I'm a casual employee, here to answer your questions about anything. I work back area, so I mainly assemble burgers and cook/fry.
[AMA] I Work at Macca's, Ask Me Anything!
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Yep that makes sense. I'm over 18 and never worked at maccas before - seems like they'd rather spend less money on training younger employees :(
There's no harm in applying to a fair amount of restaurants, you can definitely still get the job. Being 18 you still have a shot, compared to some of the super expensive 21 year olds.
How old were the others in your group interview?
@LikeClockwork: I got employed at HJ at 20, and so did my friend. I'm 21 now, and only 5 months in. The pay is great.
@Scrooge McDuck: Dollars. like, 25-29 per hour, depending on time/day. 32 hours a week, so like 800 bucks. not bad I reckon.
@nuttapillar: Ayeee!! I got hired at maccas at 20 too, casual pay for that age bracket was great, I also got a lot of shifts and the shift times worked really well with my uni schedule back then.
@LikeClockwork: pro tip for the 18 year olds. get a pub job instead. under 21s get paid less in fast food and retail as pay increases from 15-21. but because licensed premises cant employ under 18s they dont have that as part of their culture so you get adult wage right from the start.
hospitality industry also looks favourably on ex-macca's employees.
@Antikythera: I work for a place that owns a lot of hotels… I was remoting in to a Pub Managers PC while he was checking job applications… immediately jumping onto facebook and going through all their bikini pics
I'm pretty sure I know who is going to get the job :D
When you turn 18 maccas will give you less shifts. That way they let you resign yourself. Maccas can only make profit by employing young crew
@Lexan: No reason why they shouldn't if they only need an under-18s skills/ability for most positions.
@HighAndDry: If you're a crew trainer (mostly over 18s), you'll become the backbone of the restaurant so there's no way they'll phase you out.
Can't train the new trainees with poorly trained ex-trainees lol
I attended a group interview which I feel went pretty well but didn't end up getting the job.
Did you wear a tie?
I wore a bow tie.
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Does cooking egg for sausage egg mcmuffin take a long time? Everytime I order it (not for brekkie) they take so long to come out, although I do get it fresh and nice.
I'll outline what happens in the afternoon, as I've never worked in the morning. Eggs and sausage are both cooked to order. The egg is placed in a cooker that probably takes 2 or so minutes, and constant water-topping-up so it can steam. The sausage takes 80 seconds I believe, so you're waiting for the egg.
You're right on it being fresh lol
Sausage start time is 51 seconds.
Is it a real egg? Can I ask for it to be soft yolk?
It's real egg and I don't think you can get a soft yolk the way we cook them.
When I order bacon + egg muffins, sometimes there are bits of egg-shell on the egg. I'm wondering where this issue gets introduced in the pipeline.
- Are the eggs shelled at the store, or shipped out pre-cooked / ready to microwave?
- Are they shelled by a human or a machine?Eggs come in their shell. When we run out, often somebody runs up to Coles and grabs some more. The shell comes from breaking the egg on the spot, which is done by a human. There's tongs that you have to use which fishes out the little shells that get in. I myself have served egg with shell in it, and had a customer complaint which I was made very well aware of lol.
Thanks for explaining it.
I get them via uber eats and don't like to complain because I suspect when they refund me, it comes from the restaurant not uber.The refunds come from UberEats, not us. We don't even learn of the complaint.
Do you use free range eggs?
No, they pay for them.
Yes, they're free range.
This is a huge pain for me. I literally drive a few kms out of my way to go to another MD to get sausage and egg mcmuffins because the one on my way always contains shell.
Should I complain to them?
You may as well, because they're probably not even aware. The fact that it's consistent doesn't seem right, as it should be pretty obvious that shells are not meant to be in a bloody egg.
Am I allowed to ask the staff to fill the cup with more icecream when the McFlurry they served is half empty? Half empty McFlurry seems to be the norm these days.
You can definitely ask. If you're asking a regular crew member in a red shirt, they will probably just do it. Anyone else and they might attempt to say that's how much it is supposed to be.
If it is obviously not full, go ask a manager and they will probably give you two for free.
for free? wonder if it comes with some other free "stuff"
I honestly think Maccas would be the last place you'd need to worry about that kinda stuff because they run on a kind of a "pay less, supervise more" system.
Just FYI, the "ask the manager" trick mainly only actually works for McDonald's owned stores.
Once ordered takeaway with 24 nuggets and some chips. Seen them put nuggets in bag then ~10 minute wait for chips. Was a little unhappy - nuggets were left for 10 minutes going cold… Got home and noticed only 12 nuggets. Went back to store and requested a full 24 new nuggets be cooked (happily have them the 12 now supercold nuggets back) and the manager was very, very grumpy to do so. Argued for a good 3-5 minutes to even receive 24 new nuggets so I could enjoy them warm, he just kept offering the 12 difference and said the cold nuggets are still nuggets. Turns out store is franchised. Have heard similar stories with other franchised stores.
