Hungry Jack's Burgers Geelong — Restaurant in Victoria

Was the worst experience of my life. My wife went through drive-thru, was given only our drinks and was told to wait in the Carpark as the onion rings weren't ready. After waiting 10mins and because no-one had come out I went inside as my wife was looking after the kids. I approached the girl at the counter and explained everything, she said we went out to the waiting bay and noone was there... Fair enough our fault we were in the Carpark (mind you my wife was told to wait in the Carpark not the waiting bay). Anyway we were given our onion rings, but I asked where the rest of the order was, she replied with "oh it was given to you ". Upon telling her I said it wasn't and could you check the cameras which they did for the next 20mins but I noticed they couldn't figure out , so the manager decided to give up and approach me to tell me that he saw the video and that the food was given to me, what a liar!! This is when I flipped it as my wife is waiting in the car with a newborn and a 2 year old. I said to him are you serious, you're going to tell me that you saw a video of the food been given to us? To which he replied do you want me to check again? So another 20mins trying to figure out how to use the video which he couldn't. I'll end it here but Will be taking legal action, being accused of lying to try and score free food?? Thank you to the brown skinned brother (if I can say that) who was very nice to me and offered to give me the rest of my order, but I didn't want it at the point. SHAME on the manager who NEVER apologized and flat out LIED !! And to the girl who served my wife and said she gave her our food. This whole situation was embarrassing and humiliating , imagine a whole hour of trying to explain that you didn't get your food? Hope you figure out how to use that video system of yours, so you can see we were never...

I’m genuinely disappointed to be leaving a 1-star review for what was once one of my favorite go-to restaurants. Unfortunately, my most recent visit left me with little choice. Like another reviewer aptly noted, the lack of emotion or friendliness at the drive-thru speaker is consistently jarring. Despite always approaching with courtesy, I’m often met with what can only be described as a grunt or an indifferent tone — and this visit was no exception.

After observing more closely, it seems the issue may stem from the management style. The female manager on duty appears to run the establishment with a harsh, almost militaristic approach. I can only imagine how challenging it must be for young staff to work under such pressure. This kind of environment clearly affects morale — the team looked disengaged, and their actions seemed purely robotic, lacking the spark or enthusiasm you'd expect from a well-supported crew.

The coffee I ordered was another disappointment. It arrived late, and worse still, it wasn’t what I ordered — I asked for a flat white but received something entirely different and poorly made. Mistakes happen, of course, but the overall energy and attention to detail were clearly lacking.

On a more positive note, the restaurant’s dining area was reasonably clean, which I appreciate. However, the restrooms did not reflect the same level of upkeep and clearly hadn’t been cleaned in some time.

All in all, a once-reliable place seems to have lost its charm due to poor leadership and staff burnout.

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Food is alright, typical HJ, but younger staff can be easily confused, and older staff are known to be rude, and even abusive. Managers verbally abuse, poke, bully, and sometimes scream at teenage staff in front of customers, in what is probably their first job. Talking down to them, intimidating them, calling them names and treating them like idiots. In particular one female manager who has been a familiar face here for years, and seems to have a constantly changing personality depending on the day.

These people are the reason kids dont want to work. Reducing a child to tears because you're having a bad day, they arent performing like a 20+ year old, or they weren't trained properly, is not acceptable. Thats someones daughter, son, brother, sister. They didnt aspire to work for a fast food chain. Employers that treat their staff with such disrespect, and then complain about "whats wrong with this generation" make me sick.

Food preparation area looks to be clean, but little attention is paid to the tables, chairs, toilets, windows.. The recent "renovations" to the drive through also make as little if not less sense than it did before hand. Getting in the drive through alone from either direction requires your car to have 90 degree steering. Getting out is much the same.

If you had no other choice you might order food here, but i would avoid funding the destruction of the minds of an entire generation if i could. I'll make my own...