…Well, according to Digg. It is pretty awesome.
It’s also more insightful that my Wendy’s reviews. Ha ha ha.
Tag Archives: Wendy’s
The McSaga Continues (…A reply from Ms. Jones!)
Perhaps this is the end more than a continuation.
I wrote back to Mr. Kausky & received another reply. I pushed again with Kty_McD and received an actual reply from Ella Jones at Mc5834. Perversely, I hope when I read in the seething anger between the lines that I’m not wrong.
I’ll try to lay it out in Chronological order…
from ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
to Scott Kausky skausky33@verizon.net
date Mon, Jul 26, 2010
subject Re: A day in the life of McDonald’s #5834 (West Liberty Ave.)
mailed-by gmail.comHello Scott,
I would like to first thank you for your replies. I can tell by the look of your location and the attitude of the employees that great pride is taken in the operation of your McDonald’s. Your emails have confirmed it! I’m generally amazed at how quickly I can get in & out of the Canonsburg location at lunch time when it is usually quite packed. Quality/taste of the food aside, generally one goes to McDonald’s with convenience and speed being at the top of the priority list.
I was hoping to write back to you to tell you that I had been contacted by Ella Jones or someone else at the West Liberty Avenue location… but I cannot. I didn’t want to wait too long in replying to you to say thanks. Thanks for proving that all McDonald’s managers/owners/operators/customer service reps are not apathetic, and thanks for your involvement in perusing this customer service issue which is mostly unrelated to you!
I have also followed up via the contact form at the McDonald’s website, and with a Katy (@Kty_McD) via the McDonald’s Twitter Team. Both to no avail thus far. They must really have issues other than the obvious over in Beechview if they’re not even responding from other franchise owners or from a corporate push. I can tell you that they have received my last dollar, no matter what the outcome.
I hope that no offense is taken when I say that you seem to operate more like a Chick-fil-A manager than a McDonald’s manager. I hate to stereotype, but they generally have a more pleasant disposition as a fast food chain. They also respond quickly and positively to customer service related emails. They usually have quite the hands-on approach in special promotions every night of the week and the way things are run.
Your drive-thru traffic direction cones/poles are a great idea… I don’t know why they’re not standard issue in all split drive-thru locations. It’s amazing that people would cut up and around. Are they totally blind to the lines on the ground? I’m always amazed at how some people think that they’re better than the rest of us, or the rules don’t apply to them.
I hope that you’re able to push the inside queue line issue with success in the future. I certainly don’t see anything wrong with it. It works for amusement parks, the bank, Wendy’s, & Burger King. With the multiple entrances in your store, and with people standing back waiting for their orders to be filled, it can be quite confusing to know who’s next.
I will keep you posted on a resolution with store #5834 (if there ever is one), thank you for your time & effort!
-Eric
And then..
from Scott Kausky skausky33@verizon.net
to ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
date Mon, Jul 26, 2010
subject Re: A day in the life of McDonald’s #5834 (West Liberty Ave.)
mailed-by verizon.netEric,
Thanks again. It amazes me because they would be all over us, (the operator) community if any complaints are not closed out. I have placed a follow up email to our business consultant. One day, when I work my way up to president, I’ll have a direct line to my office. I understand that everyone is busy, but at the end of the day, its the customers like you who put the pay in payday. If I can ever assist you in the future, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Scott Kausky
General Manager
Scott is all over that! I seriously wish him luck in is race to become McPresident, and I hope he gets those queue lines installed. It keeps one grounded to know that your pay is ultimately coming from customer satisfaction.
Here’s the reply that we’ve all been waiting for (apparently it was emailed to my alternate email address on Thursday… still over 2 weeks after my original message):
From: Jones Ella <ella.jones@us.mcd.com>
To: World(andLunar)Domination <worldandlunardomination@yahoo.com>
Cc: “West Liberty (pit.05834@us.stores.mcd.com)” <pit.05834@us.stores.mcd.com>
Sent: Thu, July 22, 2010
Subject: RE: A day in the life of McDonald’s #5834 (West Liberty Ave.)Hi Eric,
Thank you for taking the time to communicate about the West Liberty McDonald’s. Something will be done about the Jiffy Lube. We are waiting on a new tenant. The building interior choice was made based on what some customers like. I understand not all customers like it and your feedback will help McDonald’s as they plan to design other locations. Thank you for the feedback.
We are working on the speed issues, the food quality issues, and the customer service issues at this location. We have support coming in to help us become the “well oiled” operation that we need to be. Thank you for taking your time to point out our issues—this certainly helps us get better.
Sincerely,
Ella Jones
If you need a refresher, click here to read my original email to Ms. Jones. (And note in the comments that others have had similar experiences there!)
I feel like Ms. Jones didn’t read past the Brady Bunch comment… although we did get a “well-oiled” quote from the last paragraph. I’d love to meet the focus group that liked the new McDonald’s layout/design. Did they know it was for a McDoanld’s or did they think it was for a fruit stand in a 70’s movie?
- There was no mention of the incorrect breakfast sandwich or explanation of how that happened.
- There was no mention of the crazy double-drive-thru traffic patterns.
- No mention of the Canonsburg store used as a good example.
- No mention of the spongy rubbery egg-like substance.
- No mention of the race for the “sloth” title with Wendy’s.
- No mention of the ridiculous wait time or stress-induced customer telepathy.
- No mention of the cardboard-like McNuggets.
- No mention of what the nuggets contained before they were “all white meat”.
- No mention of my admitting that I was wrong.
Are my emails too long-winded? I guess I know the answer to that.. But still… if we’re getting into percentage of questions asked vs. questions answered (not even assigning a quality to the answer), we’re not even getting a passing grade here!
Id love to know just how many “you need to answer this email” emails that Ms. Jones received. I encourage you to also write if you’ve had a bad experience there. It would be even better if you share it with us. I’d love to post other letters of dissatisfaction.
I’m guessing that my pressing the issue further really isn’t going to get me anywhere. She doesn’t seem like the type to comment on the spongy rubbery egg stuff or mystery meat McNuggets. It will be interesting to see if orange cones appear in the drive-thru down there.
Perhaps one day they will actually get their act together. I bet not, but perhaps.
McTweeting
So, I have another avenue for contacting (or nagging) the apathetic McFoodChain down the street. Not only can I email them directly (albeit to no avail so far), submit a tattle-tale on a corporate level (also to no avail so far), & email their fellow managers. I can tweet them. McDonald’s has a Twitter Team.
Still not hearing from the local MdDud of a management and/or customer service team in Beechview, I reached out again in a more attention-grabbing manner:
@McDonaldsFans Any thoughts on these #Pittsburgh area #McDonald‘s locations? http://wp.me/pwqzc-in
@kim_mcd @George_McD @McCafeYourDay @McDonalds Any thought on how this McDonadl’s should be handled, #McDonaldsFans? http://wp.me/pwqzc-in
@Nick_McD How would you handle the drive-thru & queue situation(s) here? http://wp.me/pwqzc-in
Hello, @AboutMcDonalds! Do these company policies sound correct? http://wp.me/pwqzc-in
@yilovemcdonalds This is a reason to love http://wp.me/pwqzc-in this is a reason to hate http://wp.me/pwqzc-hX They need to get it together!
