McDonald's Mill Park — Restaurant in Melbourne

McDonalds at Mill Park, definitely past what I remember it. I remember coming here as a kid getting Happy Meals and playing in the large playground from the late 2000's to early 2010's and that playground was different then. Now, it's just a place I'm going to avoid and here's why.

I was going towards home last night from a day in the city with my sister when it was around Kew where we decided we were going to get some takeaway. We decided Mill Park instead of Northland area to get McDonalds and I ordered online 24 Nuggets and 2 Large Coffee Frappés with a 25% off code for orders over $15. Just note, no where when I ordered it did it say 'Currently unavailable' for Frappés.

When we arrive there, everything was normal. Tell the person the online code, great. That's the only highlight. We get to the last window and the guy gives us the nuggets and then says "Thank you". Hold on, where's our drinks? Maybe an honest mistake. My sister inquires and asks where they are. The guy looks at his monitor for 10 seconds and then looks back saying "They're unavailable" and "It should've told you on the app". If you thought we were disbelief then, hear this. One of the coworkers walked past behind him WITH A FRAPPÉ! My sister called it out and we all were in shock. Instead of investigating or getting a manager, we were just told twice or thrice by the guy "It's unavailable and you'll get a refund" or in other words, absolute denial.

I couldn't believe in that moment what transpired. Not only do I leave without the drinks but I lost my discount too which was very annoying when in equivalent, I could get 2 frappés for the price of one. It ended up meaning I'd have to spend more money at a different McDonalds to get the discount and that I wasn't going to have. There wasn't a long wait in-line at the time and I think it would've been in good conscience at that point to address, compensate or investigate but what response we were left with made the interaction feel disingenuous and unauthentic. I can't empathise with someone who handles a situation by basically deflecting the customer and not even saying sorry before or after you had evidence that you can still make the product.

I felt ultimately...

To anyone that is considering ordering from here either in person, drive thru or delivery, I’d highly advise that you drive either to Mernda or somewhere else. I’ve been to McDonald’s all over the world and this is one is by far the worst, it’s taken a year to write this but at this point it’s more than enough. I’ve even watched on multiple occasions ordering at drive-thru that they type in the wrong orders. Unfortunately I live nearby and have ordered from this maccas a lot and it’s extremely rare the order is correct. The staff there clearly hate their job and people are too scared to even go back around to say they got something wrong because they will snap at you like it’s your fault. Maccas isn’t cheap these days and they act like you pay a couple of dollars but a decent meal is around restaurant price and for the staff both at day and night to act the way they do is shocking, and then they wonder why people have a problem. When you call at 12-3am they turn their phone off even though they aren’t doing anything while advertising they are 24 hours or they’ll ignore you at the drive thru window, I’ve had to call them to answer the mic. There’s a few workers in particular that I think do this on purpose and should get the sack. Delivery is always, always wrong, don’t bother asking at the window to add sauce or anything in the bag because they’ll acknowledge then ignore you as they walk away from the waiting bay, someone should actually record their reaction when you tell them they’ve got it wrong because I guarantee they will swear under their breath or have a problem because you dared to customise something on the menu. They’re lucky they’re in a highly populated place otherwise it would get boycotted honestly, if the workers don’t like it just quit and stop making everyone feel bad for them getting it wrong literally all the time, I advise anyone thinking of going to go to another maccas honestly otherwise you’ll be there for half an hour trying to get your food right, it’s a joke, if I could rate it zero stars I would. They also can’t even be bothered to clean the kids area, a worker that I knew worked there said they couldn’t be bothered and let it...

What a disappointing turnaround. Just a few months ago, I gave this restaurant a glowing five-star review. Now, unfortunately, I can only give it one star—and even that feels generous. If you're considering stopping by, my advice is simple: just keep driving.

The morning shift is where everything starts to fall apart. The staffing levels are abysmal. There simply aren’t enough employees to handle the basic demands of the operation. The person taking orders is also preparing food, and the cleaner—though doing an admirable job—is stepping in to assist. It’s clear the restaurant is both understaffed and inadequately trained, and it shows in every aspect of the service.

I won’t even begin to critique the food, because the issues start even earlier—with the coffee. It’s shocking that the staff doesn’t seem to understand the difference between a flat white and a latte. They’re not the same, and customers should not have to explain the basics. Then there’s the issue of sugar: it should be added as requested and stirred. Instead, it feels like a performance, pretending to add sugar without actually doing it. Once trust is broken like that, it's very hard to get back.

Consistency in food prep is nonexistent. You never know what you’re going to receive from one visit to the next. It’s incredibly frustrating.

The only positive I can mention is the cleaner, who clearly takes pride in their work and keeps the place spotless. But everything else seems to be in decline—likely due to poor management, cost-cutting, and a lack of proper training....