Once The Doors Are Closed So Are The Toilets
We all love how Mickey D’s is available 24/7 at most places, and the efficiency of a drive-thru can make all our lives that little bit easier when we can’t be bothered to cook. But if you go to the store after the inside restaurant is shut and you need the toilet you’ll be turned away! They need to keep people out the store as they run a smaller number of staff members.
There’s A Hand Wash Timer
Personal hygiene is obviously extremely important when it comes to working in the food industry and despite some slack McDonald’s get, they are no exception. It varies depending on the country but they actually have a timer in the kitchen that tells them when they need to wash their hands.
Ronald McDonald’s Real Name Is Ronald?
This is a bizarre one! If you were one of the fortunate (or unfortunate) souls to be hired as a McDonald’s store clown then you had to keep in character no matter what happened. If someone was to call you by your real name then you would have to ignore them, only responding to the name Ronald. Imagine how weird this would be?
They Can’t Do You Any Food Favours
It’s not weird for a restaurant to avoid giving out free food, they don’t want to lose money as a business after all. This goes for any item or any addition, it could be a free Big Mac or a free slice of cheese, if an employee gives you anything it could lead to some serious implications for themselves.
You Can’t Have Specific Hair Colors
This is another rule that varies by country, but over here in the US if you work at McDonald’s you can only have a specific number of hair colors. In fact, the specified colours by McDonald’s are ‘natural’ hair colors only, which is a bit strange considering the fact they employ a number of our youth.
They Have Some More Obscure Grooming Rules
Hair color isn’t the only thing that McDonalds tries to enforce they also have some more obscure rules employees have to follow. These rules include: the length of your sideburns (earlobes length only), fingernail length, and studded jewellery only (or a chain tucked in to your clothing).
Tattoos And Piercings Are A No Go
This one seems a little outdated these days, but piercings in and around the mouth, hoops or rings are not allowed to be used as its described as extreme. Tattoos are the same, no face tattoo’s and nothing too extreme or vulgar can be seen on the body. Obviously if they’re hidden under your uniform you’ll be fine.
They Won’t Let You Walk Thru The Drive Thru
Some people actually try and do this, can you believe it? Yep, maybe they’re drunk or they’re just that hungry and they don’t drive. We seen this during the covid pandemic particularly. It’s supposedly down to safety reasons as people could be hit by cars if they’re in the drive thru.
Ingredient Order Isn’t Random
Every single burger is made differently, we all know it, but every time a new burger is released, McDonalds also creates a step-by-step guide for which item goes on the burger first. So next time you’re missing a slice of cheese, your gherkins or one of your patties just know they didn’t follow it.
They’ll Make You Park If Your Food Isn’t Ready
It’s always annoying when you go through the drive-thru but your food isn’t ready when you get to the window. if you get asked to head to a parking spot to wait for your food then know that this is because they are trying to keep their drive-thru speed high, as there are sensors that measure how long a car is waiting in the lane.
They Can’t Take Part In The Monopoly Game
Obviously, this can’t be enforced too strongly, but if an employee was to win something big it would look suspicious. This is because it would be easy, in a way, for the pieces to be stolen from a store by an employee and then used to win a wide number of prizes. They could be dismissed for this.
There’s A Nickname That’ll Get You Kicked Out
The world loves a McDonald’s hack as it’s a way to try items on the menu that you can’t typically get. However, an unfortunate name came about to describe the hack of putting a McChicken inside a McDouble, The McGangBang. Obviously this does nothing for the image of the company so if you say it you may be kicked out.
Throwing Away Older Food
Although we’ve probably all had a cold burger or some cold nuggets before, technically older food should be binned. Most of our food will be freshly prepared, but in the slower hours we might get a burger that has been left sitting for a while. Each item has a length of time that they’re allowed to wait before they are removed.
They’ll Direct You To The Machines
Most of us are accustomed to the self-ordering machines these days, and this might be because employees have asked us to use them. They do this because it’s easier for the employees to go about their job without having to take our orders at the till for them. This is something that will only continue.
They Might Push For Card Payments
Although this isn’t technically a rule, if you go through the drive-thru the cashier is going to immediately hand you a card machine and not expect cash. This is to do with keeping them drive-thru times down as the quicker you get through the drive-thru the better their store looks.
They Have To Be Trained Store Wide
There’s probably a load more roles in a Mickey D’s than you realise, and it is important that staff are interchangeable across each part of the store. They have to be able to work in the kitchen, the drive-thru and the front of the store, which is actually more troubling than you might originally think.
