Although most McDonald's don't differ one to the next, there are a few variables that can make incredible distinctions. In the case of this particular Milpitas McDonald's the key element is wait time. If your like most people, you probably go to fast food restaurants to get an expeditiously prepared, hot meal. In other words, you probably don't venture out to said restaurant for the chef special. As such, this McD's establishment may be found wanting. Expect a very long wait times in both the dining room and drive through. Furthermore, if you are an individual that prefers their morning breakfast and/or coffee while seated comfortably, you may have to substitute the dining room for your car seat. The key word here is "may.". This is second to the inconsistency at which the dining room is open in the AM.
Like watching a comedian bomb on stage, I somehow felt the pain of the staff whom, I assumed, must be consistently scolded by customers who waited longer than anticipated. However, one day I no longer needed to speculate on the subject because the cringe worthy spectacle unfolded before me.
My empathy was further compounded when I witnessed a, undoubtedly disgruntled, middle-aged man on his work break unleash a barrage of ad hominems toward the cashier. This was only after a much older man waved his brittle hands in the air from frustration. His anger stemmed from a breakdown of communication second to language barriers between the two. The cashier appeared to refund the elderly mans money back; however, despite this, he remained in the line. I can only assume, to order something else; yet, all I, or anyone else in the line, could hear was the geriatric male repeatedly saying "Stoopid! Stoopid!". Eventually, the man defeatedly shuffled away.
Although he had departed, the issues that arose with the cancellation of his transaction had somehow froze the woman's cash register. A betting type would wager that the technical problems were a result of user error. After all the female cashier was no spring chicken herself.
The manger, in her late 20s at most, came charging up to the older lady. The middle aged man, who was next in line and appeared to have the patience of an 8 month pregnant woman waiting to pee during halftime at the Super Bowl, believed it his place to real-time Yelp review IRL.
He chimed in right away, "Its her fault! She doesn't know what she's doing! I would be pissed if I was that old man too!" His last rant was bluntly obvious; after all, he wasn't in the old man's predicament yet he was still clearly pissed.
Another register opened up, the irate man made his order and, he didn't have to; but seeing how it was the time of giving, dropped another gem, "See, it's that simple. That's how you take a damn order.". All the while the elderly employee, surrounded by co-workers and managers that could be her granddaughters, kept her composure. All the while my heart proudly bled a silent tear for her.
Albeit this is a negative review regarding the expeditious quality of the restaurant, I also intend it to be a review of us, the customer.
Would the behavior of either angry men have proven different if they had unwrapped the ideas of FAE (Fundamental Attribution Error) in relation to the cashier. FAE, discovered in the fields of social psychology, state that when developing reasons for our own socially undesired behavior (speeding on the road,cutting someone off on the freeway, turning in a term paper late, ext) we are more likely to attribute the justification for these actions to dynamic outside factor. For example, the man pulled over for speeding was just trying to get to the hospital to witness the birth of his child. However, when we justify the same behavior that someone else is engaged in we are more likely to attribute their reasoning to intrinsic and simplistic terms. For example, the man that sped past you on the road did so because he's an a**hole.
If either man had stopped and considered the circumstances the cashier was facing, elderly and maybe training or perhaps she had just received a mortal diagnosis from her doctor. Would this have changed anything?
Although I don't have great things to say about this location, I was, at least upon that visit, more disheartened by my fellow customers. Did the yelling, whining, and protesting add any good into the world? Did it change how fast they received their meals? Did help the cashier to later improve her performance? To all these questions, NO. Perhaps employing the often disregard virtue of patience would have done more for her and themselves then complaining by way of verbally accosting another. We are all just human and like it or not we got to share the air we breathe. If I'm wrong on the mater or you disagree, I offer another, simpler, stance, "It's freaking McDonald's not the Rainbow Room. Check your unhappy meal diva drama at the door!"
Still gets 2 stars got to uphold the truth read more