And, Now, A Word From A Wendy's Employee

I agree that it is a tough job, I do agree that customers can be real
jerks and I do agree your not in controll of the vegetables you are
shipped, but your job should require you to be able to recognize
rotten food and then be able to make the decision to throw it away.
Maybe next time, look at the food and ask your self if you would feed
this to your own family.... The people that come to your store are not
looking for "special" treatment, they are looking for what they
ordered to be fresh.

Okay, so why is it that, when I'm nice to fast food employees or to
checkout people in discount stores, they're unfriendly and sometimes
contemptuous? Why should I continue to be pleasant when most of the
employees I meet act as if it's a burden to do their frickin' job?
Maybe some of you should think about those of us who DON'T have jobs
and want one and who are still pleasant to you.

As someone who has worked in restaurants alot I've seen both sides.
It helps when you have worked behind the scenes and understand that
yes things can get messed up and it's not always the servers fault or
what not.. as long as the server isn't being blatantly lazy or rude I
tryyyy to be understanding

The bottom line here is that the customer may not always be right,
but, they are always the customer... Unless they finally have enought
and stop being the customer. Then all your problems and the "former"
employee are solved.

Give people a fair product at a fair price, and treat them with
respect consistently; and inform them in advance if something is off
the mark so they can make an informed decision about their purchase
and you will never go wrong.

Ridiculous. No one is asking you to be super-man. It doesn't take a
super hero to make a cheeseburger correctly. If the tomatoes they ship
to you are 'bad" that's not our problem. It's someone's there at your
restaurant and unfortunately you may happen to be the person at the
window. Such is life. It's bad enough that you charge for nugget sauce
but how about just once, getting the sauce I ordered? If you're out of
tomatoes, how about telling me instead of just not putting one on. How
about a little salt on the cold fries? Every time I go through the
drive-thru, everything is wrong. Everything.... Get it right or find
another line of work. I wouldn't complain if it was an isolated
incedent, everyone makes mistakes. But it's everytime. The people that
work at Wendy's obviously don't give a shit. Plain and simple. We're
not asking for miracles here, just for what we ordered, Flash.......

I have to agree. I've been working with consumers now for over a
decade, and increasingly I find people to be disprespectful and
oblivious to the concept of dignity, both that of another person's as
well as their own. Consumers I've observed take the maxim, "the
customer's always right," too far. They act as if they're entitled to
bully, supply death threats, scream, and harrass, sometimes for a
discount but usually for no reason: I've seen this behaviour at the
beginning of a transaction with no prior history between either staff
or the company in question! Certainly this isn't civilised behaviour,
to assume that you can take your bad day or character weaknesses out
on someone you're not related to?

In my own experience as a consumer, because we all are, I tend to
encounter helpful and thoughtful have sales or service people. I
personally look for the best in people and invariably find it.

I don't think the customer is always right. The uncouth customer
expects to get something for nothing, whereas the concept of business
is a fair exchange: money for service or a product. If a consumer
doesn't think the exchange fair, by all means negotiate, but do so
with dignity and respect for everyone involved. The world isn't out to
get you.