And, then I got a DM from @AboutMcDonalds:
AboutMcDonalds Hi – yes, our customer sat team should respond to you w/in 24 hrs. Thx for checking. ^LM
Yes. They should, but they didn’t. Apparently AboutMcDonalds is missing the point. But, they’re not following me, so I couln’t DM them back. Another public tweet:
@AboutMcDonalds Got your DM, couldn’t send one back. What happens if they don’t respond? What about the greater issue?
No answer on that one. So, a few more…
#icantstop laughing at #mcdonalds http://wp.me/pwqzc-in & http://wp.me/pwqzc-hX — They need to get it together! @CocaCola
@McDonalds Is this a good representation of the average McDonald’s? http://wp.me/pwqzc-hX Or is this more like it? http://wp.me/pwqzc-in
@George_McD Is this a good representation of the average McDonald’s? http://wp.me/pwqzc-hX Or is this more like it? http://wp.me/pwqzc-in
#icantstop laughing at #mcdonalds http://wp.me/pwqzc-in & http://wp.me/pwqzc-hX – They need to get it together over at @McDonalds in @15216!
RT @NathanFillion Dear McDonalds, U are poisoning the world with yr food & thx 4 a delicious breakfast. I hate you. http://wp.me/pwqzc-hX
While a lot of my tweets directly to the McTwitter Team went unanswered, someone that I didn’t even message directly seemed to have caught a theme to my tewwets. Katie (Kty_McD) did seem to pickup on my frustration.
Kty_McD @W_a_L_D Hey, I saw the blog/tweets can you follow me so that I am able to DM you? Thanks, Katie from McD’s
You read my blog? Score! Ha ha ha. Again with the DM’s…
Kty_McD Great! Ill do everything I can to help, I read the blogs, but to be sure store #05834 is the one you haven’t heard from correct?
W_a_L_D Correct! The one on West Liberty Ave. in Beechview (Pittsburgh, PA 15216) Thanks in advance!
Kty_McD Thanks for that info, I have the case number pulled, email still the best way to reach you?
W_a_L_D Yes please, thanks! world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com – You rock!!!
Kty_McD Thanks so much for tweeting out to me, I reached out to that store, please let me know if you don’t get a response. Have a great weekend : )
W_a_L_D I appreciate the response from you, but I’m not holding my breath for their reaction!
…and thus ends the twitversation so far, bringing us all up to date. Still no response from Ms. Ella Jones (or anyone else from) McDonald’s #5834. I do feel like I need to write back to Mr. Kausky though. He deserves to know that he has my utmost respect, and that I still have yet to hear from the McDud in my neighborhood.
I’d like to send a big sarcastic “good job” to @AboutMcDonalds for dropping the subject like a hot potato (unless it was passed on via you or you’re the same person as @Kty_McD and that’s how her attention was brought to me), and especially to @McDonalds, @McDonaldsFans, @kim_mcd, @George_McD, @McCafeYourDay, @Nick_McD, & @yilovemcdonalds for not even responding to my direct tweets.
McSatisfaction
So, have you read my “day in the life of McDonald’s #5834” blog yet? If not, read that one first, or this will make absolutely no sense. Not that there was much sense to start with.
In that email, I mentioned the McDonald’s in Canonsburg with a similar drive-thru setup as an example of how things ought to be run. Apparently you can’t always assume that people are going to do the right thing when waiting in line or following lines painted on the ground are concerned. Heh, that is so ridiculous, I need to copy & paste it for effect.
Apparently you can’t always assume that people are going to do the right thing when waiting in line or following lines painted on the ground are concerned.
Done laughing? OK, let’s move on. There is someone who works for McDonald’s that gives a damn. He is the manager of the McDonald’s that also serves as a memorial to Perry Como, Bobby Vinton, and the Four Coins. Mr. Scott Kausky not only took the time to write back to me once, but twice… and get this… both replies came in the same day of my email to him!
This man is to be applauded for his efforts. I’m waiting. Please. Clap.
OK, first, my note to him…
From: ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010
To: skausky33@verizon.net
Subject: Fwd: A day in the life of McDonald’s #5834 (West Liberty Ave.)Hello Mr. Kausky,
I would like to thank you for the inclusion of your email address at the top of your McDonald’s receipts. It is a policy that your brothers-in-franchise at the McDonald’s in Beechview on West Liberty Avenue have recently adopted. Sadly, though, for them it is useless. I have written to them over a week ago, to no avail. I believe that they’re beyond reach via email… or that they just really don’t care about customer satisfaction. I hope that’s not the case with you!
The reason I’m writing to you is that I mentioned your restaurant in my email to them as an example of how to operate… and wanted to hear your thoughts on the issue. Pehaps you can review the email below and come up with a few ideas.
Do you have any contact with the managers at that location? Perhaps you can be the Jedi Master to their Padawan.
Thank you in advance for your time, I can’t wait to hear from you!
-Eric
…which was of course followed by the original email.
His 1st reply…
from Scott Kausky skausky33@verizon.net
reply-to skausky33@verizon.net
to ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
date Wed, Jul 21, 2010
subject Re: Fwd: A day in the life of McDonald’s #5834 (West Liberty Ave.)
mailed-by srs.bis.na.blackberry.comEric
Its unfortunately the store I operate is privately owned. I have pride in the store that I run and this is why I provide my email address. The email get sent directly to my blackberry that I pay for. This is not something that is provided by my operator or McDonald. I care about my customers as they are the ones who pay my check and when I have unsatisfied guests it affects my bottom line as well as my crew.
Mcdonalds.com will also have a guest satisfaction email as well as a 800 number which should get you to someone that is involved with that particular location. Once a complaint or praise is posted it is then emailed to the operator or supervisor of that location and they should respond within 24 hours. This is the policy mcdonalds enforces on the private owner stores. I also copied your email to the owner of my store to see if he can get you in contact with the appropriate person.
I apologize that your having these problems and will assist you to try to fix it.
Thanks for being a loyal mcdonalds customer.
Scott Kausky
His 2nd reply…
from Scott Kausky skausky33@verizon.net
to ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
date Wed, Jul 21, 2010
subject Re: A day in the life of McDonald’s #5834 (West Liberty Ave.)
mailed-by verizon.netEric,
I have to apologize again, when reading your email, my blackberry only showed half of your email I’m at home now and read the full thing. I have also copied Linda Cumer, who is my business consultant. She is paid by McDonald’s Corporation. She will have better contact then anyone to work on resolving these issues. In reference to the traffic cones, I appreciate the fact that you like the ideas. I had a customer a month ago give me an hour lecture on why I should eliminate them. I made the decision to have them in place to keep the cars lined up. I would also install a q line like you see at an amusement park to keep the same thing happening on the inside with guests who try to cut lines, but was told I wasn’t allowed. I hope I have assisted you and us to get these problems corrected. Please let me know either way if someone does or doesn’t contact you because I want the Arches to shine even if I do only have a small role in it.
Thanks Again,
Scott Kausky
General Manager
Genius.
Mr. Kausky is obviously intelligent, thoughtful, and full of great ideas. He ought to be working for Chick-fil-A! I can excuse the somewhat confusing email via Blackberry, and hs ignoring my Star Wars reference.
Why shouldn’t there be lines like in the bank (or Burger King or Wendy’s) so that the actual next person is next, not the a-hole who cut in front of them?
