has >200,000 fast food restaurantsMcDonald's ranked 10th (the worst) out of the top 10 fast food establishments when it comes to "critical violations" from health inspectors (they were the 2nd-best for TOTAL violations)McDonald's was cited for 126 critical violations per 100 inspectionsMcDonald's...
Saturday, 12 March 2005
It is the little things that matter (both good and bad). Here is some feedback (edited slightly) from a passionate McChronicles field agent - dialoging instead of reporting impartially. Sometimes we all need to blow off a little steam.I went to the Oriskany Blvd., Yorkville, NY McDonald's to get some lunch for the kids the other day...and some Chicken Selects for myself.I went in even though I was taking the food home. Previous data has shown that the error rate for a part of a Happy Meal missing is significantly higher if you drive thru as opposed...
Thursday, 10 March 2005
A McChronicles crew paid a visit to the NYS Thruway McDonald's in Warners, NY today. Quality: GreatService: Online Time: 1.00 minute, Order Wait: 1.00 minuteCleanliness: Very goodTheme: NoneThe transaction was reported to be quick, and the goings on that are always a part of a Thruway stop made the experience feel brief. The store was clean, the staff was polite, and the food was good. All in all, this was efficient fast fo...
Wednesday, 9 March 2005
Quality: Very Good (two perfect hamburgers)Service: Online Time: 0.00 minutes, Order Wait: 0.00 minutes (awesome!)Cleanliness: The drive thru path looked nice with the exception of the stack of rain gutters laid alongside the building. The McChronicles can certainly give the store a break as the weather has been nuts here lately.Theme: Drive ThruThe McChronicles sampled the New Hartford McDonald's drive thru service today at 12:50PM. With only one...
Tuesday, 8 March 2005
Quality: Very Good (cheeseburgers were wrapped up neatly and had an overall appetizing appearance, same for fries)Service: Online Time: NA, Order Wait: approximately 3 minutes (seems the same in many places)Cleanliness: The floor was dirty and dangerous.Theme: NAA McChronicles field team was seeking a late-night snack while in Greenville, SC this week. So, at 9:30 pm they hit McDonald's for some cheeseburgers:Bad News: 3 minutes for cheeseburgers?!?!Good News: Our team reports that the girl taking the order was very pleasant and conscientious about...
The Oneida McDonald's was having technical difficulties. This caused the staff to have to "deal with it" when the drink machine started acting up. Still, they didn't need to leave the mess right out in plain sight. Just off camera was an overflowing cup that was failing to catch the chocolate shake that was dripping uncontrollably. What an unappetizing me...
Quality: Very GoodService: Online Time: 3.00 minutes, Order Wait: 1.00 minutesCleanliness: VERY messy. Theme: Harness RacingThis weekend the Oneida, NY McDonald's appeared to be near melt-down. The staff was scurrying all over the place addressing several issues. Please take a cue from Disney - customers don't enjoy seeing brooms, dust pans, and mop buckets all over the dining area. It spoils the mo...
Quality: NAService: NACleanliness: Very untidy, floor needed cleaning. Some seats torn.Theme: Sports in general (NOT boxing!!!)The Canastota, NY McDonald's sits right next door to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. So, what is the theme of the store? NOT boxing. What a missed opportunity to create a little excitement and synergy with the business next door. But, it's no big deal either. Pictured here is an example of how the Canastota McDonald's...
Monday, 7 March 2005
"The next time Lee County patrons stop in for a quick bite at their local McDonald's, they may want to take a closer look at their placemats. Instead of ads for the current promotional toy or food du jour, there are the photos of all 31 2004-05 Golden Apple Teacher Recognition program finalists." From the LehighNewsStar.com on NEWS-PRESS.com. Read more about this awesome idea.The McChronicles opinion? What an AWESOME way to give back to the community. Imagine what it says to a student when an institution like McDonald's shows that teaching excellence,...
Saturday, 5 March 2005
The Oneida Wal Mart McDonald's It all started out innocently enough. A team from the McChronicles headed out to the Oneida Wal Mart McDonald's. They encountered mild disappointment. The store seemed to be functioning well, but the general feel was pretty poor. After arriving at the store (deep in the back of Wal Mart) they found that it was buried behind shabby displays and an unruly gang of abandoned shopping carts.&nb...
Friday, 4 March 2005
Quality: Fair - brown, wilted lettuce in saladService: Online Time: 0.00 minutes Order Wait: not measured - very fastCleanliness: GoodTheme: BistroA McChronicles field reporter grabbed a quick salad lunch at the Route 5 New Hartford McDonald's drive thru yesterday (we know, we're going there a lot lately). The exchange was very expeditious - no line and good service.Two issues arose - both related to service:1) The speaker clarity at the drive thru was awesome! Based on the countless jokes we hear about bad drive thru speakers, we just expect ALL...
Wednesday, 2 March 2005
New Hartford Route 5 (Seneca Turnpike) McDonald'sQuality: Very GoodService: Online Time: 0.00 minutes, Order Wait: 0.25 minutes (awesome!)Cleanliness: Good, the floor could have used some attention(~1:30PM)Theme: BistroThe McChronicles walked in. The place was empty. Two manager-looking people stood at the counter, ready to take the order. Words were said, buttons were punched, and before we could pocket the change the order was ready. Great job!...
Tuesday, 1 March 2005
McChronicles File PhotoQuality: Very GoodService: Online Time: 0.00 minutes, Order Wait: 2.00 minutes (for two hamburgers), McShuffledCleanliness: Good, a few of the napkin dispensers were empty (~1:20PM)Theme: None (starting to feel like "Slow")New Hartford's Sangertown Square McDonald's is so darn convenient that it's hard to NOT go there. Another benefit is that it has some of the greatest McDonald's employees the McChronicles has ever encountered....
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