As a current Wendy's employee, I think that it is not always the
customer that annoys the employees. For instance, the registers where
I work were replaced about a year and a half ago. The old system was
probably the same system they had when I was born, but you could get
the job done easily. The new system is a touch screen computer. When
we first got them, they were fine, but when we updated from the biggie
sizes to small, medium, and large things began to become way to
strenuous. For a normal order, let's say a junior bacon cheeseburger,
it's one button. Fine. How about adding a nugget... click... *menu
pops up after a second to ask what kind of sauce and if you just want
to get out of it you have to choose a sauce or click no sauce* this is
visible to the customer and they will usually say that they wanted a
different kind of sauce. Of course you could ask what sauce, but if
they order 5 different things with modifications to a few, you are
trying to get them in there as fast as possible so that you can get
their food to them faster. Anyway we usually ask what kind of sauce
when we had you the nuggets. That's not even the worst.
If a customer orders a combo, you have to interrupt them to find out
what size they want (you could do a small, but if they change it to
another size you have to void out the entire combo and start from
scratch). Then you can ask what drink. To enter what drink you have to
click the specific drink, click (small, medium, or large) substitution
and find the drink. Click it and click ok. Every click takes about a
second to load up except for the ok which takes about two.
The worst part is when there are modifications onto the sandwich in
the combo. There are four clicks to do anything to the sandwich. You
have to click the sandwich, click condiments, whatever modification
(add, no, extra, etc.) then whatever condiment. For every modification
you have to go through that. About a second each click means a lot of
time wasted just to say no pickles, no mustard, add cheese, light
mayo, and extra ketchup. I'm not slow. I'm probably the fastest person
on a register that doesn't yell to the other people what the
modifications are (which is a terrible way to do it unless you get in
their face and tell them what's on this burger, and they still more
than likely will mess it up). The system for the Wendy's I work at is
so bad that I usually have to spend thirty seconds on an order that
could take me ten.
Of course, I get complaints (maybe one a day on a really bad week)
that I "interrupted" them when they are trying to order. Asking if
they want to upgrade it to a medium or large is not interrupting in my
book, it allows the fry guy to know what size fry, the coordinator to
know what size drink. Asking what drink allows us to get the drink
ready as soon as possible. Now, I haven't said it, but I usually work
back cash and order taking at the same time. So I get a beep in my
1970's headset (at this time there are two that work out of the eight
we have and one of the two is very hard to wear because the hinge that
allows you to adjust it to your head is amazingly loose), and I say
"Hi welcome to Wendy's! May I take your order please?" and I hear I'll
have a number one with no pickles, no tomatoes, no onions, and no
lettuce. So before I can do anything I have to say either "Would you
like to make that a medium or a large?" or "Would you like that small,
medium, or large?" And enter whatever the person says (usually after a
ten second pause and something along the lines of "(um.... the regular
one?") Then I ask what drink, enter that. Then I have to ask again
what condiments the person didn't want because about twenty seconds
have passed and the conversation and the amount of orders I've taken
today have blown my memory away. So this person tells me and they get
their food pretty quickly.
Yeah, long, but just what I thought of 5 hours before I have to get up
and open Wendy's tomorrow. I'm not a high school drop out. I'm a
senior in college majoring in psychology and minoring in religion and
philosophy. I plan on going to grad school to get my PhD in clinical
psychology. I've worked since I was a senior in high school. I worked
a year at Taco Bell (so much worse than Wendy's) and the rest of the
time at Wendy's. I love the people there, we have a good time when we
get the chance and we always try our hardest.
If I had to change anything about Wendy's I would go to a much easier
way to enter orders.

I hope that one of the good thing that comes out of your hard
experiences as a wendy's employee is the desire to continue your
education. This is not a snap on you, but the writing example you
have submitted shows that you lack skills in spelling, sentence
structure and word comprhension. You cannot be a success in this
world without those skills. I worked at Wendy's all through high
school during the 80's and it was a good job. Customers will respond
positively when questions are answered correctly and coherently. When
you make a mistake you must apologize and correct it promptly without
an attitude. You must take pride in yourself and your work, or no
customer will ever respect you. I know it's not the easiest job, but
many other jobs are just so much harder. And just remember that if you
find the job just too much to take, there are millions of undocumented
workers only to happy to take your position at a lower wage. I know, I
live in San Diego. At our Wendy's only one person at the counter
speaks english and there is no doubt that most of the employees are
working on borrowed credentials. Get motivated and live up tou your
full potential

Just wanted to say - for everyone thinking customers only complain
about fast food places... We have multiple Wendy's restaurants in the
city where I live, but only one of them has consistently provided me
with great food, accurate orders, and awesome service. I went out of
my way to call the Wendy's 800 number and tell this to the phone reps,
who then forwarded my compliments to that particular store. No, I
didn't get any coupons or freebies for it, nor did I ask for it. But
the people who work there are always busting their butts, because the
location is central to alot of downtown offices and is very busy at
lunchtime - and yet, I could get in a 15-car drive-thru line on my
lunch break, and STILL get my food fast and my order correct.

