Hi world,
I am an employee of Hungry Jack's.
Oh cool you say, but it seems like we may be one of OzBargain's favourite fast food stores!
I always get questions asked in comments or PM'ed to me, so why not just ask any queries you have below?
I'll also keep you guys updated on any new things we have coming up :)
Food
Anything said is my own views and not that of the company, and nothing I post is an official Company posting, announcement or communication :)
Pass on the message to HJ to lower frozen drink prices now that 7 11 is $1 too!
Our large is $1 and xlarge $2 and has been that for a bit now :)
So Mr Neil deleted the comment about the new stuff, all good but I can say that the new frozen drink flavours are now out for all to enjoy!
They'll probably come into play once the old stock runs out but two stores I went to in the CBD had them so it's now public :)
Frozen Fanta actual orange Fanta
Frozen Sprite
Frozen Creaming Soda
Along with the current
Frozen Coke
Frozen Fanta Mango
FB public post
Do you know if the size of frozen cups changed at some point? Like a few years ago, maybe before you started? I never got many I just felt like one day they changed size but maybe I imagined it.
I'm pretty sure they did mate, something like the XL cups now used to be the large ones
I can't get rejected if I use the coupons on the phone would I? I just feel there's always hostility from the cashier when I use the coupons
It's not the crews job to decide whether they want to accept coupons, it's up to local store policy
I use voucher at HJ sometimes and I feel the same way. Like 'jeez this guys a cheap mofo coming to get deals from HJ'… but…
I've worked a long time managing in a similar job and to be frank the staff do not give a shit if the food is cheap or free. Mostly we are interested where the deal came from and how cheap it is (because omfg) just for personal interest. Some deals seem bloody amazing but we also know how much margin there is in the pricing ;) It's also not our money or our profit that has to be worried about.. in fact some staff would be happy if the boss/owner made as little as possible. Aside from that we are too busy to be 'angry' and a single customer is one of hundreds for that day.
So I might feel similar to you but I know what it's like so don't worry about it.
Do you know how the muffins for brekky are prepared? Whenever I order one, they're soft and chewy, rather than crisp like a toasted muffin should be.
Toasted and then held in a heat chute.
If you are cool to wait then you can always ask for a freshly toasted one :)
Thought that might be the case, same as Maccas (use to work there).
Why can't I order from drive thru as a pedestrian if the actual walk in store part is closed?
It's not safe mate, if you're in all black and it's dark it's a recipe for disaster
Workplace health and safety.
Yep 100%
How about a bike
Where do you source your chicken from?
Yeh, Baiada or ingham?
Reviewing one of the comment above re: where products are made in. Is any of your ingredients being sourced from China?
I have no clue, that's a question best suited for HQ. Sorry!
Hi HJ Employee. I have a majority of Hungry Jack's drive-throughs in my locality that still use one window to exchange money and food.
Please advise if there is a standard that should be followed, in particular, the handling of the straw, especially when it is pre-inserted into the beverage?
The separation of these work roles is a sanitising standard that I have observed internationally, and domestically, from other fast food chains, cafes, delis and restaurants.
Thanking you in advance for your attention to this matter
We were trained to;
-not insert the straw when handing out single drinks and hand it out on the side
-put multiple straws down the side of a cup holder
-do out the straw in a frozen drink.
At our store we use two windows so no contamination of money and straws.
If contamination is the issue here, I don't see how this is resolving the issue? By handing out the straw "on the side", it is still being handled even through its not inserted?
not insert the straw when handing out single drinks and hand it out on the side
Well it's handled by the people who aren't handling the cash. I'm defeated here mate 😞
Just for observation sake i noticed in my travels that pretty much all straws at all places in the USA are single sealed paper sleeved. Australia is oddly behind on this one. Not just HJ's obviously.
@jg86tsv:
KFC straw, both the skinny normal drink and the larger krusher drink straws come in plastic wrapper
@albanyson: I really never thought about the handing out of straws and the like before until my friend here mentioned it.
Kfc do the wrap for everything,
Maccas and us don't.
Both HJ's in my locality always use 1 window, although there are two. Does giving me a contaminated straw on the side, with my choice to use or not, still a health violation?
Mate I have no clue, I'm just a crew member.
Please direct any other questions to your store manager or head office
thanks anyways. Maybe the health inspector
Do you get discounted food being an employee? Over the years I have noticed that (overly generalising) that new staff seem to be a lot thinner than their longer-serving colleagues. I don't mind as it helps to remind me it's a "sometimes" food.
We do get discount
Do they use real milk for the hot chocolate ? Ive tried it few times just to make sure it wasnt one off and nope it has a watered down plastic taste.
100% real milk
When was a time you stuffed up an order?
Also plz take a photo of inside the kitchen if thats possible.
Not gonna happen, HR.
Hey food this could be a trade secret but do you know what oil the chips are fried in?
Nice Vegetable Oil :)
Do you get lots of drunks and idiots asking for stuff like Big Macs or McNuggets etc?
Nah they're not drunk nor are idiots but just confused. But yeah all the time people are asking for Big Macs, Qtr Pounders or mcflurries.
