I didn’t need to take the job, although the money helped. I was in school at the time and working two other jobs so I didn’t have a lot of time, but they were very flexible when penciling me in.
They gave me 9 hours, 4 on the Saturday early morning shift and 5 on the Sunday dinner shift. I loved every moment of it.
Not everyone I worked with was amazing and in fact, I saw many people do things I thought were not okay - such as being on their phone and then serving food without their washing hands or making degrading comments to each other.
But Lori (named changed for privacy), my Sunday night boss, was incredible. She ran a tight ship and had no problem holding people accountable and making sure they got stuff done. She is the hardest worker I’ve met and was a lot of fun to be around. She praised my work and stood up for me — when I had to leave the job due to family matters she told management to keep me in the system in case I ever wanted to come back as I was “the hardest worker” she had had and didn’t want to see me go.
I was honored by this as I only worked 5 hours with her once a week, but she saw my work for what it was.
Lori left the job a few months after I did. I don’t know what she is doing now, but someone is lucky enough to have her management skills. I just hope the company is adequately recognizing her.
Why Do I Love This Job?
Well, first of all, why did I take this job?
I wanted something that fit into my schedule for one, but most importantly, I wanted to understand the ins and outs of an international company that operates over 37,000 locations around the world and has lasted decades through change and politics.
Granted, the actual store front is only one piece of the entire operation, but it seemed like a good starting point.
The store itself has a lot of moving parts and the people need to be fast. It was a great opportunity for me to test my ability to learn new skills and master them quickly.
I was hungry for this challenge.
Each shift I would dawn on my uniform, tuck in my shirt, and check my appearance in the bathroom mirror, making sure I was ready for “battle”.
Smile on? check!
Hair back? check!
Shoes tied? check!
I’d head back to the first drive-thru window with my headset on and then prepare my station for the morning rush. This meant the floor had to be swept, the trash can was empty, the register had enough change, the screens were at the optimal angle for the most efficient button pressing, and my window was unlocked.
With my feet placed shoulder width apart, back straight, shoulders back, and head up, I was always ready to go.
Working the window is hard. Most people don’t understand that and easily get upset, wondering how someone could get their order wrong or hand them the wrong items or why the whole process is taking so long.
Here’s the deal:
Often times people call in sick and we are short staffed. There were times when I was listening to Bob’s order through the headset and plugging it into the register, while verifying Jim’s order out loud (aka listening to one person and talking to another) and running his card, and then washing my hands since I was just handling money, sprinting down to the second window to give Sally her order and make sure she has everything she needed and then rushing back to the first window to verify Bob’s order and take his cash, take Brittany’s order over the headset, and then hand Jim his order at the second window.
Hmmm… Do you think there is a chance I might get something wrong?
You bet. Were there times when people had to wait or I had to fix my mistake or someone else’s? Absolutely.
(Be patient and have compassion. It’s actually not an easy job.)
Additionally, technology doesn’t always work; the register systems freeze, the drive-thru microphone picks up the wind or someone honking and I can’t hear what you are saying, the car in front of you got their card declined or they wanted to pay for your order so I have to get a manager to sign off on the double transaction, etc.
This one is actually funny. I can’t tell you how many times I have someone who wants to do a wonderful deed and pay for the person behind them. But then I have to call a manager to sign off on the double transaction so the process takes longer. Then when the car behind them gets to the window, you can see on their face they are tired of waiting and are wondering why that took so long. Then….the magical moment… you tell them the person in front just covered their order and their ENTIRE attitude changes around. LOL No longer are they mad at the person for taking so long and they write off what they previously thought of as annoying behavior.
When there wasn’t a rush, I would find other things to do.
You see, as a first window person the back is my space. I woman the register, fill bags of ice for customers, and wipe trays that were brought back to me. That’s all I had to do, but I didn’t really listen to the ‘rules’.
As long as I was wearing the headset, I would know if someone was at the drive-thru or not. I would check the drive-thru camera, find it empty and then start my rounds.
I would start in the front and work my way back to my station. I cleaned the table tops, tucked in chairs, collected trays, and checked in with customers. If they had any trash that I could throw away, I would ask if I could do that for them. They always smiled :)
I love providing good customer service and it feels so nice to do things for others, making their meal even easier and more enjoyable.
Then if I still had time, I would wipe down trash cans and refill the drink station. Next I would restock the condiment packets and wipe down kitchen counter tops. By now, I usually had a customer and would head back, memorizing their order as I walked so I could type it in at lightening speed as they pulled up to the window.
They would finalize the transaction, pull away, and I’d go back to wiping the trays I collected.
Pushing my limits in this way was something that exhilarated me. How much could I do? Could I do it perfectly and quickly and still make it back to the register with the customer’s perfect order? It was so fun!
There was one time when it was slow enough that I had finished all of these tasks and went to see if I could help out with bagging in-store orders. The morning staff didn’t really like that too much and I was shooed back to my station. Lori, however, saw my initiative and told me it was time to learn more. She taught me how to do fries, drinks, bagging, front cash, and (officially) the second window.
The only thing left I had to conquer was the kitchen.
Lori moved a newer person to first window and I was now up-front.
Was this a pseudo promotion? I don’t know. I was simply excited to learn more.
My reputation spread and the staff started to make comments about how hard I worked. I began to feel bad. They would make the comments right in front of other staff and I could see there was some tension developing.
In particular, one high school girl who was a great worker, but also spent a fair amount of time texting on her phone, showed some envy.
I didn’t need to be better than her. I just saw things that needed to be done or could be done to make the environment better and did them. She had the same options of choices she could choose.
It was up to her to choose them.
My potential is the same as everyone else’s. My choices are my own.
After a few months I had to leave as I needed more time for a family matter, but I will always think fondly of my time at McDonald’s.
- I saw what someone can do to be a great boss: see the potential in others, foster it by teaching them more — feed their hunger, verbally recognize your employees efforts, and advocate for them
- I learned more about myself and my work ethic and saw how working hard pays off
- I was exposed to the inner workings of a fast moving operation and got a better sense for management systems
- I had fun serving others and further matured my ability to notice ways a person’s environment or experience could be improved
- I developed more empathy for those who work at this establishment and practiced using my EL (emotional leadership) with the customers who wanted their Coke and should “f***ing have it now!” — as one customer told me.
A person can learn these skills in many places, but as one executive who later interviewed me for a separate job said, he had a lot of respect for me having worked at McDonald’s as he knew from personal experience that it is a stressful and complicated job.
So thank you to anyone “manning” the drive-thru and their associates.
Simultaneously, please get off your phone, wash your hands, and go the extra mile; you are worth higher expectations and you’re capable.
As our store manager said to me, “You have a beautiful smile. Keep that up!”
