I love seeing organisations embrace technology, I really do. The first time I saw a waiter use a handheld device to take my order and have it transmitted wirelessly to the kitchen, I smiled.
McDonalds has been using Windows Mobile devices for a while now with wireless connectivity. Staff run down the long lines, tap your order into the handheld, and give you a little number with your order on it. This number is then given to the person behind the counter and the order is underway once you’ve paid.
So far so good.
Then, because things are going so fast as front-of-house the kitchen gets a little behind. The serving staff are told to keep taking orders. This means customers who are waiting get pushed to one side and told to wait for their order.
I suppose this system works for the first couple of customers, but when you’re the 3rd in line to wait for your order the crush at the counter gets a little uncomfortable. You can’t take it out on the young girl behind the counter, but I’m not going to get pushed aside just so that more orders can get taken. WHERE’S THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ETHIC GONE???
This is a classic example of Fast Food gone wrong. It’s now more about the process flow than the people coming in through the door. Please McDonalds, Lambton Quay - rethink this strategy.
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HI Bill,
I was disappointed to read your article on the use of handheld PDAs being used at Lambton Quay McDonald’s and the issues surrounding the wait for orders when you arrive at the counter. I am the owner of this McDonald’s having recently purchased it at the beginning of March. One of the first things i noticed at L/Qy was the slow speed of service so I introduced the use of the handheld order system. This has definitely had a positive effect in that we are serving more customers at lunchtime than previously. One problem is that sometimes orders do get behind in the kitchen and people end up waiting for their food. (We are working on this) Because our new cooking platform is made to order the use of handhelds enable us to generally have the food prepared and ready by the time you reach the counter. Sometimes however one queue can move faster than the other and this can cause issues where food is not ready by the time the customer reaches the counter. One thing we are assessing is the use of a bank queuing system at lunchtimes where it evens out the speed of service and the orders are taken in chronological order. This system we believe may iron out the issues you have raised but we wont know until we try it. I would be interested in any comments you may have regarding this and anything else you may want to suggest as customer feedback is always good to get either postive or negative.
Yours Sincerely,
Rob Duncan
Franchisee - Lambton Quay.
Hi Rob,
Welcome to my blog.
As I said in my entry, I applaud the use of the technology. I remember when it was being used before the just-in-time food preparation days. Then it worked really well because food could be stacked up waiting for you.
I think the difficulty comes with the new system (which is slower) mixed in with a tool that is geared to push customers through more quickly.
I’m sure you’ll iron this out; my particular experience was being queued up behind 3 other customers also waiting for their food. I suppose high school students accept this, but I’m not a high school student and took offense. When I raised it with the poor girl behind the counter all she could say was that she had to keep serving as that is what she was told to do.
You’ll get the system working properly, my only request is not to forget that there are people behind the money, and your team should always have this in front of mind - before the number of burgers per minute.
Cheers and good luck.
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