Bottom line: not everyone calls or writes just to complain! :)

Well - any person who works for a fast food restaurant is either
mentally challenged or a worthless looser.

And I'm sure you are a college graduate well on your way to financial
independence? I have no idea what your career path entails, but it's
obvious you are completely unaware or just plain ignorant in the fact
that over 40% of all fast food employees are either high school
students or college students well on their way to becoming
accountants, lawyers, teachers, engineers, etc. For those not
fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend college, it is a
source of income to provide for themselves or their families. Have
you ever heard of doing something to the best of your ability and
being proud of that? Obviously not. You, sir, in your own verbage,
are a ignorant and worthless loser! By the way, you can't even spell.
Read your post - "looser" means less tight. I believe if you checked
a dictionary you would realize the correct spelling is "loser".

Signed,

A college graduate and an individual who treats fast food employees
with the respect and courtesy they deserve!

Ok, I don't work for a fast food restuarant, but this person clearly
doesn't know what he is talking about. I know many teens and college
students who have worked at a fast food restuarant either as a first
job or a job to provide for themselves until they graduate and can get
their dream job. I have also been in one where the employees took
pride in their work and the restuarant looked like the inside of a
gourmet restaurant. It was also spotless. And as the mother of an
autistic/mentally challenged daughter, I resent the implication that
she is worthless! NO ONE IS WORTHLESS!

This note is for Ben Wheeler...
Boy, do you sound like a complete airhead! What's wrong with you? Is
your head attached to your body...or somewhere else?! For your
information, Bird-brain, I am working at Wendy's to pay off my college
bills. Why does that make me a loser? You are the loser here. I bet
you're on probation and have nothing better to do then to sit on your
dead ass and bitch about people who are working hard! Or your one of
those gutty men who are in their forties who likes to bitch about
everything. Do us all a favor and get your head out of your butt!

From a proud Wendy's employee

What an outstanding example of what we deal with everyday. Your view
is just as stereotypical of 20% of my guest feel about me, as well as,
the people that work for me. I've heard people yell at people in ways
that would make their own mother hang her head in shame. Everyday we
suffer abusive language, snide comments, racist barbs all while we try
to get you that burger, fries and cold drink with in 90 seconds. We
fight though 500 hundred cars a day and see people look down on us
again and again without even knowing us. I've been in this business
for ten years and I've met some really amazing people. These are
people that are anything but worthless. They give back to there
communities. They give to each other. They try there best and stick
together like a team. I have a sixty something year old that works
for me. He retired from an airline that he spent 30 plus years with.
Before that he spent his time serving our country. I'm sure you find
him to be worthless too. Your view is pig headed and arrogant. I'm
sure the guest whose tire we changed in the rain while she waited
inside with here baby thought we were a little more then worthless.
And her opinion is far more valuable then yours. It wouldn't surprise
me if you were the type of person who orders a double cheese burger
plain then comes back in screaming, "what are you guy f**kng stupid I
ordered it plain why is there cheese on this" then proceeds to slam it
down on the counter spewing mess everywhere. AHH, yes, the customer
is always right. Even when we put cheese on the cheeseburger that
they ordered then proceed to make an ass of themselves and blame
others.

LOL, I deal with people seem to share your view of us everyday. But
instead of wasting my hate on you put my energy into the people that
bust there butts for me and the people they serve.

Thank you for your letter.

I agree with you 100%! People today expect to be treated like kings
and queens just because they are spending a few dollars for some
burgers. They are self-entitled, rude, obnoxious and nasty and the
FEEL they have a right to act this way! And treat everyone like crap.
How said!