I really can’t express my drive-thru complaints successfully unless you’ve ever been to that type of drive through. I really need to work on some illustrations to convey the full extent of my frustration. The customer that wanted the cones removed is an assclown. The only reason he (or she) would want them removed is so he (or she) could cut in front of others in line. What makes him (or her) so special? Does he (or she) also park in handicapped spaces? I bet he (or she) does. I would like to hear just one rational reason for their removal. I bet it can’t be found.
Of course, these only touch on the host of problems at the West Liberty Avenue McDonald’s.
This guy wants it resolved though, as a true honest-to-goodness hard worker with a correctly aligned set of values where it comes to running a business and how to treat people. I started this off on a goofy note, but hate to mess with this guy… he really wants an issue resolved. And now, dammit, so do I. He explained his point of view, his situation, and told me that he was forwarding the message to two separate individuals to try and see if he can get something resolved that doesn’t affect him in any way whatsoever. Scott Kausky is a champion among men, I tell you.
Honestly, up until this point I saw it going nowhere. I mean, did you see the comments on my other post? No one gets good service there, ever has, or most likely ever will.
We have, however, learned some invaluable and interesting corporate mantras from the big McD. Did anyone else find these statements to stand out?
- “Once a complaint or praise is posted it is then emailed to the operator or supervisor of that location and they should respond within 24 hours. This is the policy mcdonalds enforces on the private owner stores.” – O, RLY? Hmm. They definitely didn’t meet that. We’re going on 336 hours pretty soon here. So that McDonald’s is poorly run on a whole bunch of different levels.
- “I would also install a q line like you see at an amusement park to keep the same thing happening on the inside with guests who try to cut lines, but was told I wasn’t allowed.” Wasn’t allowed? Ridiculous. The general manager doesn’t have the power to create order out of chaos in his own restaurant? McNazis, I tell you. I’ve been there at lunch time. This would improve the line situation immensely… especially with multiple entrances. McCorporate McChaos. Shame on you, McDonald’s, for keeping this man down. To me, this says McDonald’s doesn’t care if people cut in line, if you’re aggrivated, or cheated. You don’t matter. Just your money does.
So, today we have learned some things. We already knew that the West Liberty Avenue McDonald’s hates you. We learned that McDonald’s is overbearing and into micro-management as a general attitude. We know now that certain stores have a blind eye turned on them, as any semblance of corporate monitoring would have them completely overhauled and/or shut down.
Most importantly, we learned that there is at least one last good man working for the McDonald’s corporation who has a strong identity with the cherished Golden Arches, and wants you to respect that identity.
Now, I really can’t wait to see where this goes form here.
A day in the life of McDonald’s #5834 (West Liberty Ave. – Brookline/Beechview/Dormont)
Typically, when I write a crazy email, I wait for a response before I post… but I’ve had a significant lack of response on this one for over a week now, and I felt the need to post this here and perhaps refer to it in a webform submission to corporate.
I have a love/hate relationship with McDonald’s, especially this McDonald’s. It’s close to where I live. The food is generally horrible for you and looks like it was assembled by Stevie Wonder, but sometimes I’m in the mood for it. Or, sometimes I’m in a hurry, and McDonald’s still somehow equates to quick service. It’s the only fast food joint that I pass when going in that direction other than the abysmal nearby Wendy’s.
Apparently, with the complete demolition and re-building of this McDonald’s, they decided to include a contact email address at the top of their receipts. The email address included at the top of my most recent receipt was Ella.Jones@us.mcd.com, so that’s where I sent my email. Over a week has gone by, and I still haven’t received a reply. I even copied the email to sandra.jaeger@gmail.com, who had contacted me about an earlier incident at this location. (Although, she never did ultimately reply about my complaint… I just got an email asking what the situation was, and was given no response thereafter.)
This McDonald’s has a website at McPennsylvania.com and it lists the manager as Rick Sapko. It doesn’t give his email address, but I did use a “contact the manager”
form there, also to no avail. I forget Ms. Jones’ title, but I would think that the manager’s address ought to be at the top of the receipt. Unless she’s the owner? Also… this reminds me that Ms. Jaeger isn’t a very good customer service rep if she never got back to me about my original inquiry.
Reading all of this, I can’t see why anything in my letter below shocks or surprises me.
My email that defies all responses:
Hello,
I had sent this message over a week ago, and hadn’t had a reply, or even a “we received your email, we’ll get back to you” message when submitted by webform. I decided to try again from a different email address…
—
Hello Ms. Jones,
I would first like to thank you for the new policy of including a contact email address at the top of your receipts! Email is my communication tool of choice. I find myself able to converse more effectively if I see the words written out in front of me. The webform at the McDonald’s website is such an impersonal exchange. It’s never satisfying to get an email that includes a reference number and a phrase to the effect of “please do not reply to this email”. I mean, really… what other possible message could that convey besides; “We got your email, we’re ignoring it. This response is solely an attempt to pacify you from further pursuance of your issue.” So, to reiterate, I would like to thank you in advance for making communication so easy with the McDonald’s in Beechview.
The new McDonald’s is quite striking. It looks like a Starbucks or Caribou Coffee from the outside. The parking lot is absolutely gorgeous. Although, the abandoned Jiffy Lube next door ought to be knocked down for additional parking… or you could charge people to park there instead of letting them park in your lot to go to the adjacent bar that has a new name every few years.
Inside, I feel like I’m in the Brady Bunch dining room or den though. Somebody chose those chairs? Really? And then there’s the produce all over the walls, while visually appealing, isn’t exactly representative of the food you sell, is it? I mean, I don’t see any vats of oil or cows on the wall, but there are strawberries and cherries on the wall. How many menu items contain strawberries and cherries versus beef or chicken?
I’ve seen similar design schemes in Chick-Fil-A, Quiznos, Subway, the Pita Pit, Qdoba, and other food establishments. I thought that McDonald’s was an innovator, not an imitator. I’d just like to hope that the designer didn’t charge too much. The layout and seating are infinitely better than the previous layout. That ramp outside that led to walking through the drive-through lane was ridiculous, the seating was well, dirty… beyond mopping & wiping-down dirty. The bathrooms were… Well, I had written about those in the past to a Sandra Jaeger.
After all this, I still need to get to the point of my email I suppose.
This past Sunday, I had the unique opportunity to dine at the West Liberty Ave. McDonald’s twice in one day. First, in the morning, my wife & I were on our way out to the suburbs east of the city. We decided to go through the drive through as she had a craving for an iced coffee. I ordered the Egg McMuffin extra value meal with a Sweet Tea, and she got a Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit and the aforementioned iced coffee. As we were sitting in the drive through lane, before the split, someone pulled in from the West Liberty Ave entrance without following the clearly marked “↰” arrow and cut directly into the outside ordering lane. I know the McDonald’s in Canonsburg has solved this problem by using orange reflecting traffic cone type devices so it’s impossible to pull into the extra lane from the outside. (Perhaps you could look into this solution, as people obviously cannot be trusted to “do the right thing” of their own volition.) Once we were finally past the ordering process, we sat in the line before the pickup window as the orders in front of us were mixed up and it took seemingly forever for them to be told to move forward until it was all sorted out.
