9 Nasty Truths About Your Favorite Foods
Famous Death Row Last Meals
Photo: Getty Images
Ever wonder what happens when people find fault with a fast-food joint? Kyla Jones considers herself a reasonable person. As someone who has worked in customer service, she knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of an unwarranted phone tirade. Still, after receiving shoddy treatment from a KFC manager in Columbus, Ohio, she didn't hesitate to call the company's hot line to lodge a complaint.
In 2008, Jones and a companion began eating dinner around 8:30 p.m. at a KFC restaurant that closed at 9. Within ten minutes, they were approached brusquely by a manager and asked to leave without being allowed to finish their meals.
"We're closing in ten minutes, you have to go," Jones recalls him saying. "Do you want a box to put it in?" "He was just really abrupt and acting like us being there was a huge inconvenience," the 48-year-old continues. "Nothing like, 'I hope you're enjoying the food, but our employees need to go.' I sat there like a stunned deer in the headlights."
After leaving the restaurant, she called a KFC toll-free number (printed on the receipt) to complain about the treatment. She gave a representative the store name, date, time and a detailed account of exactly what happened. The representative apologized and told her that she should have been treated more courteously. The next day she got a follow-up call from the company with another apology. "The rotten manager was gone within days and I've never had another problem," she says.
Not surprisingly, each and every customer complaint doesn't get resolved. And fast-food employees are just as likely to grumble about poor treatment at the hands of rude customers, as discussed in an earlier Slashfood story. For many unhappy quick-service patrons, customer service can be a misnomer.
Complaining with persistence and tact can help. Matt Dzula, from Baltimore, Maryland says that he frequently complains if "service or food quality doesn't meet what I consider to be standard for a fast-food establishment." His complaints usually relate to botched food orders and employee rudeness.
"Lets face it, it's cheap and the expectations aren't so high," Dzula says.
He sums up his grievance strategy like this: "I am quick with what I have to say. I make sure to mention that I'm not looking for anything free and I don't call during busy lunch or dinner rushes. Those three things really help to make sure that they realize I'm only trying to help. Being a crazy person at the other end of the phone does nothing to help matters."
He praises McDonald's managers for being the most responsive.
A spokeswoman for McDonald's advises customers with easily resolvable complaints like food-order errors to contact a restaurant manager. She says if a complaint cannot be resolved, customers should call the customer satisfaction department.
"Customer satisfaction is a top priority," Ashlee Yingling, a McDonald's spokeswoman told Slashfood.
The customer-is-always-right philosophy isn't always fair to fast-food employees, who sometimes feel belittled and abused.
At an Arby's restaurant in McKean County in Northwestern Pa., extremely rude customers won't be served, according to an employee who asked that she not be identified because she wasn't authorized to discuss store policy. "If you are exceptionally rude, we will take your food, issue a refund, and you're never welcome back," the long-time employee says. "It's a rather small town so it's hard to forget a face."
In one case, a customer came into the restaurant, claiming he got the wrong drive-thru order and screaming obscenities. His bag of food was taken by a store manager and thrown away. The Arby's employee says it's unusual for workers to treat customers rudely, but in one extreme example, a shift manager was fired for swearing at a child. The child had asked for a complimentary glass of water.
For Bob Abner, a former Taco Bell customer from Louisville, Ky., complaining didn't seem to help get him better service or treatment. Abner was a frequent early morning (1 or 2 a.m.) drive-thru customer who recalls that employees often got orders wrong and ignored even simple requests about too much ice in his soda. He believed verbal or written complaints were "pointless and a waste of his time." Instead he has decided to put his money where his mouth is -- at restaurants other than Taco Bell.
SLIDESHOW: Tattoos That Go Way Beyond Your Average Tramp Stamp
Rodents Run Amok at Upstate New York Walmart
PHOTOS: Most And Least Christian States In America
America's 10 Highest-Paid CEOs of 2011 (and How They Earned It)
What Happened When Alex Kenjeev Paid His Student Loan in Cash
VIDEO, PHOTOS: Naked Face Eater Identified
What's a Realistic Retirement Age?
Carrie Underwood's Grunge Rock Past: 'I Was All About Pearl Jam'
Yale Student Killed In Crash Days After Graduating
I'm A Successful Entrepreneur But Might Get Deported
Farmers Hit the Jackpot in Kansas Oil Boom
America's 10 Best National Parks
Mary J. Blige, Charity Lawsuit: Singer's Foundation Sued for Failing to Repay $250K Loan
Safeway Worker Stops Man From Beating Pregnant Woman, Gets Suspended
LOOK: Inside Honduras' Deadly Prisons
Editorial: Despite shaky 48 fps Hobbit preview, high frame rates will take off
PHOTOS: Nicole Scherzinger Almost Reveals Too Much
Will You Be My Facebook Friend? No.
