McDonald's Horror Stories

The rants, raves, and general dismay of an anonymous McDonald's employee.

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Tell me about yourself

My favorite part of interviews. Me: "Would you like to know about my life or my work ethic?" Interviewer: "Your life." Me: "I've been working fast food and retail since age 17. On those minimum--or barely above minimum--wage jobs I have successfully started a Roth IRA on my 18th birthday, bought a $2k car a month before turning 19, and moved out into my first apartment with my now fiance. While living there we saved like crazy. We got broken into 6 months into living at that place. Not even 4 months later we bought our first mobile home, paid in cash in full. I had all of this under my belt before the age of 21. Now, I'm just looking for a change in pace for work." Interviewer: "That's impressive. Especially at your age. What motivated you for all that?" Me: "I took a finance class junior year of highschool and it changed my outlook in life. It gave me hope in a year that wasn't that great for me. That class got my foot in the door to work and gave me a reason to keep going. To play the game of life and beat the odds of debt." Sorry guys! Every now and again I just have to step back and realize how well I'm doing. Even when it feels like the world is crashing, I just have to look at my accomplishments and reassess my goals. Our next goal is to either relocate the trailer or move in the next 5-10 years. Paid in cash either way. -Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Closing

Today is the last day for our store. We’re closing the doors for good.

Maybe down the line we’ll rebuild. But for now it’s just another empty lot.

We’ve been told for months we were next in line for a tear down and rebuild. We were informed last week that is no longer the plan.

Our location just isn’t great. We’re near a Walmart, but we’re up the hill from it so people from the highway don’t do to us cuz they don’t see it as soon as burger king.

Also, good luck turning left off the lot. It’s hard enough going right.

Luckily, today was actually my last day available. I’m switching to a call center tomorrow (I think).

I was told training wasn’t until the 16th. But I called yesterday and it’s tomorrow. So, we’ll see if I’m actually on the training list.

I’m just going to show up and hope I’m supposed to be there.

If not, I seriously don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I won’t have a job.

-Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Okay, so that job is a bust. I could go back to McDonalds by the same owner. I really don’t want to.

Think I’m going to go try out some factory work. Place I’m looking at has a shift from 7p-7a that one of my old managers is on. If I do that shift, we can carpool. Which I’ll need until payday seeing as I have $2 in my back account after my Kohl’s charge is paid.

I need a job. They hired him on the spot. It’s (paid) temp to employee though, so I’m going to have to prove myself. But with him as an employee referral, it’ll look great.

-Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Alrighty! Start tomorrow! Won't be there too long though. Quitting in about a month. Friends dad is starting a sandwich shop at our mall. Planned open date is March 1st. I can't go that long without a job which is why I'll do the factory work until then.

Feel a little bad though. I prefer not to quit jobs until I've been there at least a year.

The sandwich shop will be $10 an hour before taxes. So I'll be making less per hour than factory, but I'll be saving money in gas. The factory is a 40 minute drive one way. The mall is a 5-10 minute drive.

Plus it won't be 12 hour days at the shop. I'm excited to work for us.

-Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Closing

Today is the last day for our store. We’re closing the doors for good.

Maybe down the line we’ll rebuild. But for now it’s just another empty lot.

We’ve been told for months we were next in line for a tear down and rebuild. We were informed last week that is no longer the plan.

Our location just isn’t great. We’re near a Walmart, but we’re up the hill from it so people from the highway don’t do to us cuz they don’t see it as soon as burger king.

Also, good luck turning left off the lot. It’s hard enough going right.

Luckily, today was actually my last day available. I’m switching to a call center tomorrow (I think).

I was told training wasn’t until the 16th. But I called yesterday and it’s tomorrow. So, we’ll see if I’m actually on the training list.

I’m just going to show up and hope I’m supposed to be there.

If not, I seriously don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I won’t have a job.

-Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Okay, so that job is a bust. I could go back to McDonalds by the same owner. I really don't want to.

Think I'm going to go try out some factory work. Place I'm looking at has a shift from 7p-7a that one of my old managers is on. If I do that shift, we can carpool. Which I'll need until payday seeing as I have $2 in my back account after my Kohl's charge is paid.

I need a job. They hired him on the spot. It's (paid) temp to employee though, so I'm going to have to prove myself. But with him as an employee referral, it'll look great.

-Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Closing

Today is the last day for our store. We're closing the doors for good. Maybe down the line we'll rebuild. But for now it's just another empty lot. We've been told for months we were next in line for a tear down and rebuild. We were informed last week that is no longer the plan. Our location just isn't great. We're near a Walmart, but we're up the hill from it so people from the highway don't do to us cuz they don't see it as soon as burger king. Also, good luck turning left off the lot. It's hard enough going right. Luckily, today was actually my last day available. I'm switching to a call center tomorrow (I think). I was told training wasn't until the 16th. But I called yesterday and it's tomorrow. So, we'll see if I'm actually on the training list. I'm just going to show up and hope I'm supposed to be there. If not, I seriously don't know what I'm supposed to do. I won't have a job. -Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Workout advice

Anyone have advice for what to do in back cash when it’s slow?

I’ve been doing calf raises and trying to use our 4 pound sugar bags as small weights. What else could I do?

-Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Chaos and no break

Worked 8-3. Once lunch hour at 10:30, the bun toaster stopped working. Had manager M, K and all the stores' management guy B all looking at it. I had to dance around them all to get to the buns and put them in the muffin toaster. Then that kept unplugging the muffin toaster, leaving me with having to put the buns on the grill. This went on all through lunch. Our secondary bun toaster wasn't working either. It wasn't until just after 1 that everything decided to work. Around 2 M sent K back to grill to give me a break, but no one told me that's why he was back there. I ended up eating a sandwich between orders and ran out for a quick smoke. That day just thoroughly sucked. I came home and just slept. -Fish

[witchervesemir-deactivated20210]

so the bus stop is right in front of Wendy’s where i live, and today while i was waiting for the bus, a guy in his Wendy’s uniform came outside and was waiting so i figured hey his shift must be over he probably wants to go home but instead, i see a McDonald’s truck stop in front of Wendy’s and a McDonald’s worker got out of the car and handed the Wendy’s guy a bag of White Castle and a bag of McDonald’s and I’m just looking at this like what is happening and they noticed me standing there and said with the straightest faces ever “Fuck Burger King” and that is how I missed my bus this morning getting to class

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Food poisoning

No work today. Couldn't leave the bathroom for more than 20 minutes from midnight till 2am. Damn. It's a 7 hour shift and I could really use the money. -Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

In charge

Yesterday our GM had a meeting with our money saver guy. I was covering someone's shift. Thank god I was there. I ended up running the floor. Some lady from another one of our stores came in to be in charge. Well, naturally she doesn't know our store. She wouldn't even answer the phone though, so I answered seeing as I used to be a shift manager. An employee was calling saying M called her and asked to talk to her. "M isn't here. There's no manager here from our store, just C from other store." "Is manager G in?" "No. No managers from our store. What can I help you with?" "Is K in?" "NO, no managers from our store. I'm in charge. *What* can I help you with?" "Well, M asked if I could come in ASAP and work until 4 or 5. Do you still need help?" "Let me look at the floor plan. Yes. Co isn't here. He no called no showed. Ma is covering, but only till 1 or 2." So she came in. But Co was scheduled for grill, and she only knows front. So I quickly had to rearrange people. Around 1:30, it was brought to my attention that L wasn't feeling well. Ma volunteered to stay till 2 to let L leave. I made that decision finalized without talking to manager C from other store. Any questions people had, they came to me. Most know I'm an ex manager, others just sensed I knew what I was doing. -Fish TL;DR Gm out for a few hours, and I became the acting manager over a borrowed manager.

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

You can leave

No! My table is filled! Give me a few! I argued with so many people about staying until my table and screen was cleared lol -Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

First day back

Have to be up and two hours and have had no luck sleeping. Vacation messed me all up. -Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

21St!!

Drank a LOT thanks to my fiance, brother, and my brother's best friend (/my best friend's brother). Couldn't have asked for a better night! It was fantastic! Work tried to call me in earlier, but I'm on vacation and so is my fiance. So, sorry, but no. -Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

New People Department Manager

So recently one of our managers got certified/promoted to fill our vacant People Department slot. And it’s been a nightmare. Everyone got their hours cut and he sends people home without checking the schedule first, leaving us understaffed between shifts. Today was the breaking point. I was scheduled 11-7. I got up, got dressed, walked a mile to work, clocked in at 11:00. I’m taking orders on front line and he comes up to me and says “okay. After this order, go ahead and get out of here.” It was 11:06. I told him “I’ve literally only been here six minutes.” His reply: “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any hours for you today.” To which I call bullshit. He knows damn well that we get slammed between 11:30-2:00. At least let me stay through the rush. Everyone is getting fed up with him. Two people have already quit, and I’ve been going in on my days off to make up the hours he cuts from me. I was supposed to be off Friday and Sunday. Now I’m working 8am-3 on Friday and 4am-1 on Sunday.

