McDonald's — Restaurant in Dunedin

One might assume that an establishment as globally ubiquitous as McDonald’s would grasp the fundamentals of customer service, yet my experience at the Honeymoon Island location in Dunedin, Florida, on Sunday, May 4th at approximately 3:30 PM, proved this assumption tragically misguided. Under the managerial stewardship of one “John”( although he hesitated and stuttered when asked for the manager he said he was and his name was John”, my partner and I were subjected to a spectacle of pettiness so profound it bordered on parody.

Having just purchased a bag of ice through the drive-through—a transaction that, by any rational definition, qualifies us as customers—we politely requested a single packet of sugar to accompany fruit for a beach outing. What ensued was not merely a refusal, but a masterclass in bureaucratic absurdity. John, with the rigidity of a sentry guarding state secrets, informed us that such condiments are reserved exclusively for those purchasing coffee or other “qualifying” items. Apparently, ice—despite being a product sold by this location—does not meet the lofty threshold for sugar-packet eligibility.

One might ponder: What dire financial straits must a corporation face to ration granules of sucrose? What brand of hospitality turns a 10-cent commodity into a hill worth dying on? The irony of denying a customer over a trivial request, moments after accepting their money, is as ludicrous as it is insulting. The beach day was, indeed, marred—not by weather or circumstance, but by the lingering astonishment that such stinginess could thrive under the Golden Arches.

To future visitors: Bring your own sugar, your own patience, and perhaps a copy of Kafka’s The Trial to fully appreciate the surrealism of this establishment’s policies. To John: May your commitment to inflexibility one day be matched by an understanding of what “service”...

8/30/19 went to through the drive through, pulled up to pay and was told the card reader was down due to a lighting strike. Apparently we were supposed to have been notified but were not. Had the manager come over who said "you should have been told" we wanted to use gift cards, didn't have cash. He said "no our card readers are down, you should have been informed but, I didnt get to him before he took your order" "ok, but he did not and it's not our fault your readers are down, we want to use our gift cards" held up the cards rather than be helpful the manager continued to be rude and condescending. The cook in the back yelled "bye! Bye!". We calmly left and went elsewhere. It was extremely bad business. We were offered nothing for the inconvenience because of their issues that they never informed us of. Filed a complaint with the "care" number and online received no calls or emails. We will never go back here again.

(2017 review) At the drive through I have no problems usually. However inside can be a disaster. I waited nearly 20mins for ice cream while everyone around including who came after us is served first (even with me asking.) They even got ice cream too. They tend to forget parts of your order as well (inside.) I don't think I will be dining in anymore. Too...

We pulled up a few minutes after 5am ready for breakfast. We were counting on them being open as we were headed out on a 7 hour trip. The cones were blocking the drive-thru lanes so we parked next to the other two cars in the front of the building, which must have been the two employees inside.

We waited a reasonable time and then walked up to the restaurant, tried the door to see if we could place our order. The manager in the gray shirt continued sweeping and didn't even bother to acknowledge us.

So we pulled up to the second window to try and see if we could order because at this point they should have been serving food 10-15 minutes prior. The lady in the kitchen looked at us and just kept doing what she was doing, stocking cups and also ignored us. Again, this is during business hours.

So we leave, but come back within 5 minutes because we have no other option at this time and we see two more employees smoking cigarettes outside. So I ask one of them if we could please order, and she said she'd have to go check if that was OK. Eventually, she comes back and says we can, and they move the cones.

We got our simple order, a McMuffin with a hashbrown and a coke. But it took 15 minutes of persistence and being completely ignored during posted business hours...