McDonald's — Restaurant in Winder

I'm overriding my my previous review in exchange for a new one personalized for the Winder, Georgia store.

On February 10, 2022, around 945pm, I placed an order and it was punched in wrong. I got all the way home - about 20 minutes - when I realized this and went back to McDonald's. Immediately, I saw the line wrapped around the building so I went inside. Several Door Dash people were waiting to be helped while the McDonald's crew worked to get orders out and corrected (apparently the big drive thru guy was punching orders in wrong). There was chaos everywhere! Crew members were having to walk into the dining area to keep from getting to mad at the situation, some got verbally mad, but that lily white toothed "may-I-help-you?" smile was not there. Then, I began using my leadership skills to revisualize and assess this dilemma.

I have quite a few years of managing transportation fleets of 65+ drivers on very tight deadlines with no room for error and 100% stress for 12 hours a day. From clock in until clock out it was mayhem. In the midst of mayhem is where the saplings of leaders are found. Tonight, I got to watch several McDonald's future managers and GM's "handle s#!%!!!" and it was beautiful! While some employees were loudly upset, a few employees handled one customer at a time focusing on that one person's experience.... because that is all you can control at that moment. The guy with the skinny jeans and dreads handled my meal urgently. When another lady put the fries in the bag, dread-guy got my bag walked it over to me, handed it to me as he looked inside and then said, "one moment, sir," as he took the bag and corrected the placement of the fries and the sandwich in the bag. Then he smiles, hands me the bag and says, "Now its right!"

I worked at McDonald's years ago, and I know the importance they place on the details.

In the midst of chaos - customers complaining, employees upset and disruptive, one was even lethargic, food alarms chirping, "We need more fries"... someone else "I just dropped some fries!"... another, "Well, we need more!!"... a customer, "Can you believe that McDonald's takes this long?" And skinny jean dread-guy is making sure that the fundamentals are sound and proudly hands me the bag with a smile. In the midst of chaos saplings sprout, and will one day grow into oaks. He is the reason that I will choose McDonald's over other fast food.

McDonald's DO NOT sleep on the future leaders of your organization! Some are dropping fries and making burgers, and handling the fundamentals like pros in small towns like...

I went to McDonald's this morning to get breakfast for my daughter. the drive thru was literally out past the play area. I couldn't pull off l, I was on the inside lane. I waited probably 15 minutes to get to the speaker and another 8 to get to the window. I'm not exaggerating. while in line I remembered I have an app maybe that will speed up my order. I told them at the speaker I ordered online, she stated to pull around because she didn't see my order. At the window the young lady couldn't find the order, it took her a few moments, She said 'Erica' I said yes and she asked if I wanted my receipt I accepted. At the 2nd window the lady told me they weren't selling the pumpkin pie yet(online pumpkin was an option) and offered me apple or strawberry.I got my order and pulled to put a straw in my ice caramel coffee. I sipped it and there wasn't any sugar! I went in and asked for it to be added. I get home and I was missing the extra sausage from my order and no sugar was in the hot coffee. I called back and the person stated she was the Asst Manager Carly. I told her about my experience, I said I'm not coming back and asked if she could put my name in a book or something to be picked up later. She put me on hold, she came back to the phone stated, I didn't pay for extra sausage. In an ugly tone. I said the app says I did, I'm looking at it. she then told me that the app is a separate entity from McDonald's. And has a customer I'm supposed to know a McDonald's app has nothing to do with McDonald's? She said since she didn't see the extra sausage on the receipt and it wasn't paid for that was the apps fault and not the stores. I asked to speak with the store manager, she rudely replied he would not be in till Monday. Asked for her name and his, Shane. I asked her are you serious, do you have any experience dealing with customer complaints at all, she says she has been with them for 6 years. I hung up. I will not be returning to this location at all!!! I patiently waited and even used the app thinking it would be more convenient. It was a very unpleasant experience. A waste of time and money. The manager could have easily changed the experience to a positive one. I understood what didn't pay for the sausage, but the wait and errors made were ridiculous. The manager never apologized for the wait, the bitter coffee and iced coffees. I we all make mistakes, but when your rude and nasty you should consider a different profession, this McDonald's really need to train their...

A Daily Dose of Disappointment

I’m honestly not sure why I keep coming back to this McDonald’s every morning on my way to work. Maybe it’s habit, maybe it’s hope — but every time, I end up with the same thing: disappointment.

Let me be clear — the food is never the problem. My breakfast order is always right. But the coffee? Never. No matter how many times I politely remind them about my previous experiences, it’s never made correctly. It's a simple request, yet it never fails to be ignored.

So today, I decided to try something different. I ordered my regular breakfast but swapped out the coffee for a half lemonade, half sweet tea. I was even charged extra for the lemonade, so naturally I expected it to be made correctly. Nope. I was handed a 100% sweet tea. When I politely pointed this out, the woman at the window — a larger Latin lady (not sure of her name) — insisted it had lemonade in it, even though it clearly didn’t.

Frustrated, I pulled forward — but then something rare happened. A gentleman working there walked outside with another customer’s order. As he passed, he noticed I looked upset and actually took the time to ask if everything was okay. I explained the situation, and without hesitation, he told me to keep the incorrect drink and that he’d get me the right one. A few moments later, he came back with the correct drink — even brought me a fresh straw. I didn’t catch his name, but he salvaged an otherwise terrible experience. Kudos to him for caring when so few others there do.

Unfortunately, this kind of service is the exception, not the rule. I’ve reached out to corporate — no response. I’ve contacted the store manager, Andre, and frankly, he couldn’t care less. Rude, defensive, and dismissive every time. He always tries to spin the situation like it’s the customer’s fault.

Even Katrina, who used to be one of the best employees there, has recently fallen off. Her service was once outstanding, but now, even she misses the mark more often than not.

At this point, I think it’s time to stop being the fool. I’ve given this location far too many chances, and each time, it’s just another letdown. Being lied to at the window was the final straw. It wasn’t just wrong — it was unprofessional, disrespectful, and lazy.

McDonald’s, you’ve officially lost a loyal customer. I’ll be finding a new breakfast spot...