'Cannibal' Attack: Naked Man Shot Dead In Miami 'As He Chewed Victim's Face' (VIDEO, PICTURES)
Boy Locked In Filthy Coal Bunker Every Night For A Year
Eight-Year-Old Upset After Teacher Gave Her The Biggest 'Catastrophe' Award
VIDEO: 'The Guy Was Tearing Him To Pieces With His Mouth'
Blood Found In Missing Girl's Bedroom
NSFW PHOTOS: A Little Too Much Of A Rear View
PHOTOS: Americans Honor Troops On Memorial Day Weekend
MSNBC Host Says He's 'Uncomfortable' Calling Soldiers Killed In Action 'Heroes'
Another Deadly Northern Italian Earthquake
FREE FALLING
Police Arrest Parents Of Six Children Killed In Derby House Fire
60 Recipes For Pie Lovers
When Jenny Was Still From The Block
Travel + Leisure: PHOTOS: America's Worst-Dressed People
2-02-2010 @8:29AM VAL said... You're retarded.
2-02-2010 @7:31AM RDC said... One night my husband went through the drive thru at mc donalds. he got home i took one bite of my burger it was raw. it was late i didnt want him to have to go back out i called the store just to tell them to check there temps on the meat i did not want any thing free it was a dollar burger. the manager got extremly nasty on the phone even after i told her that i was only calling so that nobody would get sick. my husband got mad and took the burger back and almost shoved it in her face to show her and she still didnt appologise he did get a replacement burger and turned around and gave it to the family behind him in line.
Reply
2-02-2010 @7:34AM Debi said... I work for a Burger King in Boise, ID and I think it depends on who owns the franchise but we are so focused on customer service, we will do whatever it takes to make the customer happy, however we as employees are not expected to take aggressive abuse. Everyone makes mistakes and if we make a mistake on your order we will fix it no questions asked and we will apologize to the customer but we will not put up with the customer having an outburst or swearing at us. Our 1-800 number we take seriously and we get reports back on how we are doing and if something goes wrong believe me we hear about it from the top management. I think people should remember that we are human and sometimes mistakes happen and it's how you handle the mistake that counts. Don't put down all fast food joints because we are not all alike.
Reply
2-02-2010 @8:11AM Carrie said... LOL @ Mena why u getting so upset, he has a right a to say mexican or whatever he wants because our language here is english we donot know the exact language every one speaks if i were in mexico it would sound like they are speaking mexican to me.He made a general statement without using any hateful words so calm down lol...I once took my daughter thru the drive thru at a taco bell ...waited in line for 22 minutes behind one car ...with one car behind me i couldnt back up so had to wait,,,by the time i got to the window i was heated but never rude..the girl @ the drive appologized over and over ..apparently the manager allowed a car full of teens to order 37 tacos thru the drive thru...the girl quickly gave me the 1-800# and i asked me to complain..I did and recieved 2 phonecalls bk each w appologies.. in the mail i recieved at least enough coupons for 2 free meals for me and my daughter and customer service there was so polite! Another time made chili using Bushes Chili magic ...went to take a bite almost choked there was a something like a big nut w prickers lol ..spit it out ..i called them asked what it was ..they told me what it was and sent $18.00 in coupons for their products!!
Reply
2-02-2010 @8:18AM Stephen said... The best customer service at a fast food restaurant I've ever received was at an Arby's in Evansville. I was stopping in for lunch and an employee treated me like I was beneath her for wanting ketchup. She kept shooting me nasty looks and trying to ignore me.
I was so livid over being treated that way that I was still angry a few days later and wrote corporate. Within two hours, I had a personal, thoughtful, and LONG apology from them (NOT a form letter). She offered me a free meal, but I never took them up on it. Further, a few days after I got the response, I got ANOTHER email from Arby's corporate just checking in and making sure I had received the apology.
It was seriously the best response to a crappy situation I've ever encountered at a fast food location.
Reply
2-02-2010 @8:19AM luckygirlzrock said... First of all, fast food isn't cheap. I have two teenage boys and a toddler. If we all want a quick meal we are looking at 35-45 bucks a pop. Many times I have dealt with the missing toy for the toddler. Burger King is the worst. Most of the time fast food workers act as if they would rather be somewhere else. Who wouldn't. But if you are going to take the job, then work and do what is required.
I think the best is Chic-Fil-A. They are quick to handle any issue, the managers get in and help out when it's hectic and the food quality is so good. One of my biggest pet peeves is ordering a large or supersized meal and then getting 1/2 a box of fries, or the fries that look like they need to be thrown away.
