Fast-food chains may strive to deliver consistently good food and service at every single restaurant, but that doesn’t mean they always succeed. Even industry behemoths like McDonald’s struggle to deliver top-quality food and service at all their locations 100% of the time. In fact, America’s largest fast-food chain often struggles with consistency and has, as a result, received the lowest customer satisfaction score out of all the major fast-food chains for two years in a row.
So how can you tell which McDonald’s restaurants are more likely to offer you a stellar experience and which might be better avoided? TikToker @chefmikeharacz, a chef who used to manage culinary innovation at McDonald’s, says he has created a “foolproof test” that will help you determine if your local McDonald’s is “good” or “not so great.”
Here’s what you’ll have to do in order to put your McDonald’s restaurant to the test. First, head on over there at peak time, meaning either a heavy lunch or dinner rush when the restaurant is bustling. Next, order 10 Quarter Pounders with Cheese (QPCs) and request a couple of small modifications on some of the items, like no pickles or extra ketchup. (Chef Haracz notes that ordering 10 QPCs could turn into a pricey affair, so he recommended enlisting a few friends to split the cost.) The proof of the restaurant’s quality will lie in how well the order is executed.
“If you can get your complete order in under five minutes and all of the ingredients or adjustments that you request are accurate, you are at a good McDonald’s,” the TikToker said. “If they cannot handle it, then it might not be the best-running McDonald’s.”
Some seemingly jaded McDonald’s customers who watched the video were not optimistic that their local McDonald’s would pass the test.
“I can go when they have no customers and order one burger and they’ll still make me park and wait for 15 [minutes],” one TikToker commented.
“I can’t even get a coffee in five minutes at ANY McDonald’s in my area,” another wrote.
For others, the whole discussion about testing McDonald’s stores underscored their belief that the chain has become too hit or miss in general.
“McDonald’s are sooo variable franchise to franchise. McDonald’s wants to know why we go elsewhere? It’s too much of a gamble,” a TikToker commented.
This is not the only recent instance where McDonald’s has been showered with some negative attention. Customers have also been slamming the chain for its prices on certain menu items lately, including the new Grimace Birthday Meal inspired by the fuzzy, purple mascot that launched last week.
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Zoe Strozewski
