McDonald's — Restaurant in Burlington

On a Friday morning, you’re running late once again. To make matters worse, you’ve forgotten to eat breakfast. But that’s okay—you know a spot right there on Nevitt Road, where interstate 5 and state route 20 meet. Folks call it the Avon Cut Off, and it’s a good thing it did, if you’re careful to turn before the highway you can find yourself face-to-face with McDonalds. Immediately, you notice this McDonalds is different than others. An enormous parking lot sets the restaurant’s structure back from the road, and further tucks it into a hill where the interstate’s off ramp loops about promising motorists a view of how busy the drive thru is. And on this Friday, the drive thru is very busy. You’re already late, there’s no use pretending you’re in the sort of rush that would justify getting in a drive thru line. Maybe this is life’s way of telling you “slow down, take it easy, stop and smell the hashbrowns.” So you park and begin the long walk through a sea of cars, some are parked, some are coming in, and others going out. When you reach the door, you’re surprised by just how much further you’ll have to walk to the patient kiosk waiting for you to find your way back to its friendly iridescence. Truly, this McDonald’s is gigantic. There’s an entry foyer, three different seating areas with a varied collection of chairs for all occasions be they family dinners, first dates, or working lunches. The pièce de résistance: a gymnasium sized warehouse hanging off the restaurant’s face where the indoor playground area looms over futuristic light up display tables. A protected and venerated habitat for the great minds of tomorrow, it is a hallowed ground you imagine would be suitable for even the biggest of birthday parties. Though you’re tempted to reminisce your own birthdays and think about where all the time has gone, the kiosk’s attentive glow reminds you there was a program soon to begin. A little tv show where you and your breakfast are the stars in an informative presentation on what you will eat, its cost, and nutritional value. It’s a sort of social media for early birds, to share with each other just this piece of the day. The kiosk tells each patron a different story, but the ending is always the same: your number will be displayed on the screen above the counter when your order is ready. In this truth we are united. Our lives, like our orders, are finite, their duration limited by some unknown maker—we are together in this space only until our number is called. Is it any wonder why we hurry to our next obligation? Do we go through life one drive thru to the next, only stopping when we will drive no more? And then the sensuous rhythm of UB-40’s twice certified platinum adult contemporary hit ‘Red, Red Wine’ pulses over the speakers. It’s as if McDonalds is speaking to you, beckoning: “stay close to me, don’t let me be alone.” Maybe this is the truth under which we are united: McDonald’s’ isn’t McDonalds without you to tell your story, have your birthday party there, or drive through to your next destination. You are what made this place special, and every moment more you devoted there only invested more memories in the rich, living tapestry of McDonald’s. You are McDonald’s. And so when the screen shows your order is ready, and the team member places the bag on the counter and she looks you in the eyes and says “thank you!” You are met with pause. Shouldn’t you be thanking her? Before you can succumb to the emotions, you give way to the social perfunctory and tell her “you’re welcome!” And you turn to walk the mile back to your car. While you didn’t express your gratitude, it was clearly understood. a sort of unspoken recognition or nod to the systems you enabled that give her this position in a community is clear every time you stop to pay patronage. What needs reminding is how you work together with McDonald’s to enhance the character and vibrancy of the Avon Cut Off, and that if you leave now you’ll only be forty five minutes...

I am one of the more patient people that I know. Today, my mother had an appointment with her doctor out of town, and I was asked to get food here for my siblings and my grandpa who I was tasked to watch over. He had a stroke a few years ago and is very dependant on me and my parents.

It was a large order. I downloaded the app and made a mobile order for curbside pickup. I arrived about 20 minutes after placing the order, hoping I'd give them time to sort everything. I pulled into a parking spot following the app directions and waited for almost 30 minutes, until the app had said the order was completed. Confused, I tried to go inside, but the doors were locked and no one would come. I had no other option but to pull in the drive thru now which was packed with cars.

I got to the speaker and explained what happened but they said without the order number (which I wasn't able to find since the order had been "completed" according to it) I would have to give him the order again and I did. He told me the total and asked my to pull forward, I tried to explain further that I had actually paid for it already through the app and he said a manager would help me at the next window.

So far, just a typical yet frustrating fast-food situation. These things kind of happen all the time, especially with large orders and busy hours so, I was fine.

However, when I got to the next window, a new girl was here who I hadn't spoken to. She confirmed my order and then said, "when you make a mobile order you're supposed to go through the drive thru." I explained, "wait; the app had told me to wait in this parking lot-" she cut me off with "you're always supposed to go through here for mobile orders." And I said "okay... what should I do can I get my food?" And she replied, "I don't know I have to talk to a manager first." So, okay I was admittedly frustrated at this point because I had already been told a manager would be involved, why was any of that necessary?

She turns her back slamming the window and is visibly ranting over the matter with her co-workers who, from time to time awkwardly peer over at me, watching me trying to take deep breaths to calm my nerves (lol). When she gets back I tell her I'm sorry if I got off on the wrong foot and explain to her the home situation. She retorts, "well my grandpa's dead." I have no clue what to say other than "I'm sorry," and she tells me I can get my food at the next window, who I also apologize to for any trouble I might have caused but they flat out ignore me and just hand me my food and shoo me off.

The food, as you might have expected, was made incredibly sloppily, and I don't think I was listened to once the entire interaction because parts of the order were also wrong. I'm a very clear speaker, and even if I wasn't there was absolutely no attempt to communicate with me rather, it felt as if no matter what I did on my part I would have received terrible service.

If you are aching for McDonald's, there's one just off of Marketplace Drive, and another partnered with the Chevron in Mount Vernon off of College Way. Literally boycott this location. It has always and will always be the worst McDonald's in the state if not...

Would’ve given this a 5 star review if they still had those pull apart doughnuts😒… you guys don’t understand how long I’ve waited for these doughnuts to come back. Let’s start this story from the beginning. It all started long long ago, before most of you guys reading were ever born, I was strolling along the road until I got a sudden urge to visit the local McDonalds, as if the doughnuts were calling my name. I step inside and get an enormous whiff of the brand new doughnuts that have just dropped. I think to myself “I should try that” so I go to order. Once I get my order back I walk on back home to enjoy this meal. As soon as I took a bite of one ball it was as if I was floating. It was almost like I NEEDED this inside me. After that bite I felt as if I needed this everyday, until one sad and gloomy day, I was skidaddaling my way over to the McDonald’s and as I go to ask the worker for my doughnuts they tell me “we’re out…” I wanted to disappear right then and there, my eyes welling up with tears at the response “w-what did you just say” I say with my voice trembling. I ran away before the worker could get a word out, running all the way home, the tears now flowing down my face in despair… Fast forward 2 months my life has gone downhill since then checking daily to see if those doughnuts have or will ever come back. I check this one cold winter morning on the app and to my surprise I see THE DOUGHNUTS!! The happiness now beaming throughout my room. I get in the car this time and order the doughnuts through the drive through and start munching once I get home. There it was the joy and excitement I got from those doughnuts, all those feelings came crashing back like a wave. I was finally happy until 2 weeks later they got rid of them again😑 so please…...