Burger King — Restaurant in Welwyn Hatfield

Dear Burger King Customer Service,

I’m writing to share my disappointing experience at your Hatfield branch on 14th December at around 6 pm. The service I received fell far below the high standards I’ve come to associate with Burger King and what you promote as part of your customer experience.

According to your website, Burger King is committed to providing customers with great food, served quickly, in a friendly and welcoming environment. Sadly, my visit did not reflect these values in any way.

When I arrived, all the staff were at the back of the store, leaving no one at the front to assist customers. It was extremely difficult to get anyone’s attention. When staff did briefly come forward, they avoided engaging with customers by turning their backs or making no effort to assist. It felt like we were being actively ignored.

When I finally managed to get someone’s attention to place an order, I was told to use the self-service machine instead. The till was clearly operational, but it seemed like the staff just didn’t want to serve customers in person. This came across as rude and lazy, completely contradicting the welcoming environment Burger King claims to stand for.

Later, when I needed to use the toilet, I discovered I needed a code to enter. Once again, it was an uphill struggle to get staff attention. When I eventually received the code, it was mumbled by a staff member who refused to face me. I couldn’t read it clearly, and when I tried to clarify, she continued to mumble with her back to me. Another customer nearby experienced the same dismissive treatment and even commented on the staff member’s rude behaviour.

The entire store had an unwelcoming and negative atmosphere, as if customers were an inconvenience. In stark contrast, the McDonald’s located across the street was busy, vibrant, and full of energy. Customers there seemed to be enjoying themselves, which made the poor service at Burger King even more glaring.

Burger King’s website emphasises delivering an exceptional customer experience and making customers feel valued. My visit to the Hatfield branch did not come close to meeting these expectations. I urge you to address the service issues at this store by providing additional training and holding staff accountable for...

Four years ago all the staff were hot goths. This was a good time to be alive for reasons I feel do not require further discussion.

Three years ago they kept messing up my orders, which displeased me, but did contribute to my weight loss as I decided to give it a miss for a bit.

Two years ago there was an Indian family arguing really loudly in a language I could not understand. How on Earth anyone could start an arguement (presumably) about burgers I cannot fathom. Especially when it's parents in front of their kids. Poor children are going to get a complex or something. Look out for The Burger King Burglar sometime in 2040.

A year ago, and thanks to COVID, I just used the drive thru. Although they've cluttered up the drive thru screen with signage about offers and not being obnoxious by coughing on people, which means my orders are getting messed up again because I'm British and would say everything is fine even if the clouds had turned to molten lead that was melting my face rather than make a fuss.

Please clear that screen. And...

As you probably already know, Burger King is a little on the expensive side. But you do get a good burger of which is (most of the time) slightly better than McDonald's. I didn't give 5 star rating because for some reason the burger tasted different from the previous times I have been here. The beef wasn't as 'beefy' as it normally is but no major complaints. The taste is obviously subjective, it might just be me, I still enjoyed it! Overall 4/5 stars!

One thing I will say though is that their milkshakes are not particularly great. Nothing compared to McDonald's who pretty much have that recipe on lock.

The drive-thru takes quite a long time and you will most likely be sitting in a queue for 5-10 minutes while you wait for other people to get served and then your order to be made and handed over. Having only 1 window really doesn't help and especially no drive-thru parking for people to wait out of the queue. The staff are kind though so that's...