At the pickup window, we had to ask for straws as they weren’t in our bag or handed out to us with our drinks. The kid in the window looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language after asking for them and handed them to me, one at a time, still looking like a deer in headlights. After we were finally handed our food, my wife gave a cursory check of the bag as we drove away… Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit? Check. Egg McMuffin? Check. Hash Brown? Check. Drinks? Check. Napkins? No napkins, my friend. I think we both know the grease content of your fine foods and of the need for napkins after partaking. It’s also worth noting that there was no ketchup in the bag for my hash brown, nor was I asked if I wanted any.
As we cruised down West Liberty toward the maddening chaos that is the Liberty Tunnels, my wife let out an expletive as she graciously unwrapped my breakfast sandwich. Apparently someone wrapped my sandwich with the appropriate wrapper, but forgot that an Egg McMuffin contains ham and a fried egg and not bacon and a creepily folded piece of rubbery yet spongy scrambled egg-like substance. We even checked the receipt just to be sure that I did indeed order an Egg McMuffin. According to that, I had. Since we were on our way to a timed function and because (if you’re familiar with the road you’ll know) there was no convenient place to turn around once we were on the road anyway, I declined to go back and have the situation rectified immediately… and ate the dry spongy yellow matter and pretended to not be annoyed.
Much later in the evening, around the dinner hour, we were on our way home and decided to stop at McDonald’s again for in lieu of cooking at home or going out of our way somewhere else to get dinner. Arguably, Wendy’s would be an option here, but have you ever been there? They give new meaning to the word “sloth” in its application to a fast food establishment. After all, there’s no possible way that orders could be screwed up twice in one day at the same McDonald’s with an entirely different crew, right? Yeah, right.
I tell you, you have a stellar team if you’re competing for the “sloth” title with Wendy’s. There looked to be nothing but chaos in the kitchen and cash register area. No one seemed to know what was going on; not in the new counter area that was overly packed with confused waiting customers, and not the crew who were running around like chickens with their heads cut off in slow motion. Yes. I’ll let that image sink in. It’s the only way I can think to describe it. There was no pattern to the scrambling around in the kitchen, but then again, it wasn’t scrambling because that would imply speed and/or urgency where there simply was none. I shared glances with several of the other customers, each of us asking each other with facial expressions alone… “What is going on here?” “Who’s in charge?” “Is this really happening?” I tell you, I have never felt more telepathic in my life.
Upon receiving my meal, it was clear that my chicken nuggets were cooked and cooled well before the batter-turns-to-cardboard point had been reached, even the sweet and sour sauce couldn’t disguise it. Exasperated and bewildered by the still ridiculous amount of people waiting to order or waiting to receive their orders, I again just ate them without complaining. Really… there were hardly any patrons sitting down in the dining area compared to the throngs of would-be consumers just waiting and hovering around the order area.
I realize that I am to blame here for not rectifying each situation immediately as it was happening, but you must understand my perplexity regarding the awesome ineptitude of two wholly different shifts at the same restaurant. From my standpoint, that’s a 100% failure rate in the scope of one day. I find myself continually questioning why I choose to visit this McDonald’s location, and the answer is always the same; convenience. Unfortunately, the convenience is slipping away. The time required to obtain a meal is not convenient. Eating lukewarm chicken nuggets (“now” with all-white meat? What the hell was in them before?) is not convenient. Eating spongy rubbery folded egg stuff is not convenient.
I had hoped that with the literal demolition and rebuilding of your McFranchise, it would have also entailed a symbolic rebuilding of your team and their work ethic with an effort on getting correct orders out in a timely fashion. Apparently my hopes have gone unrequited thus far.
I’m not asking for a free meal, or for an apology for instances that are clearly not your fault. I am, however, asking you to please reevaluate your hiring, training, and supervisory processes, and perhaps to look into having someone observing all the time until things run more smoothly. I’m sure that one lone day of scrutiny will point out several issues that need attention immediately. I would like to thank you for your time, and I look forward to a continued dialog on the progress of getting this McDonald’s location transformed into a well-oiled machine.
Bewildered,
-Eric
world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Have you have a similar experience there, or at any other McDonald’s? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.
May the Schwartz be with you, always.
Well, I still haven’t gotten around to sending the snail mail version of my Spaceballs Special Edition in 3D idea… but I did pop it off to a few other email addresses. Of those, they did go to the dudes at Spaceballs: The Prequel. Sadly, as I write this, that site is no more. They seem so share my affinity for the odd, as illustrated by this excellent response…
from Aaron Dietz <aarondietz@gmail.com>
to Arik Cearbhall <arikcearbhall@gmail.com>
cc slave2moonlight@yahoo.com
subject Re: Spaceballs 3D – featuring more Yum! Brands characters?Friends and mighty allies,
It gives me great pain to share that Dark Quino and I (Dark Aaron) will be closing down spaceballstheprequel.com within a month. We thought a lot about the decision and ultimately decided to move on to other projects. This is not because a prequel or other way of furthering the Spaceballs franchise is not merit-worthy! On the contrary, it’s still a fine idea, and it should be done.
However, after many years of fighting the fight, we have agreed to let the project rest.
Sadly, Arik, we were never able to get a personal reply from Mel Brooks, or even anything substantial from his studio. We do take partial credit in promoting Spaceballs enough that they created an animated series for it, but that’s as far as we got.
I wish you the best of luck with your idea, Arik. It is worthy of many exclamation points!!!!!
Love the R2D2 parody-character–yes, let’s put the soul back into the franchise with the most important piece! And Argbar–oh my, there’s no way that wouldn’t be on YouTube, and in people’s heads, and everywhere. Argbar is my new favorite uncreated character. Nice work!
Best to you all. And keep in touch about Spaceballs news at my other e-mail address: aarondietz@gmail.com (darkaaron@spaceballstheprequel.com will soon be going away).
May the Schwartz be with you, always.
Aaron (no longer Dark Aaron)
Heh. That’s by far the best reply! Although, the letter from Michael Winslow’s agent saying that Michale would be involved is funny on a whole different level…
Just in case you forgot….
Spacesalls Special Edition in 3D Character Designs
I also wrote back to Rebecca Thornsberry at Chick-fil-A, you may remember that she suggested that I call corporate…
Arik Cearbhall <arikcearbhall@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello Rebecca,
Thank you for the quick & informative reply, even though this doesn’t have much to do with you! Have you ever seen Spaceballs? Are you a Mel Brooks fan?
I really appreciate the corporate phone number, but do you have an email contact there? I prefer to communicate by email, as I have an intense fear of the telephone.
Good luck with your local Chick-fil-A, you’re consistently the most polite fast food chain, even via email!
Dink Dink, Dink Dink Dink… Dink. Dink. Dink,
Arik
And got another reply…
from Chick-fil-A South Hills <cfasouthhills@gmail.com>
to Arik Cearbhall <arikcearbhall@gmail.com>
subject Re: Spaceballs 3D – featuring more Yum! Brands characters?Hello Arik. I do not have an email address for anyone because I am not sure who to send you to. Just call that 1-800-CFA-CARE number and ask for someone in the marketing department. That is what i would start with or they might be able to give you an email address. Since you are calling the corporate office, I was suggest actually calling at first.
Good luck,
Rebecca Thornsberry
Marketing DirectorChick-fil-A at South Hills
1620 Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15241
Store- 412-833-1165
Cell- 412-443-5534
www.chick-fil-a.com/southhills
They’re so polite, even in their replies to obviously insane emails.