Applebee's is the worst. I once ordered a veggie plate and the red potatoes came out with DIRT on them. The manager looked at me like it was completely fine to have DIRT on the food. He said, "What do you want me to do about it?" I thought to myself, WTF? But, I said, "How about a potato without dirt." He grabbed my plate and walked off. They took so long to replace it by the time I received the second one, everyone else was finished eating. So, I told them to just take it off of my ticket and they refused. I've never been to an Applebee's and I will never eat in an Applebee's.
I think the bigger picture is....in this economy eating out is a luxury regardless if it is fast food or not. It adds up. When I am spending 45 bucks a pop in a drive through, I want the food to be edible, hot, and portioned correctly. If I need another condiment don't get all up in my face about charging me. McDonald's is the worst for straws, napkins, ketchup. I rarely go to McDonald's anymore. It's too much of a hassle. Take pride in something, your jobs, your food, your reputation and train your people to provide good customer service.
Reply
2-02-2010 @8:26AM Stephen said... Because the overwhelming amount of people who blog, especially about food, are women, not men. There ARE men who blog on this site, there just aren't many because, statistically speaking, there aren't many to begin with.
It has nothing to do with sexism. Take off your tin hat.
Reply
2-02-2010 @8:27AM Maria said... The Sloppo Bell in Owosso, MI rolls the burrito's like egg roll's. I tried complaining and, zilch, nada, nothing! I happily have been passing it up for over a year now and make my own taco's and burrito's at home.
Reply
2-02-2010 @9:57AM Scootrbum said... If you live an area with one fast food joint you probably have a couple more too. Do what what I do, if you get bad service often, vote with your feet. Go to another place.
Reply
2-02-2010 @8:53AM MARY said... I have made a few complaints over the years, but mostly when I get my food home to eat and relax in quiet, that's the time I will notice things. Recently BK had BOGOF original chicken sandwich. It was the most disgusting chicken and coating ever. The chicken was dry, the coating was so salty that I added some strawberry preserves to hide the taste. The free one went in the garbage. I find that Wendy's salads sometimes have bad, bd lettuce. They used to be better in everything years ago, and when they had the salad bar 20 years ago, it was clean and terrific. I refuse to go to Checkers as their employees do not always wear gloves, they have rotten shredded lettuce, and they don't know how to communicate with the customer. I'd rather go to Subway for $5 foot long sub as you watch them work and they use fresh items. They never argue with the customer.
Reply
2-02-2010 @8:57AM MARY said... Forgot to mention in my recent post - Since I don't eat in the fast food restaurants, I at least try to open the bag and see if I got the items I ordered. If the products are awful while trying to eat, I just don't return to that store unless I know I love a specific item. I have eliminated several places and have eliminated several items from places I like. McD is for kids, BK ok if you get the right cook, Wendy's pretty decent, Taco Bell is a chance, Checkers a dump with dirty hands and rotten lettuce.
Reply
2-02-2010 @10:23AM Buddy said... Mark - Pepsi does not own YUM brands. Pepsi food service used to own Pizza Hut and KFC but it was sold off to YUM brands. Pepsico is now Quaker, Tropicana, Frito, Pepsi and Gatorade
Reply
2-02-2010 @4:27PM Regina said... Regarding the Checkers Chain: I once called their corporate office (# was on their service window when closed!) because the young man lied to me and told me it was Checker's policy to never put mustard (instead of catsup) on their all beef hot dogs - I knew it was a lie because I had visited other Checkers when in other parts of town... My gentleman friend is allergic to catsup we we always order mustard. This young man just didn't want to make up the order because he already had some premade up from earlier in day! So we had to drive to another location (which served us properly) because he flatly refused to serve them freshly made. The corporate office sent me coupons for free food, apologised and replaced the young man. I am now a very loyal Checkers customer and that more convenient location! It was a small thing but they took me seriously and my friend's health was protected!
Reply
2-03-2010 @8:19AM Tim said... He actually rates McDonalds the highest? They are the worst...filled with dot heads and mexicans who can barely speak or understand English taking your order and making your food, they never get it right even when they have rang it up correctly. Ray Kroc has be screaming in his grave.
Reply
2-03-2010 @12:52PM val said... I think Chik Fil a has the nicest servers. Even when they have the occasional messed up order they always fix it right away and offer a refund..without me asking. But really the atmosphere there is awesome.
Reply
2-03-2010 @2:15PM newsy1 said... I'm pretty sure this is one of those you get what you pay for scenarios. I don't frequent fast food joints often, but when I do I figure if my actual order is correct that alone is a bonus. The rest such as a smiling face-well, would you want to smile working for Taco Bell? http://newsy1.wordpress.com
Reply