The Cashier Will Always Suggest A Large
Have you ever noticed that a cashier will ask if your meal is a large, and not if you want a regular or a large? This is actually how they are trained, as a business the company wants to make more money and what better way to do this than to imply that you want the large meal and not a smaller one.
The Milkshake Machine Being Broken
This isn’t actually a rule they have to follow, it just seems like it is sometimes. So much so, that in recent years the whole thing has become a bit of a joke on the internet, that the machine just never works. In fact, the machine is just unfortunately easily broken, due to the syrups that are being pumped in and out usually.
They Have A Long Probation Period
You might think that a McDonald’s employee has it easy when it comes to their new job, but they actually have a strict probation period (around 120 days) where they’ll evaluate how well they work, how they follow the rules and their sick days of course.
No Bicycles In The Drive-Thru
It’s not only if you walk through the drive-thru that you’ll get rejected, you’ll also be rejected if you go through on your bicycle. Evidently, only vehicles with an engine are eligible like cars, vans and motorcycles. I wonder if you could go through on a mobility scooter?
They Can’t Freak Out Over A Kardashian
Okay, it isn’t just a Kardashian, McDonald’s employees can’t go crazy for any celebrity that comes through their doors or drive-thru. It is obviously going to happen at some point, a celebrity isn’t going to avoid the taste of a Big Mac, but the staff have to remain calm and not ask for pictures.
They Aren’t Allowed To Accept Tips
Yep, even if they work extremely hard or they go out of their way to help you, they aren’t allowed to keep your money. In fact, any money that you give to an employee has to go straight in to the charity donation box. This might not be what you want to happen but they don’t have a choice.
No Internet Surfing Allowed
Once an employee sets foot on the floor then they have to basically pretend they no longer own a phone. Phones, except the work phones used by managers, are not allowed anywhere on the shop floor, and believe it or not but the unform pants in the UK don’t even have pockets for you to hide it away.
They’re Not Allowed To Make Their Own Break Food
I assume that this is to avoid an employee taking extra food for their break, yep every employee gets free McDonald’s every shift they work! A manager actually has to make the food for them (or a trusted staff member) and they have to wait at the back of the kitchen or in the customer area for their food.
There’s A Points System For Food Breaks
This is how they decide how much food is too much food for an employees break. They follow a four point system where each item is worth either one or two points. Your drinks, fries and normal menu items are one point but any promotional item counts as 2 points. So no 20 nuggets for the employees.
They Can’t Be At Work Too Early
You are actually not allowed to loiter at McDonald’s for longer than 15 minutes before and after your shift, unless you have been requested by a manager or if you’re paying for some more food. It’s unlikely that this is enforced but technically this is in the rules of the McDonald’s handbook.
Banned From Releasing Secrets
Employees are actually banned from releasing any of the behind the counter secrets or ongoings at McDonald’s. This includes the processes or methods behind any rules, but this is obviously not what happens. We might see some anonymous secrets released on sites like Reddit and this rule is why.
They Have To Wear Specific Shoes
Unsurprisingly, the floor in a Mickey D’s can get quite greasy, and this grease can eat away at a regular pair of trainers. So, the McDonald’s employees are suggested a specific pair that can survive longer periods, and also grip on to what could be a slippy floor. At least they’re looking after their staff.
Hair Nets Are A Must
For employees who have long hair, male or female, they are forced to wear a hair net to avoid having hair fall into any of the foods they are forced to be touching. Even worse, if you’re trying to grow out a beard then you’re gonna have to wear an additional net over your beard. Now that can’t be comfortable.
They Must Not Eat Any Food On The Floor
I’m sure the temptation is always high for a kitchen worker to steal themselves a nugget or a few fries every now and then, but if they do then the employee is likely to suffer some implications to their role. That’s not even stating the fact that it’d be unhygienic for them to have their fingers around their mouths!
Toilets Are For Customers Only
image source: reddit.com
We know that on a long road trip, the sight of those huge golden arches is the best thing – and not only because you’re hungry. Sometimes, you just want to use the toilet without ordering anything – but unfortunately, those toilets are for paying customers only – not even celebs would be exceptions to this rule!
They Have To Wash Their Hands ALL The Time
This might come as no surprise in the food industry, but to make it more interesting, employees aren’t allowed to wear gloves, which is why they have to wash their hands so often – every 30 minutes, in fact, which has to be double checked by managers on duty!
Staff Have To Be Really Nice – But It’s Not Always Easy
Customer service workers unite, because it’s well-known how difficult it can be to keep it polite when you’re dealing with rude customers. but the thing about McDonald’s is that the type of customers are more likely to be very rude, drunk or disruptive because of the unsociable opening hours and the fact you literally get every type of person in there!