Spaceballs Special Edition in 3D
So, if you’ve been following the Yum! Brands saga, you know that I’ve been messing with them for a while on both legitimate and goofy levels, and that I had this idea a while ago. I finally acted upon it. I had to set up an alias to do it, as I’m sure most of my contacts just cringe when email from me hits their inbox. Mel Brooks either doesn’t have an email address, or it’s a closely guarded one… as it’s very difficult to find anything for him. I may have to print this out & snail mail it. I’m sure it has the potential to get a funny reply.
I see, your Shwatrz is as big as mine…
from: Arik Cearbhall <arikcearbhall@gmail.com>
to: [All kinds of people]
subject: Spaceballs 3D – featuring more Yum! Brands characters?
mailed-by: gmail.com
Hello my friends,
At last we meet again for the first time for the last time.
I write to you today with a revelation regarding Spaceballs. It is my belief that something needs to be done before George Lucas releases Star Wars in 3D, Spaceballs needs to have a re-vamped special edition (like the Star Wars ones released in 1997), possibly even jumping in to 3D before Star Wars.
The reason that I’m writing to both “Yum! Brands” and MGM employees is because I can’t find a good email address for Mel Brooks. Does Mel have an email address?
MGM still owns the rights to the movie, correct? Also, I address “Yum!” because, as you well know, two characters that are parodies of “Yum! Brands” brands appear quite prominently in the Spaceballs saga. If you don’t know, here’s some help from Wikipedia:
- Pizza the Hutt, named after the pizza restaurant chain, is a half-man, half-Pizza Mafioso and a parody of Jabba the Hutt. He forces Lone Starr to pay one million credits to him. By the end of the film, however, a “news segment” watched by Lone Starr and Barf reveals that Pizza got locked in his limo and ate himself to death, thus meaning Lone Starr and Barf won’t have to pay anymore. The voice of Pizza the Hutt is performed by Dom DeLuise.
- Colonel Sandurz[8] is a parody of the leading Imperial Officers from Star Wars, such as Veers and Piett or Grand Moff Tarkin. ‘Colonel’ is his rank; however, ‘Kernel’ is his real name. His name is a pun on KFC‘s founder Colonel Sanders. (At one point, Dark Helmet taunts him into action, saying, “What’s the matter, Colonel Sandurz? Chicken?“)
I believe that the Schwartz has aligned because at the time of the filming of Spaceballs, these were parodies of two wholly separate fast food companies. (Or were PepsiCo or TriCon in control at that point?) Now, they are just two of many systems in the “Yum!” galaxy, if you will.
The opportunity exists to film news scenes and digitally insert new characters… and in the spirit of the original; “Moichandizing! Moichandizing! Moichandizing!” I still never did get Spaceballs, the flamethrower. We are at a point in time with advertising and merchandising where a once preposterously offensive idea would now be considered almost normal.
This could be a huge cross-promotional tie-in empire, and may even save MGM from its current financial woes. I propose a set of new characters, new scenes, and new toys/products…
New Characters:
- AN-UU (pronounced “Ay – en – double – you”), the fearless side-kick to Dot Matrix. After all, this is the most obvious glaring omission from the original Spaceballs movie. Yeah, you can combine Luke & Han, but you can’t drop R2-D2! He is the undeniable (albeit mechanical) heart of the Star Wars franchise. Imagine, he could be like a little root-beer bottle or vending machine shaped droid.
- Tako Juan Bellobi, Lone Star’s other mentor, who gives him the Schwartz ring saying it was his father’s, then sends him to Yogurt to learn how to use it. Living in a desert, the Mexican tie-in, a colorful Mexican-styled blanket instead of the Jedi robe… a “Stinking Badges” Blazing Saddles reference, a cojones joke or two, this could be a comedic gold mine.
- Long Jon Argbar, arguably one of the most recognizable internet memes of all time would be Admiral Ackbar’s “It’s a Trap!”. This simply cannot be ignored. Long John Silver and Admiral Ackbar would be a perfect mix given their similar aquatic nature. I see the character almost like Davy Jones from Pirates of the Carribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Also, if we want to get super nerdy, I have derived the name Argbar from (obviously) Ackbar and the Latin for silver, argentum. Tie in fictional pirates’ proclivity to exclaim “Argh” or “Arg” or “Arrrr”, and we have a win-win-win situation.
- The Wing Fleet – Not a character per-say… but a play on Tie-fighters and X-Wings, a rebel alliance and empire (“Yum!”-pire?) ought to be created… legions of the Spaceballs’ fighters could be shaped like chicken wings and fly out of a large bucket on top of the ship.
(Please see my character design concepts in the attached *.jpg)
New Scenes/Bits/Gags:
- To parody the interrogation scene from Star Wars: A New Hope and to tie into KFC’s new healthier image… Colonel Sandurz could “grill” Princess Vespa much like the “comb the desert” scene. Can you see the giant grill now? The lines on her back? Perhaps a smells/tastes like chicken joke?
- In the “It’s a Trap” spirit… Long Jon Argbar’s shtick could be to exclaim “It’s a ___!” over & over again, perhaps stopping all the action and looking at the camera after a particularly bad one… and shrugging his shoulders before moving on with it. The blank could be many different things; Tap (in reference to AN-UU’s root beer tap perhaps?), Carp (an aquatic fish reference), frap (Mr. Coffee/Mr. Radar joke), or many, many more things… like Tarp, Part, Wrap, Crap, etc.
New Products & Tie Ins:
- Yogurt – Perhaps most obviously, yogurt ought to be offered as a dessert item on all “Yum! Brands” restaurants’ menus… perhaps in collectible cups? Everyone’s into this health-food malarkey these days. Perhaps even frozen yogurt, as to not be so disgusting?
- Toys – Obviously the toys associated with kids meals would be big hits with kids & collectors alike. The toys from all the chains could represent their parodied character and a few of his friends… needing to visit all of the chains to complete your collection… possibly even getting a part of the Spaceballs ship (Mega-Maid) at each chain that are all put together Voltron-style, much like the Transformers reference in the Spaceballs movie?
- If you guys want to get crazy, we could reach out to Starbucks and infuse them into the Mr. Coffee scene, and replace all references to “spacebucks” as “starbucks”. Perhaps “Yum!” could acquire them before the release of the film?
As you can see, this is a no-brainer, and once you have had the time to review my email, and perhaps forward it to Mel Brooks and/or Brooksfilms Ltd., you will most assuredly be prepared to move along at ludicrous speed. There is no way to not make money with this. Star Wars fans will rabidly go after anything remotely associated to the movie, and most are geeks who love Mr. Brooks’ style of humor.
If new scenes need to be filmed, I’m sure Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, George Wyner, Daphne Zungia, and the others would appreciate the work. Perhaps Barf could be wholly replaced by new hot funnyman Zach Galifianakis, as John Candy would be currently unavailable due to his deceased nature. You wouldn’t even need to add much fake fur to the costume. Have you seen the guy?
As far as my involvement, I expect nothing other than to be credited with the inception/inspiration of the project. I would just like to see it happen; perhaps a producer credit? From what I understand, those are mostly meaningless anyway.
I’d like to thank you for your time, and I’m sure you’re as excited about this as I am. These are the droids you’re looking for.
May the Schwartz be with you!
Arik
And, this was the attached photo…
I know, I have mad photo-editing skills. You don’t have to tell me.