The item peole ask for the most? Brekky "MC"muffins. All the time, every single breakfast, every second person.
That's a win to McDonalds. Like calling all coolers an Esky.
Not always a win. Google "trademark erosion" or "generic trademark". Many companies actively discourage it
Asking for Big Macs etc is weird but I have to admit it's hard for me to not say McNuggets no matter what. It's been seared into my soul.
Had an unpleasant experience at HJ's Innaloo WA after eating a regular whopper the other night.
Burger was slapped together, wasn't given the receipt, box was all greasy and the sauces added appeared to be in excess (being mayo and ketchup) gave me a nasty headache!
I certainly won't be going back to HJ's in a hurry and strangely enough the Big Mac I had a few days earlier was much more tasty and satisfying.
My whole life I have never been a fan of McDonalds but in all honesty, the burgers are NOT better at HJ's, as they may have you believe!
This is only my opinion, each to their own..
I make it a habit to check my order before I leave cos guess what? Any problems or errors they are obliged to correct and its part of the territory. Your fault for not doing so expecting a teenager to make you the perfect burger.
That's the most idiotic response I've ever come across. What happens when you order a few meals for takeaway? Do you check every single one? If you're driving through, do you also check each one before you drive off?
Well since you labelled that the most idiotic comment ever to exist I wont even answer. Good luck rolling the dice on your massive orders then getting home disappointed.
Our local Maccas & HJ & KFC have all gotten orders wrong over the years. It wasn't intentional so I don't stress over it. It's disappointing, though, getting home and finding someone's dinner is missing or wrong. It's easier to check before leaving and you quickly learn to recognize what the order should look like.
I can't say one random experience is the same for all HJs though. There are so many abysmal Maccas too. There's a Maccas down the road we never go to any more because they always forget an ingredient in the burgers— got bacon angus and they actually forgot the bacon. It has bacon in the title. Got chicken burger and they forgot cheese once. And the patties are always cold most of the time, the burgers are sloppily put together. Meanwhile one HJs nearby is always great with their Angus burgers and whoppers and they are fast, but the other HJs nearby is kinda crappy and badly managed and staffed. We went the other night (Whitfords/Hillarys) and it actually took us 40 minutes between coming in and getting served and getting our order. And they weren't even THAT busy. I mean it depends on so many things.
Greasy box? Extra sauce? Mate that sounds awesome!
LOL :p
What's the reason Hungry Jack's seem to speak the order they just took into a microphone that bellows over the kitchen? Every other fast food place seems to just rely on the order popping up on the screen for the staff out back.
So the folks knows what's up. Especially if it's a voucher, sometimes they don't pop up on their screens.
Wait… So if you order via a voucher, the order won't show in the kitchen?
I've always wondered this too, as it seems a very manual system (compared to what we had at Maccas).
I'm kind of lolling at the voucher idea as now I think they will skimp on the order because it's ordered at a discount (although I know this won't be the case) :p
Wait… So if you order via a voucher, the order won't show in the kitchen?
In some cases
I think they will skimp on the order because it's ordered at a discount (although I know this won't be the case) :p
We treat every order the same.
I had a strange feeling that Maccas handed the free food items to people who won that daily instant win thingy (this time last year?) last, if you get me
HJs nuggets are the worst thing I have ever tasted
havent you had their coffee then?
We've got new beans, dunno if it helps. Not a coffee guy myself
Maybe new beans, haven't had a coffee there for a while now cos they were so bad.
No, never considered it. I'm a big quality coffee fan. I wounldnt touch anthing that isn't made by a real barista!
I love good coffee and would not contemplate getting one from a fast food place, but FYI a real barista is someone who has done a 3 hour course, that's it….
It is ridiculous the fuss made of a barista for such little training….
Have you tried the new snack box? I thought HJ nuggets were bad and always regretted giving them a go every few years. I'm not even a fan of KFC's or Maccas nuggets, either. We tried the HJ snack box, though, and they were the best nuggets we'd had in years from any fast food place. We're actually looking forward to seeing if that was a one-off experience or not.
Why did HJ phase out the turd-shaped nuggets? They were tasty and actually different from all the competitors.
The current ones are awful. In fact most of the HJ food is now awful (and greasy).
Yeh, those turds were the best. So many people on Facebook are asking for HJ's to bring these back too… why don't they do it!!!!!!!!
I'm in love with the Bacon Deluxe burger and I don't know why. I've been having it for years and every time I've always wondered:
Bacon deluxe is required to go into the microwave to cook the bacon. Depending on who's assembling your burger, either only the bacon gets cooked on burger wrap paper, or the bottom half goes in with the bacon on top (bun, meat, cheese, meat, cheese, bacon). This was 15 years ago, but I'm sure not much has changed in terms of procedure, so I'm going to assume that it's still easier to put the bottom half of the burger in the microwave with the bacon. This helps melt the cheese too. As a result, you get a pretty hot burger and the smell is sensational. The downside is after microwaving, the bottom part gets a bit soggy from the steam.
Note: I think all burgers with cheese are meant to go in the microwave, but some workers can't be bothered.
