McDonald's — Restaurant in West Orange

Recently rebuilt and fully updated down to the interactive order tablets, I decided to give the “new” McDonald’s a test drive. While the food hasn’t changed much from its core offerings and tastes, the packaging and in-store appearance has been overhauled to reflect a more modern look and feel. Visiting the location on Northfield Ave in West Orange, I was curious to see how it would fare against other “new” stores. Having just drove the entire country back and forth, I stopped a number of times at remodeled McDonalds. Here’s the thing, I’m not a McDonalds fan as much as a loyal occasional guest. I like to see how these large brands maintain and reinvent themselves in the face of so many other great options. The experience here in West Orange was excellent. Music was fun and upbeat and the store itself looks fantastic. Lots of Instagrammable looks for pictures. There was a good sized crowd here and I wound up talking with an older gentleman who was working on his computer. There are plenty of outlets and the chairs are comfortable. Yes, they are comfortable. I actually wrote that! In the past the stores were designed to maximize speed and efficiency, but seeing how Starbucks has monopolized the ‘living room’ feel of a business McDonalds’ is clearly making it known that yes, you can hang out here, drink coffee, and spend a few hours getting work done. The older guy I talked to mentioned that he works here regularly now and enjoys the coffee. I’m in agreement on the coffee too, it’s very good for the price. I’m rating the in-store experience at 5 stars. The employees were quick and friendly, the store was comfortable, and the overall feel was relaxed and upbeat. The ability to order on a tablet in the from is a great feature too. The only reason I’m giving the overall rating a 4 is because the food, while good, is not 5 star as far as fast food goes. That distinction goes to another restaurant that I won’t name as it’s my personal opinion. Nice job on...

Poor Customer Experience at McDonald’s Near Turtle Back Zoo, NJ

I’d like to share a concerning experience I had at one of your locations—specifically, the McDonald’s across the street from Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey.

On 7/12/2025 I went through the drive-thru with my 10-year-old child and ordered a medium fry and a snack wrap. The total was $3.69. I attempted to pay with a $100 bill, which was the only cash I had on me.

The employee at the window immediately refused to take it, stating, “I won’t break a $100 for a $3 meal.” When I asked if that was official policy, he said yes—but there was no signage or policy posted anywhere. When I pressed for clarification, he asked if I had a card instead and acted annoyed when I said I didn’t want to use it.

Eventually, he took the bill and gave me my food—but not without making me feel like I was causing a problem. He said, “This one time, I’ll do it—but I won’t do it again,” in a tone that made me feel uncomfortable, disrespected, and frankly, embarrassed—especially in front of my child.

While I understand that franchisees may have cash-handling preferences, customers should not be pressured into card payments or spoken to in such a dismissive manner. If there is a limit on bill acceptance, it should be clearly posted. More importantly, staff should be trained to treat all customers with courtesy—regardless of their payment method.

I’m asking that this be addressed with the staff and management at this location to prevent future incidents like this.

My daughter felt bad and said mami it’s okay I am not to hungry as if it was a problem we were causing horrible customer service by this guy at the window I also ask what his name was to address this with a manager and said I won’t give my...

If I could rate this location a 0 I would. The last few times I've been here, they've messed up my order. Yet, because it's convenient, and two minutes down the road, I find myself coming back here. I will never again after tonight. They are always rude, mess up your order, give you an attitude when you ask for ketchup, etc. I realize you pay for what you get, but I don't expect to get treated like scum. I decided tonight, while watching a movie, on a rainy night, it would be perfect to eat some McDonald's. Despite the weather, I got in my car to drive up the road. When I got to this location, the outside lights were dimmed, but the inside lights were all on. I figured, at only 915pm at night, they must just have their drive thru open. I pull in to find that no, they are completely closed. I parked in disbelief. How could any fast food place not be open at 9:15 at night??? It's not a holiday. I looked it up online. Every site I found stated they are open till 12am on Sundays. So either, all the websites I found lied, or the staff there is so rude they decided to close whenever they felt. And before any one thinks, "Oh maybe there was a real reason they closed", there were no signs on the drive thru windows, or on the doors. So sorry McDonalds, I will no longer be stopping by this...