As an afterthought, I felt that all of the other fast food chains out there shouldn’t be denied, so… I re-sent the message with this as a forward:
Hello friends,
I write to you to present an opportunity that may titillate your funny bone. I have recently written to Mel Brooks, MGM, and your competitor, “Yum! Brands” in the interest of putting together a “Special Edition” version of Spaceballs (perhaps in 3D) featuring new Fast Food related characters. I have not yet received a reply, but after it was sent, I felt that I had been leaving out many other fine establishments. Would you have any interest in participating in such a project? I can certainly come up with new character designs as a parody of your brands. I consider myself an expert on both Star Wars and fast food.
Please find my entire original message below, and see what you think as it pertains to you!
Hail Skroob!
Arik
Heh. This message actually got me the first few replies…
From a local Chick-fil-A:
from: Chick-fil-A South Hills <cfasouthhills@gmail.com>
to: Arik Cearbhall <arikcearbhall@gmail.com>
subject: Re: Spaceballs 3D – featuring more Yum! Brands characters?
mailed-by: gmail.comHello Arik. My name is Rebecca Thornsberry and I am the Marketing Director for the Chick-fil-A at South Hills. Each store is individually owned and operated, so this sounds like something that you would have to get permission from our Corporate Office in Atlanta to do. If you feel like you’d like to pursue this, you could start with the 1-800-CFA-CORP. Thanks for offering this to us, but I am sorry that I cannot help you with this.
Thanks,
Rebecca Thornsberry
Marketing DirectorChick-fil-A at South Hills
1620 Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15241
Store- 412-833-1165
Cell- 412-443-5534
http://www.chick-fil-a.com/southhills
From an irritable Quiznos employee:
from: Creative Requests <creativerequests@quiznos.com>
to: Arik Cearbhall <arikcearbhall@gmail.com>
subject: RE: Spaceballs 3D – featuring more Yum! Brands characters?
mailed-by: quiznos.comI’m only writing you back to say that it is very inappropriate to include all recipients in the “TO” field and not the “BCC”. Not only is this SPAM mail – unwelcome and unsolicited – it allows anyone on this email to know the emails of all recipients.
Please DO NOT email this address again.
The first reply from anyone actually associated with the project:
from: roger paul <rogerpaulmgmt@aol.com>
to: arikcearbhall@gmail.com
subject: Re: Spaceballs 3D – featuring more Yum! Brands characters?
mailed-by: aol.comMy client Michael Winslow would be up for the challenge
Roger Paul
1650 Broadway
Suite 1105
NY NY 10019
212-262-0008 Phone
212-333-5180 Fax
347-993-0939 Cell
Yeah, that’s actually Michael Winslow‘s management. He’s “that Police Academy guy” relevant here as the radar operator in Spaceballs. Dude is awesome.
Then we have… Silence from everyone else, so far. I can’t wait to get some more replies. I just may have to send out some snail mail on this one to the actors & studios. It is still early, hopefully more responses will pour in!
The Mythical Magical McGangbang
You’ve heard of the McGangBang, right? For the uninitiated, there’s a world out there of fast food items not listed on the menu that are available for your dining pleasure (and most likely for your digestive displeasure) if you’re in the know, and if the employees are in the know. This list from McDonald’s alone is pretty impressive. There are many others out there. My friend Andy used to apparently get a “Volcano” from Taco Bell, which was described to me as a burrito with everything in it. Now that they have volcano tacos & burritos that are something else entirely, that might be an ordering issue. If you’ve got time to kill or your interest is piqued, it’s definitely worth Googling.
At any rate, while I have raised a legitimate issue with McDonald’s, and I have gotten one response so far… I decided to use my W(aL)D email address to address a ridiculous issue with them. So, off to the McWebform I went! Sadly, you’re forced to pick a category… none of which exactly fits my query. I think I posted to “McDonald’s U.S. Marketing, Promotions, and Advertising“, but it seems like my answer was brought about by the “Unsolicited Idea Policy“. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself. On to the emails…
My original submission (via McWebform):
Hello Friends,
I was wondering if you are aware of the mythical magical McGang-Bang, and if at any time in the future, you man be adding it officially to your menu?
I believe it to be a McChicken sandwich stuffed inside a Double Cheeseburger, the new 99¢ McDouble, or even a Big Mac. The exact specifics are a subject of hot debate, as this is a rare creature, like Bigfoot, el Chupacabra, or the Unicorn. There is also debate on whether to discard an extra bun or down it whole.
If you do plan to offer this in the future, what would the proper spelling be? McGangBang, McGangbang, McGang-Bang, or McGang-bang? I could see how all options would be acceptable?
I’m not sure where the name comes from, but it sure is catchy. (Much better than “Arch Deluxe”, no?)
I’d like to be able to go into a McDonald’s and order a McGang-Bang without being looked at like I’m crazy when it’s common knowledge among certain circles.
Thanks for your time, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the matter!
-E.
Their “we got it, we’ll get back to you” reply:
From: McDonald’s DoNotReply@mcdonalds.com
Date: Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Subject: McDonald’s Web Site Comment or Question
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.comThank you for visiting McDonald’s website. Below is your email which has been submitted to McDonald’s Customer Response Center. While replies to this e-mail cannot be received, should you need to contact us again, please feel free to contact us through mcdonalds.com. Thank you.
Title: Mr.
First Name: ERiC
Last Name: AiXeLsyD
Mailing Address: ____ _______ _____ ____ __
City: Pittsburgh
State: PA
Zip: _____-____
Day Phone: 412-555-1212
Evening Phone: 412-555-1212
Contact Time: None. Email please.
Your E-mail Address: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Comment: [What you just read above…]
Their “real” reply:
From: McDonalds.CustomerCare@us.mcd.com
Date: Fri, Dec 11, 2009 at 5:08 AM
Subject: Message from McDonald’s USA
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Hello ERiC:
Thank you for contacting McDonald’s recently with your idea for a product or service that you believe would be of interest to us. We appreciate your interest in McDonald’s, but it is our company’s policy not to consider unsolicited ideas from outside the McDonald’s system. We have retained an electronic copy of your submission solely for our records.
It’s not that great ideas cannot come from people outside of McDonald’s. Each year, however, McDonald’s receives thousands of unsolicited ideas and proposals for products and services from individuals as well as companies. Because of the volume of unsolicited ideas and the difficulty of sorting out what is truly a “new” idea as opposed to a concept that has already been considered or developed by McDonald’s, we must adhere to a strict policy of not reviewing any unsolicited ideas that come from outside the McDonald’s family of employees, franchisees and approved suppliers. We realize that we may be missing out on a few good ideas, but we have had to adopt this policy for legal and business reasons.
As a result, we must decline your invitation to review your submission and hope you understand the reasons for this decision.
Again, thank you for thinking of McDonald’s.
Jessica
McDonald’s Customer Response Centerref#:6525973
————————————————————————————————————–
Please do not “reply” to this email response. No “replies” can be received through this mailbox. If you wish to contact McDonald’s Customer Response Center again, please visit our website at www.mcdonalds.com
————————————————————————————————————–
Are you finished with your holiday shopping? Even the person with everything gets hungry. An Arch Card makes a great holiday gift. For more information visit your local McDonald’s restaurant or our website at http://www.mcdonalds.com/archcard.