Of course you can ask doesn't mean they will
What's the worst customer you have encountered/seen? What's the policy to deal with fake claims of 'missing orders'?
I work back area so I don't encounter customers much. Only confrontation I've had was when waiting in line after my shift, an old woman got pretty mad that I was served before everyone else was served, as I was a crew member.
The policy on fake missing orders isn't too clear to me. I know that if somebody calls in reporting raw meat (with evidence), that the manager checks the person who was on grill at that time and gives them a verbal warning. Without evidence, all meat will be checked and the person will be given store credit.
Ordered a sausage and egg mcmuffin - which came out raw, the manager told me it comes out a bit rare usually…
All I was actually after was an apology/acknowledgement that it was raw and that they would inform the cook and take on the feedback.
To be fair it was the first time we visited that store.
I assume it was the last too.
Orders often come through, the burger is made, but then the order is changed or cancelled. That's one way that serving time is cut down - as you order, the burger is being made. Whether it be an indecisive person or a trainee on the counter, we make so many burgers that don't need to be made which are thrown out.
It wouldn't have been hard for that manager to have given you a free Big Mac.
do you prefer the new way of ordering where you order, and then move to the side? or the old way, where you just wait?
I think the later predates OP's employment.
OP works back of house, I don't think he'd care. Though if he did, it'd probably be the less efficient method because it'd spread out the work for them more I'd imagine.
The water in a cup - is it just chilled tap water or what
Yeah pretty much it goes through the water filters out the back but not much to it really.
How come it tastes like plastic from some locations?
I've ordered a double cheeseburger with an additional 8 beef patties before, usually when I've had a few beers. Some places don't seem to want to serve that many on one burger and have refused. Is there a rule which states the limit of extra patties? And what's the most you have put in one burger?
If you can do it on the kiosk (I think it has a maximum of 10, really don't know though) then nobody can stop you. There's no rule that I'm aware of.
Most I've put on one burger is 3, on a triple cheeseburger. Never done anything more than that.
I've always wanted to do the decacheeseburger. biggest I ever did was an octocheeseburger
Decacheesebuger haha, never thought of that.. me n my mates call it the McTen.
With the obesity epidemic what is your view on supplying junk food to kids
Give 'em a garden salad instead. Maybe with some Big Mac sauce?
We should start supplying oral contraceptives to potential parents instead…
Just oral would do the trick
Fun fact: childhood obesity has been stable for like two or three decades (still too high dont get me wrong).
Adult obesity has continued to spiral in that time.
Im open to an argument that we form habits in our youth that our adult lives cant keep up with though.
can I get a soft egg?
Is preference given to people who goes through drive through than those who are in the queue? And also how come there is always a wait for the hot apple pie?
Not too familiar with the drive thru preference, however I often hear front area asking us to 'rush' a burger for drive thru. Apple pies can only sit on the floor for an hour I believe, so they're made to order most of the time. They take over 5 minutes to cook.
Late to the party but as Clockwork said they take a fair bit of time to cook, also if I recall correctly they don't give customers the pies straight away after they're cooked because they're extremely hot because they're deep fried in oil and I think there have been incidents where people have bit into a scalding apple pie :(
Can confirm. We would have to leave them for 5 minutes or so for that exact reason. There is nothing hotter in the universe than a freshly cooked apple pie.
Do customers have to use the self serve kiosks? At my local Maccas they often refuse to serve me at the counter.
One of the targets set for all restaurants is the % of orders through kiosk. There will be hosts at the kiosks inviting customers to use them, just to get that percentage up. At my restaurant there is no way that you would be refused counter service, however this has also happened to me at another Maccas.
The last time it happened, the girl said she had not been trained in how to take orders at the counter.
My store has changed a lot technologically in the past year. I'm sure some people would find it at least a bit interesting to see what McDonald's is like to work at, many years later. Considering it's such a shit job, maybe you could do an AmA? I would love to see what a good job is like :))
Damn kid, hellavuh clapback haha.
Hotter burn than a fresh apple pie
It appears youve misread the room.
Big Mac sauce recipe?
its basically a mayo with relish/gherkin. You can get a very, very similar item from costco called burgerlicious, its %7.50 for 1L compared to the limited 500ml for $10 from maccas. Side by side maccas has a bit more gherkin but on its own it tastes exactly the same.
Good stuff, bought a 2nd bottle for the niece!
What do you do if you drop a patty on the floor? Does it go in the bin or is it dusted off and put into the next burger?
Drop a patty on the floor and it goes straight to the wastebin. Drop anything on the floor, and you have to do something about it. There's at least 5 other people in the kitchen who will see it happen, even if you have a lazy crew member they aren't going to ever get away with that.
I guess things have changed. Back in my day, when I worked at Maccas, the 5 second rule applied to everything (meat, buns, cheese, etc)
Even if it was more than 5 seconds, we'd just yell out "5 second rule", have a laugh and then continue on. We were just too busy to start all over again.