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that's really not cool. If he really didn't need you he could've had the decency to call

-Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

According to friends my fiance and myself are adulting correctly. Watched this scene while sitting in our blanket fort!! -Fish

[lolshtus]

#Icecream, Mcdonalds, Not, Upscale

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

Trying

To quit smoking. Cold turkey didn't work out too well. Trying to space out this pack of cigs. One every 6 to 8 hours with making myself go outside for it. Hopefully it works -Fish

[mcdonaldshorrorstories]

A Series of My Days at McDanks or; Why Anxiety and McD's Don't Mix

So I’m one of the lucky ones who escaped fairly quickly, but I also had the first 6 out of 7 months at McD’s with a super corrupt set of higher ups. Including 6 ‘Managers’ (Team leads that our manager game manager uniforms to) that acted as though they made all the rules. The only okay higher up was the Assistant Manager.

Let me share you my *favorite* moments.

A 'manager’ who spent all of Eurovision in the back watching it- including when we had a skeleton team of 5 with 2 being less than a month on staff and a freaking hour long rush in the dead of night. One of those two showed up to her shift stoned and did nothing but check her phone.

Getting told to move from drinks to cash to fries to lobby to running and then back to drinks within a minute, before getting screamed at for 5 minutes that the drinks weren’t ready yet.

Getting told to stay on fries (And not even allowed to grab a drink) after a) Blacking out for a moment (Thank god a cook caught me) and b) getting a nose bleed that was going so hard it was dripping down my arms.

Helping what I thought was a customer connect to the internet, and then being written up for using my phone (Turns out they were a new co-worker I hadn’t met yet and they were not in uniform).

Walked into the men’s bathroom while on lobby to find the toilet, ceiling, Sink, Counter, Floor AND soap dispenser dripping with blood. Now, because our store is super sketchy from corruption, I normally have to clean the bathroom using two rags, window fluid, and barehanded. Seeing as I grew up in a house where we spent just as much time in the hospital, I knew this was wrong, and drew the line at Skin contact with blood so I go ask a 'manager’ what to do and they just sigh and say “Again? Clean it like normally, duh”. I threw a fucking FIT. Thank god the Ass. Manager who was good overheard and said “Uh. NO.” And tossed me some gloves and the glorious bottle of sanitizer only cooks get to use.

And Finally, I’m on lobby and I go to grab a broom from the back closet and the fricken lighting fixture falls on me, hard enough to make me see stars and my vision to blur.

For the sake of understanding why this freaked me out- I had a similar reaction when I got a concussion that made me get glasses.

Anyhoo, So I scream in pain, and then yell for help so that someone can grab the light fixture so I can get out of the closet. One of the cooks yells “Fuck off, we’re too busy to kiss your goddamnned booboo.” A 'manager’ in the distance is yelling for me, and my actual manager is yelling where’s our lobby, but I don’t think they can hear me. I try to put up the light so I can get out, but as I’m leaving it smacks me in the back of the head even harder.

I literally stumble to the front, unable to see straight, my anxiety is so bad I can’t breathe and the corners of my vision are going black. The 'Manager’ was actually a decent human being and jokingly asked me what took me so long. The Manager flipped shit, saying she was writing me up and how dare I go check my phone and I swear was about to fire me there when- Thank GOD for the guardian angel that she is- the Assistant Manager comes swooping in.

“You look like you’re gonna fall over.”

“I am.”

“Why?”

“The lighting fixture in the back fell onto my goddamnned head. TWICE. I tried to call for help but the cooks said they were too busy to help.”

“Oh my god, WHAT!? Com'on, I’ll check you out.”

One full look over for blood or concussion, a clean bill of health, an offer to let me leave early, 2 chewed out cooks later, and one VERY long meeting between the assistant manager and the Manager later, I still worked to the end of my shift. But I’m pretty sure that was the tipping point when my Assistant Manager started campaigning to get our Manager transferred so she could take over and fix everything.

I have a TON more stories where good things happened, or weird things, or just really sketchy things, as well as some AMAZING co worker stories but this is long enough and these are the ones that have me tell everyone with anxiety to run the other way if anyone even MENTIONS fast food. Go work in a shitty cafe that has weird rules. You’ll be so much happier.