You wrote:
[You just read it above…]
Well, apparently my idea went to the wrong department, or someone that’s absolutely no fun. I didn’t submit an idea! I asked about a secret menu item… Hopefully, as we’ve learned with most other web-forms, we submit again, and we get a different person responding. Although, this looks curiously like a form letter. Perhaps I should try again in a different category? Should I ask for the email address of a real live person? Perhaps I need to Google some names of high-up important McPeople and try to figure out the syntax of the company email addresses. This worked with great success for me in the past with Boston Market. Ha ha ha.
Also, I wondered on the Beat if putting a “Mc” in front of everything could be construed as racist? As an American of Irish and Scottish descent, perhaps I should be taken aback by the flippant use of “Mc” in front of everything? (By McDoanld’s, and even my own shockingly casual use.) It is after all, listed in the Racial Slur Database and in Wikipedia’s list of ethnic slurs. Perhaps this is an idea to addressed in the future. Dave was quick to point out though, that nothing is more racist than 365Black. Wow. Just… Wow. (…or McWow?) Also… What about leap day? Is that a day off?
Find any of this amusing? What’s the next step?
(Another) Message from McDonald’s USA [ref#:6502666 & ref#:6521333]
I never got a reply from McDonald’s going any farther than the original “we’ll forward it to the appropriate party” email. So, I decided to reply. Nothing to lose, right? Well, I couldn’t directly reply, because of the incredibly blunt “No ‘replies’ can be received through this mailbox. If you wish to contact McDonald’s Customer Response Center again, please visit our website at www.mcdonalds.com” part of their email. So, back to the McWebform I went! I even included the fancy ref#:6502666.
Well, it apparently worked!
From: McDonalds.CustomerCare@us.mcd.com
To: me@my.email.address
Sent: Wed, December 9, 2009 5:09:19 AM
Subject: Message from McDonald’s USAHello Eric:Thank you for taking the time to re-contact McDonald’s Customer Service Center. I’m sorry you have not yet received a local response regarding your recent McDonald’s restaurant experience.
Please know we take your comments very seriously. I will immediately re-contact the franchise owner of the restaurant you visited and request that he or she follow-up with you as soon as possible.
Please be assured your complete satisfaction is our top priority. Thank you for your patience and for taking the time to re-contact McDonald’s Customer Service Center.
Jimelle
McDonald’s Customer Response Centerref#:6521333
————————————————————————————————————–
Please do not “reply” to this email response. No “replies” can be received through this mailbox. If you wish to contact McDonald’s Customer Response Center again, please visit our website at www.mcdonalds.com
————————————————————————————————————–
Are you finished with your holiday shopping? Even the person with everything gets hungry. An Arch Card makes a great holiday gift. For more information visit your local McDonald’s restaurant or our website at http://www.mcdonalds.com/archcard.
You wrote:
Hello,
Regarding my last message from Ashley at McDonald’s customer service… ref#:6502666
I was told not to reply to the email… hopefully that reference # can refer you to my earlier message.
I think it’s a very poor setup that you have… not being able to reply to emails.
Your message to me said “Because most McDonald’s restaurants are independently owned and operated, I have forwarded your comments to the franchise owner or local representative for follow up at the restaurant you visited. Please be assured that your comments will be investigated and, if appropriate, corrective action will be taken.
Secondly, although we did not completely meet your expectations, please know that our restaurant employees strive to maintain the highest standards of quality, service, cleanliness and value and it’s certainly nice to know that their efforts are appreciated. We want to recognize your complimentary comments and thank you for your kind words.“
Was anyone at that McDonald’s contacted?
Will I get a reply?
And, then, it was followed up by this…
From: Sandra Jaeger sandra.jaeger@gmail.com
To: me@my.email.address
Sent: Wed, December 9, 2009 7:07:00 PM
Subject: Fwd: Follow up of e-mail for the West Liberty Avenue RestaurantFrom: Sandra Jaeger sandra.jaeger@gmail.com
Date: Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 7:02 PM
Subject: Follow up of e-mail for the West Liberty Avenue Restaurant
To: [complete@misspelling.of.my.email.address]
Dear EricI am the Customer Service Representative of the West Liberty Avenue Restaurant. I unfortunately did not receive your first e-mail. Please fill me in on the situation. I am located in the Pittsburgh area and will address all issues to the supervisors of this restaurant.Sincerely,Sandra Jaeger
How cool is that? Ha ha ha. An actual response! Funny that it “didn’t get through” the first time. Very funny. Also funny that it went to a complete misspelling of my email address, those of you who have it will find it amusing. There was a “.” where a “_” should be as well, as a few incorrect letters. (Not transposed, incorrect.)
So, of course, I had to write back…
From: me@my.email.address
To: Sandra Jaeger sandra.jaeger@gmail.com
Sent: Wed, December 9, 2009 10:00:58 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Follow up of e-mail for the West Liberty Avenue RestaurantHello Sandra,Thanks you for the reply! I have always wondered if the emails that you get in reply to webforms at sites like the McDonald’s one are anything more than a standard form letter. In reply to my first message, the response said “I have forwarded your comments to the franchise owner or local representative for follow up at the restaurant you visited.” I had wondered if this really was the case… Apparently not, until I took the time to reply with a second message asking if it had really gone any further. I’m glad I took the time to follow up!
I find it amusing that my original comments did not make it to you. It makes me wonder how many emails remain unanswered daily when filtered through the McWebform. This is not your problem though, as you are obviously concerned and addressing this issue now.
My original comments were regarding a visit that I had over a week ago now, in an evening stop at the McDonald’s on West Liberty Ave. in Beechview or Dormont or whatever the neighborhood may be there.
My original message was…
The crew in the place tonight seemed to be operating well, were friendly, and quickly as far as the food was concerned, but the parking lot was full of cars for the bar next door, and the men’s bathroom was disgusting. Please see this link for a review & photos: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/23/1346713/restaurant/Far-South-South-Hills/McDonalds-Pittsburgh
That pointed to a review that I posted on UrbanSpoon.com, which you can read here…“Sadly, had the best service there tonight in years…” by ERiC AiXeLsyD (98 reviews)November 29, 2009 – Doesn’t like it – Small crew tonight, decent night-time crowd, stopped for a late dinner, was served relatively quickly… fries were a perfect golden color and hot… burgers were OK, super-greasy but it IS McDonald’s. We were out at an event earlier, on the way home… had to use the facilities… but they were trashed. Stall #1 had no TP dispenser, the roll was on the back of the commode, and the bowl was chock full of the stuff. Stall #2 had a broken doorknob/lock mechanism. One hand dryer was stuck on, the other didn’t work, and both urinals were full of urine. I know they can’t control flushing… but periodic checks/cleanings and some repairs might be in order. Just when I thought this place had their stuff together for once… My advice? When stopping here, use the facilities somewhere else. 1 person likes this review…and these are the photos referenced:
I understand that the fact that at that time of night, there’s perhaps a smaller than usual crew, and that the West Liberty Ave. location is seemingly always busy. I have been through the drive-thru at this time of night before, and it always seems slow, though it’s thankfully not as slow as the Wendy’s right down the street. Those people have a whole different set of issues. My friends and I call it “The Slow Wendy’s”.