Is it true that you can “request” for a free cheeseburger if you had to wait for more then 2 minutes for your order?
Only if the teacher doesn't show up in 15 minutes, then you're legally allowed to leave and get your free cheeseburger.
This is an old thing, I remember it used to be around at super busy maccas in Sydney (like Circular Quay). I don't believe this happens now.
Why was CYT dropped?
I miss that as a consumer, but not as a crew member. It slowed the kitchen down as each Create Your Taste burger had a custom grill slip which takes extra long to ensure is correct. They replaced it with the gourmet burgers, which can still be customized to a similar extent.
Makes sense, but these days it feels like service is slower than it used to be anyway.
I heard that potatoes around the world all taste different so to keep the flavor taste and texture consistent with their food the fries and hash browns are made from rice so it all tastes the same no matter where you are in the world.
Yeah nah they're made from potatoes.
McDs actually use a very specific type of potato. It's a long shape which is best for cutting fries and it is quite a difficult process to grow. Lots of pesticides, it damages easily.
Lots of pesticides, it damages easily.
I can't see how when they use genetically modified foods.
We have no current plans to introduce specific GMO-free products
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=is+mcdonalds+gmo+free&sa=…
What's wrong with GMO? I think it's brilliant.
e.g., Seedless watermelon = GMO.
It's mainly the Russet Burbank potato. Very common worldwide and not difficult to grow. The reason why you don't see it in supermarkets is almost the entire supply is bulk ordered by potato chip companies. Potatoes also don't require that many pesticides to grow.
In a widely circulated 2014 video Michael Pollan blasts McDonald’s for accepting only potatoes of a certain size and shape and shunning any with blemishes caused by aphids.
That forces farmers to use pesticides such as Monitor (methamidophos) which he deems to be particularly dangerous. Indeed he points out that this chemical “is so toxic that farmers who grow these potatoes in Idaho won’t venture outside and into their fields for five days after they spray.” He goes on to say that the potatoes have to be stored in giant sheds for six weeks so they have time to off gas all the chemicals in them.
How about a true OzBargain question: Why has Maccas gotten so damned expensive???
I cost 13 and a half hamburgers to run an hour. As many in this thread have mentioned, when they worked at Maccas they were paid around $8 tops. That's nearly 50% lower compared to today. The menu price just has to go up. The 50% discount is nice though, however sometimes I feel as though that's what the menu should be priced at anyway.
Hard to pay people if you're not selling because your product is too expensive.
You can't complain about low min. wages and high prices at the same time though.
@HighAndDry: Sure you can. There are other expenses than wages. And if you're going to charge more you have to improve the quality of the food.
There are other expenses than wages
Exactly. High real estate prices also explain why prices have risen.
$5.00 for a McOz Burger Small Meal Deal can't be considered expensive.
@syousef: Not really - wages set a floor for how much stuff has to cost. Unless they can make savings elsewhere, if wages rise, prices will also have to rise. It's not like fast food has some kind of monopoly so they're not subject to competitive market forces.
@HighAndDry: @HighAndDry There are other fast food restaurants that are cheaper. "Unless they can make savings elsewhere" is exactly the point. If they want to remain competitive they better do so. Right now prices are creeping up so that it's getting closer and closer to the price of eating at a "real" restaurant. And if you don't want to go for the quality there are other options too. I was at an all you can eat on Sunday and to feed 2 adults and 2 kids was $75. It's even cheaper at lunch times.
The best value at maccas is 4 squashed burgers, 10 low quality nuggets, some horrible if not piping hot and fresh chips and watered down drink for $26. Add some more nuggets or a couple of apple pies and Sundaes and you'll quickly see that number jump up. Forget about buying the chips at full price. You'll end up poor.
And let's not talk about the "toys" or their buggy app.I was at an all you can eat on Sunday and to feed 2 adults and 2 kids was $75.
Did you interrogate management on how much their staff are paid though?
@HighAndDry: No I didn't. That particular restaurant is always packed and there are literally dozens of staff employed constantly clearing tables, serving food and replacing trays in the buffet. Given that this is hosted by an RSL club, I don't think we're talking sweat shop wages though.
Bottom line: When I go to buy food, I'm not doing it to fund jobs creating crappy fast food joints. If your only justification is what the staff is paid, I'd rather they were paid the same elsewhere making good food.
How come the frozen coke machine never works?
That thing gets used so much, needs occasional manual cleaning.
These days they aren't out of action for very long at all.
whats the craziest burger youve made yourself
back in uni days i used to work at subway, and could make myself 1 free sub. so i would literally make a monster sub with almost the entire food selection in it (chicken, turkey, beef, pineapple, cheese etc etc etc) it would barely close.
Yes it is harder, however it's not impossible. I'd say that most of the over 18's have been with the store since they were around 16, and are used as crew trainers.
All of the trainees I've seen recently, are in Grade 9 (around 15).