You Can’t Call Ronald McDonald ‘Ronnie!’
Just in case you might want to, you can’t call the famous Ronald McDonald clown mascot ‘Ronnie’. It’s actually an official rule that you can’t call him this, or anything else that isn’t his full name – there’s been no ‘official’ explanation as to why, but it’s seen as a marketing trick!
They Can’t Eat On The Clock
Things get made, get wasted and go cold at McDonald’s like every other food place, so you might think you could be forgiven for eating a single french fry when you’re working there – but nope. There are absolutely no exceptions to the rule that you can’t eat any food on the clock.
No Free Food!
Staff are not allowed to give free food, to anyone, under any circumstances. Of course, that hasn’t stopped some great hacks floating around on the internet about how to up your McDonald’s eating game, but officially staff are not allowed to say ‘yes’ to anything free.
The Rules Are Actually Different Depending On Location
The rules for working at McDonald’s aren’t the same across the board – and across the world. The rules can actually change location to location, or even just down to individual restaurants. Just like you can get different menu items in different countries, you can also expect the employee policies to vary, too.
There Are Restrictions On What Trousers To Wear
image source: reddit.com
Another thing that can vary location to location is the trouser situation. All employees are provided their McDonald’s uniforms, but in most places, they won’t get provided with trousers – which means there are then rules on what trousers can’t be worn, like ripped jeans.
Nail Polish? No Thanks
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Most food establishments will have rules about whether you can wear nail varnish when you’re handling food, and at McDonald’s, nail varnish is strictly prohibited. This is just to make sure there isn’t a bit of polish fallen off into your Big Mac, or that large portion of fries.
Artificial Nails Are A No-Go, Too
And what’s more of a risk than nail polish? Big artificial nails that could completely fall off if not applied properly, or if you just order some stick on ones from Amazon. So artificial nails are a no-go if you’re a McDonald’s worker, too. And because you have to wash your hands so much, it’s probably easier that way!
They’re Not Allowed To Say No To ‘No Salt Please’
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Some people go into McDonald’s and ask for no salt on the fries – maybe you’re one of those people – because a fresh batch will then need to be made without salt. This can give you the freshest fries possible, and staff members aren’t allowed to say no to anyone who asks for this!
And It Annoys Them!
But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t annoy the heck out of the staff members that get asked for it. At the end of the day, this means they then need to use extra energy to create a fresh batch when the salted fries were all ready to go. This obviously delays things, too.
They Wonder Why People On Foot Don’t Just Go Inside
When people try to get through the drive-thru on foot and try their luck, employees have to wonder why they don’t just go inside in the first place. Sure, the drive-thru might feel like it’s quicker than waiting in the restaurant queue, but we all know it’s pretty much just as fast!
Their Employee Discount Perks Can Only Be Used On Workdays
Employees get discount perks, but they can’t just be used any time, any day – can you imagine how unhealthy they would be if that was the case? The temptation would be too real! They’re only allowed to use their staff discounts during workdays, and these perks include % off or a free meal.
They Have To Eat In The Break Room
Employees at McDonald’s can’t just take their lunch wherever they please. They can’t sit at one of the restaurant tables, they can’t perch on a bench in the car park and they can’t even go for a walk on their break. They have to eat in the official employee break room.
‘Fast’ Food Isn’t Always Fast
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We all know the reason we go to McDonald’s is because food is fast and we’re hungry – but employees are faced with the reality that sometimes, it’s just not that fast. Certain items take longer to prepare than others, and they’ll be as quick as possible, but sometimes there’s a wait.
They Have To Assemble Ingredients In A Specific Order
McDonald’s has very specific rules about the order ingredients are supposed to be piled up, especially with burgers, and employees have to follow these rules to the letter (or lettuce). Apparently it’s so important that it can impact the customer’s experience (such as cheese placed wrong and not melting properly).
They Hear EVERYTHING Going On In Your Car
The speakers don’t just kick in when you hear the voice asking for your order. Although you can’t hear them straight away, they can hear everything through their earphones as soon as your car pulls up – so if you’re shouting at your kids to be quiet before someone comes to the speaker, they’ve already heard you.
They Actually Like To See Regulars
McDonald’s gets regulars in its locations of course – because we all like to repeatedly enjoy fast food from the same local place! Employees actually enjoy seeing the same faces time after time (provided they’re polite, of course) so don’t worry about them thinking you might be going too much!
They Also Have To Put Up With Prank Calls
Unfortunately, McDonald’s is also a place that receives its fair share of prank calls. It’s not common to have regular phone calls at McDonald’s because there’s no real reason for people to be ringing, so employees usually know when the phone rings it’s going to be some stupid joke.