I was just wondering what kind of cleaning & maintenance policies that you have in place? Does management or ownership do any kind of inspection or follow-up? Do inspections my the corporation ever occur? I mean, surely you can’t think the photos above are an acceptable presentation of your restaurant chain?
I don’t know about you, but when I “gotta go”, it’s urgent! The urinals looked filthy, si I opted for the stalls… one was stuffed, and one had a door that wouldn’t close. I like to do my business in private, no interruptions. Closing doors are a good thing! Also… the lack of a TP dispenser, & the roll just being on the back of the thing… I cannot imagine what would have happened had I needed to use that. I mean, how uncomfortable would it be to reach behind yourself like that after… Well, after doing your thing?
Thank you for your time, and the follow up. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to inquire about the issue.
Sincerely,
-Eric
Maybe I should have included a link to the Wendy’s incident? Not yet, my friends. Not yet. I can’t wait to see what kind of response I get this time. I love when it gets down to a real live person in charge of something.
Wendy’s in Dormont (Pittsburgh, PA) – W. LIBERTY #5
Heh. This is an older amusing one that wasn’t covered in my post about past W(aL)D insanity.
This one isn’t really completely in the W(aL)D category, as it’s a legitimate complaint… but still, it’s ridiculous enough to share. Below is the my initial email regarding the incident, and I actually broke my “no calls” rule to talk to a regional manager who was not amused.
You can see what she had to say as it all played out in a thread at PittsburghBeat.com.
At any rate, it pays to make problems like this known.
Enjoy!
-mE.
.seitilibasid gninrael fo nuf ekam ot ynnuf ton yllaer s’tI
Forwarded Message —-
From: Eric Carroll <me@myaddre.ss>
To: dnstech@wendys.com; dnsadmin@wendys.com
Sent: Mon, January 26, 2009 11:45:04 AM
Subject: Wendy’s in Dormont (Pittsburgh, PA) – W. LIBERTY #5Hello,
I’d like to share with you a review of my experience at a local Wendy’s (W. LIBERTY #5 according to the Wendy’s store locator), also posted on UrbanSpoon.com. I don’t have very many “bad” reviews up, but this Wendy’s location has gone slow and messed up my order countless times.
I’d like to know how Wendy’s as a corporation feels about restaurants like this, and what (if any) measures are taken by corporate to see that this kind of thing doesn’t go on.
The full text of my review can be viewed here: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/23/1346715/restaurant/Far-South-South-Hills/Wendys-Old-Fashioned-Hamburgers-Dormont-Pittsburgh
But I will also post it here for your consideration:
“Dave Thomas would be ashamed…” by ERiC AiXeLsyD (63 reviews)
January 26, 2009 – Doesn’t like it – Seriously. I know I”ve said these words before about McDonald’s… I get that it’s only fast food, it’s cheap, and that I shouldn’t expect much… but holy cow, is this consistently one of the slowest “fast food” restaurants that I’ve ever been to. Of course, like an idiot, I keep going back hoping that it might someday be an actual convenience. Let me share with you my latest adventure…
Sunday morning, my wife & I were on our way out to my Mom’s house in the ‘Burbs… so we thought we’d get a quick bite to eat. It was nearing the 11:00am mark, so I knew we were going to hit the breakfast/lunch changeover. We skipped the McDormontonald’s because the drive-thru line looked like rush hour in the Liberty tubes. Thankfully, Wendy’s appeared to be a ghost town. There was hardly anyone inside, and there was one car ahead of us in the drive-thru but they were all the way up at the window.
As we pulled up to the speaker to place our order, I asked if they were serving breakfast or lunch, & was informed that they were serving both. So, I ordered the breakfast chicken sandwich combo, and the wife ordered the #2 bacon panini combo.
After receiving the order in what would be considered a long wait in a normal fast food environment but translated to remarkably quick at this location, I pulled into a nearby spot to inspect the goods. (Sadly, a must any more.)We discovered that my order was fine, but the wife had received a sausage panini instead of the ordered bacon panini. I checked the receipt to see if I had mis-ordered the # of the combo. Nope. The receipt clearly stated BACON in that nifty dot-matrix receipt font.
My wife’s not a big fan of sausage patties, and she was reluctantly leaning toward just eating it because time was of the essence. I know I like to eat what I ordered & paid for, so I went inside to get what I thought would be a simple swap-out.
Oh my, was I wrong.
My first encounter was with the young girl at the cash register. I politely stated that we had just gone through the drive-thru and that I wanted to exchange the sausage panini that we had received for the bacon one that we ordered.
I was told that breakfast was over & that hey couldn’t make a bacon one. After a slight pause of disbelief and bewilderment, I told her that I had just been handed the sandwich less that a minute ago through the drive-thru window… and it had been made just seconds before that.
She then yelled for her manager, and I stepped aside so she could help the next customer.
Now, while never working at a fast food establishment, I do understand that changeover time is changeover time… something to do with eggs on the cooking surface and kitchen setup and all sorts of things that are surely beyond my comprehension as the average fast food consumer.
After a wait the manager (coincidentally the very same person who handed me the order through the drive-thru window) came over and I again explained my situation… and he looked at me. Yes. Just stared blankly at me. For an awkwardly long time. I actually started to wonder if he understood English & was capable of hearing. Compelled to break the silence, I even showed him the receipt that clearly said BACON. All caps. No confusion!
Again, I was met with “we’re serving lunch now, we can’t make that”. OK. I understand. I get that. The point now is what can you do for me?
I asked if I could get something else as compensation, and/or get my money back. (I think I was growing visibly frustrated by this point.)
I called the wife, explained to her the complexity of the situation, and she decided upon a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. So, I asked for one of those… and waited… and waited… While a guy who had gone in line in front of me had ordered during my exchange with the manager was waiting too.
After a while he exclaimed with multiple expletives that it was a ridiculously long wait, and how it was un-f’n-believable that a fast food restaurant with 3 people in it and a packed kitchen could go so slow.
I could hardly contain my laughter as I was also driven to the limits of my patience.
After what was surely sufficient time to cook & assemble 20 Jr. Bacon cheeseburgers, I received that, AND my money back for the sausage panini (which was now in the trash right behind the counter). So, I guess I got a free cheeseburger, hash browns & a drink.
I never did get any kind of apology, or admittance that they had messed up the order. (Which bewilders me that one can read bacon off of a screen and put down sausage… but I’m certainly not above making mistakes… so I can’t fault anyone for that.)
I just find it amazing that they weren’t apologizing from the start and presenting a solution instead of waiting for me to come up with one.
You’d think they’d have a “keep the customer happy” policy in place. Don’t they teach you any of this when you go to school to be a manager at Wendy’s?Take mom n’ pop shops… if they screw up an order or take too long, they’d give you a discount or a free drink or a coupon for next time… and they’re certainly taking more of a profit hit than a chain that would do the same thing.
At any rate, don’t go to Wendy’s in Dormont if you’re in a hurry, or if you actually want what you ordered.
I like Wendy’s. I grew up eating at the one in Murrysville, I frequent the one in Canonsburg for lunch. You have decent food for a cheap price, and I generally feel that the quality is better than that of other fast food chains.
I’d love to be able to eat peacefully and grab a quick bite to eat at the Wendy’s closest to where I live.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on my experience, and I look forward to your reply.
Thank you for your time, and listening to my story.
-Eric Carroll
me@myaddre.ss
Insanity.
World (and Lunar) Domination 