Tuesday, November 27, 2007

A Bad McExperience

Last night I got home from work and really didn't feel like cooking a meal, so I decided to be a cool mom and take the kids to the local McDonalds to eat and play. Rarely do we stay to play in the germ tubes, so I thought it would be a treat, and a way to keep them occupied till around bedtime.
I have to say, I've seen a lot of gross things in my day. But this McDonalds was the filthiest, most disgusting fast food restaurant I have ever stepped foot in. Even the initial impression was awful. In the area before you get into the actual restaurant but after you come inside, it was like, literally, 100 degrees. I thought, ok, it's cold out, they have the heat blasting in here because the doors open and close. I can deal with that. Not like I'm going to be spending any time there anyway... so I thought.
I went through the second door and into the restaurant, and it was cooled down to a chilly, oh, I'd guess 85 degrees. No joke. I felt like I was in an oven. And of course, we were all in sweatshirts and jeans, so that didn't help. I'd have never thought to wear a tank top and shorts. Anyway. Then I looked down. Crap - like straw wrappers, drink lids, french fries, napkins - all over the floor in the lobby. I scoped the area with hopes of securing a table that wasn't nasty like it hadn't been wiped all day - yeah, right. I chose the least nasty of the nasty tables, which incidentally, was right next to about 7 or 8 mid teen "goths." Now, if you want to be gothic, go right ahead, just don't act stupid. They were all there, cussing, not eating any McFood that I saw, sitting on eachothers laps, kissing, and drinking "Monster" power drinks. Then AC/DC came over the radio speakers.
I thought, did McDonald's change it's focus? Am I at a rave or something? I thought, maybe I should say something to the manager, because clearly he or she has no idea what is going on out here. Nay. As soon as this thought crossed my mind, out walks the McManager. And she SITS DOWN WITH THE GOTHS!!! Then proceeds to call one of the employees a dumb ass, right in front of my kids. I hear another customer complain that there's pop spilled all over the floor in the playland. So the employee with the mohawk gets the yellow mop bucket out, slops it on the floor, and calls it done. Hey, while you're at it, why not wipe a few tables or sweep the floor, genius?
I thought, ok, just eat, play, and leave, hopefully without Hepatitis C. The kids ate and went into the playland. After walking through the half assed mopped sticky pop area (that incidentally was just spread around, not really cleaned up) I noticed a band of about 10 adult Nascar fans (clearly) in the rear corner. One parent calls out to his son, "Now don't kill the other kids, ya hear?"
Great. Even Playland isn't safe. The next proceeds to call over his about 10 year old son, and proceeds to hollar at him for an unknown infraction, then whip him, right there in McDonalds. This is about the time the smell of stale cigarette smoke mixed with pot is wafting over to my filthy table. I go back to the lobby.
"Could someone give me a cloth so I can clean a table to sit at?" The McEmployee looks, "Uh, yeah, let me find a clean one."
Let me find a clean one. That indicates to me that you haven't had a clean one for some time.
I'm frightened. Instead of giving me the rag (which is what I expected) he actually came into Playland and asked "Which table?"
DUH. Look around. I replied smartly, "Well take your pick, they're all equally disgusting." He proceeded to wipe one table, then walked out, leaving the other 10 the way they were. By the way, he had to walk through the pop mess twice just to do this.
I am losing patience. After a few minutes, I just can't take it any more. I pack up the troops and head out to get our Halloween Treat Coupon treats (that I promised we'd use) TO GO.
So there I stood at the counter, in the heat, among the cussing goths (half of them were now about 2 feet outside the door, smoking) to get my apple pie and cone.
I wait and wait, as the employees find it more entertaining to play grab ass behind the counter than to wait on actual customers and finally get waited on. I ask for an apple pie, and one cone IN A DISH WITH A LID. I get handed an ice cream cone in a cone, no dish.
Uh, yeah, could you put it in a dish with a lid, like I asked? So the cone goes into a sundae cup (top side up - a real surprise because that actually took a brain not to put it in upside down). Still no lid. I ask for a lid. I get a lid and a "have a nice night." Ok, and what about the pie?
Is it really this difficult? And I am trusing these same people to make sure my chicken is kept at 160 degrees? I think I'm going to go purge now.
Even over 14 hours after this experience, I am still very very disturbed. Yikes.

3 comments:

Amy said...

Good grief! I've never been inside the one by your house, but I think I'm going to stop going through the drive thru, too.

Love,
Amy

Jen said...

yeah. it really was that bad. I told Brian I think i'm going to drive to the one by B&N from now on.
Jen

Jen said...

yeah. it really was that bad. I told Brian I think i'm going to drive to the one by B&N from now on.
Jen