It's the ranch sauce for me :)
Bacon Deluxe uses regular mayo as on the whopper.
I realised it's mayo but it just tastes so tangy and onion-y unlike the typically sweeter Praise mayo imo, can't help but think of ranch when I eat it.
@Baebs:
It is indeed very tangy and one of my favourite parts of the burgers, especially when it is spread generously.
How do HJs justify a 45% increase in the price of their Storm sundaes. They were great value at $2, but out of nowhere they shot up to $2.95
But their French Fries have gone from my least favourite to my most favourite French fry in fast food. Love the new thicker cut, and taste
Those toppings are very expensive and the $2 price was only promo.
A small Choc sundae is $2.95 and large (same size as storm) is $3.95.
Life pro tip; want a large plane sundae? Ask for a plain storm!
Or I'm guessing if you leave the toppings, you can probably add a squirt of sauce for 50c?
So can have oreo's and choc topping for cheaper than a Sundae?
Yep to add flavoured sauce is 50c.
Yes
Well some people are dbags in my last comment so.
Have you ever stuffed up an order?
Oh oops, no to the kitchen pic, just go to your local HJs.
Worst thing I've studied ever stuffed up is give a wrong Whopper to a dt customer, trust me it's easy to do when it's as busy as hell
Had a question after experiencing this twice over the long weekend - Do drive thru customers get prioritised over in-store customers? Was in the Wyong store, and it took them 30 minutes to serve the 4 people in front of us, while the drive through was being served with a max of 1-2 cars in the queue.
After waiting the 30 minutes in the queue, we were told that that these vouchers https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/265895 were not valid because Wyong was not a 'participating store'. After they had taken the order, processed payment and we were waiting for our whoppers, the assistant manager came out and (quite rudely) told us that they were not a participating store, and the cashier had made a mistake. If we wanted our whoppers that were already ready, we would have to pay the full price. Obviously being Ozbargainers, we walked out and went to the Subway across the road. However, just wondering if it is common that once you have used a coupon and paid for it, the store changes the price.
Workers are encouraged to get drive thru orders quickly. 1 minute 30 or under was the preferred time to get an order done. With that in mind, that may play a role in prioritising drive thru orders over in store.
Regarding your experience, the manager should have taken responsibility of the cashier's mistake and let it slide. I think an email to corporate explaining the situation may help settle your annoyances.
That's a shocker. Probably some cowboy shift supervisor that has no idea about customer satisfaction.
Rather make $0 than x% of $y (plus the flow on effect).
That they were not participating is fine (although I think it's a bastard when companies have a vague term like participating stores only), but to blackmail you for more money once the sale was complete…? I'm astounded.
Is the beef and chicken and bacon in your burgars Halal?
I have a question. I attended your fine establishment in Fyshwick on Monday. First time that I've visited a HJs in about 2 years. Why was I not informed (via registered mail) that your chips are about 100x better than they used to be; this also makes them 100x better than McD's.
Also (and somewhat more seriously) what's up with the cleanliness of HJs? I always find HJ restaurants to be significantly less clean than McD's. I know that this can differ from store to store, but everything appears to be covered in a fine layer of grease that is never cleaned up. Case in point: the old Tuggeranong HJs (RIP) was utterly filthy all the time. Fyshwick has 4 sitdown tables outside, all filthy. Belconnen is the same. Now, McD's isn't top shelf dining but outside of Friday/Saturday nights, they do tend to remain clean.
Further, the staff always seem less clean (dirty uniforms) and less enthusiastic than McD's staff. Had a mate work from 14yrs 9mths until he finished a 5 year double uni degree, and he said that they happily fire anyone who didn't maintain a cheerful demeanour at the front counter.
Thanks for the AMA!
HAHA everything about this is accurate.
Man Fyshwick HJ's… that place made me fat the year I worked in Fyshwick.
i hate their nuggets~ McDon/KFC r way better
Piss off.
bring back:
OLD NUGGETS
OLD YUMBO
OLD CHIPS
any chance?
new chips are a lot better mate
ya mom
New chips are god tier. You must be exterminated to protect this sacred gift.
Old nuggets though, definitely bring them back!
No way old nuggets
the turd nuggets were the best! The new ones are awful, even when compared to KFC (quite OK nuggets) to McDonalds (chicken flavoured cardboard)
Okay. But we all agree that the chips are way better?
@Bearosaurus: Well… if you want to be technical, they weren't Chips before, they were Fries.
I didn't mind the Fries, because I kinda took them for what they were which was cheap and nasty.
From a meal perspective, I think the Chips are a much more nicer compliment overall.
Yes :)
There is the misconception by a lot of people that thin chips is called fries. Well technically that is false. Regardless of size, it's called a chip.
Back before Mcdonalds were introduced to Australia, it was all called chips. It was only when Mcdonalds came to Australia that they used the US english 'fries', its when it started to get adopted here.
But anyway the thin chips at HJ suck. The new one is better
I had a bacon and egg muffin dead set the bacon was that thin i could see through it
If the food improved Jack wouldn't be as hungry….