Open Door Healing

I saw a blip on the news yesterday that Mcdonald’s was bringing back their fried apple pie. What I really wish they would bring back is customer service. McDonald’s was my first job. Yes, I babysat, as most teenage girls do, but this was my first “real” job, where I received a steady paycheck and was responsible for more than someone’s kids for a couple of hours. When I worked there, we had to know the prices of everything and do the addition ourselves. Yes, I know, I am dating myself. I was promoted to drive-thru, and during non busy times, we in drive-thru were responsible for checking the math on the receipts. Pretty important stuff. My job reviews were both good and bad, I had excellent customer service skills, took on responsbility, did what needed to be done without asking, but I refused to learn the fry cook position. I just was not going to do it. I hated cooking, still don’t like it that much, and that stems from childhood stuff, which we won’t go into here. My manager wanted me to go to school to become a McDonald’s manager, he saw potential in me, and I was like, “Not my dream.” I also saw how hard he worked. When I left McDonald’s for a much higher paying job, $4.25 an hour, I usually only went back once a year for a Filet a Fish with extra tarter sauce. I really couldn’t stand any of the other food. I’ve have frequented them much more often since the grandkids have come along. We go to lunch every Tuesday with my mom and the McDonald’s by her place has a nice indoor playscape that the grandkids love. This McDonald’s requires you to do your own order on a kiosk. It’s awful. And the place is not very clean. That was the one of the biggest lessons I learned working there in my younger days, “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.” Luckily, I will probably only have to go four more times as one week Cayden pickes where we go, and it’s usually McDonald’s and Cora usually picks Olive Garden. I know that McDonald’s was known for its efficiency, but not interacting with people, even if it is to take an order, is a huge step back. We always had to ask, “Would you like fries with that, or an apple pie?” Kiosks don’t do that. Customer service has been my life the last twenty years before I retired. I worked in wine tasting rooms. And yes, it helped to have a good wine to taste, but people go to them for an experience. I can go to my local grocery store and buy wine much cheaper than at the tasting room, but honestly, it’s not a fun experience, it is more, get in and get out. So, to make a short point long, McDonald’s we do not want your fried apple back, we want the customer service, the caring that the customer always comes first. Blessings.