If you have a special diet, whether it be you cant eat onion, cheese,
meat, pickles or anything made up and phoney (which I believe most
people who CLAIM are food alergic are hypocondriacs)....STAY HOME.
Dont subject a worker, who has probably been on their feet all day to
cater to your every whim over a 2.00 hamburger.

Its a wonder people spit in the food.

I have worked in the fast food industry for over 10 years. I have
great customers, because I treat them with respect. Customers deserve
to be smiled at and made to feel special. I think a lot of the fast
food service has forgotten this small rule. I know a lot of my
customers by name and they keep returning. Now on the other side of
the coin, you have the 5% of animals that come in your place of
business. I show these animals the door. If you cuss, hit, or throw
things at the employees, then you have crossed the line. Believe me
this goes on over the smallest thing. No person deserves to be abused
no matter what the situation. I can only speak for my business, but
if we make a mistake, we try hard to correct it. So, the next time
you are out, just remember respect is a two way street and that most
managers will do whatever it takes to please the customer. Just do
not get so bent out of shape over food. Life is too short to be angry
over little stuff. Just smile and maybe you will get a smile back.
Believe it or not most fast food workers are educated and highly
trained. The job is not as easy as most people think. thanks for
your time

Okay, I can understand the things that you cannot control, but get
aload of my experience here in Columbus, OH at the Wendy's on Hudson
st...

I stopped in to this location, and asked the girl behind the counter
what the Wendy's Melt was, as it was on the menu. She said, "a
sandwich." I said, "what is on it?" She said, "It's a sandwich." I
said, "what is on the sandwich?" She said, "Everything." I said,
"Everything? I mean, what kind of meat?" She said, "lettuce, tomato,
burger, just everything." So I ordered something else, and she
started saying to the lady behind me, "Shoot. He start talkin' crazy
to me, I'll talk crazy back. He want to know what on it, I tell him
everything, what else he want? Shoot." I ignored this, then found
out I didn't get my extra slice of cheese that I paid for, so I asked
her, "Can I get the extra slice of pepper jack that I paid for?" So
she said to the manager, "He want his cheese. That he paid for."
Then she started laughing about it. This is when I asked to talk to
the manager, and I told the girl that I didn't appreciate her being a
smart ass, and the lady behind me started yelling at me, "Don't you
talk to my niece like that, you're an asshole, that's my niece." I
told her I didn't care who she was...The manager explained what was on
the sandwich that I had originally asked about, and told me that the
girl had been there only two weeks (as if that gives her an excuse to
treat me like that) and I was never given an apology. The girl
continued to talk to customers about the way I had acted while I was a
mere ten feet away. Of course I'm going to call the corporate office,
but my point to you is, you get PAID to be there, and customers are
shelling out their money to be there. That means you should be nice
to them; without them you wouldn't have a job. And as far as not
always remembering what is ordered on a sandwich...have you ever
gotten home in the middle of the winter, and you have the wrong stuff
on your sandwich that you paid for? You don't want to go back in ten
dgree weather just because the employee had something else on their
mind while preparing the sandwich that HE/SHE GOT PAID TO MAKE JUST
THE WAY YOU ORDERED IT. So yes, I can see your point somewhat...some
people complain for no reason, but I doubt very many. Complaining
takes time; why would any mature adult waste time complaining? We
have more important things to do, like taking care of outr children
and trying to make ends meet. Just think about the experience I just
told you about. It was a nightmare. Remember you get paid to serve
the customers.

With so many customers complaining, and employees being aggravated, it
says a lot about how the people at the top are not doing everything in
their power to right this somehow. There is a flaw in the system that
is staying at the lower levels and being ignored. That is, except for
the people on both ends experiencing it. So instead of change and
improvement coming from the top, it just stays that way. There is
always room for improvement but does a company expect the employee to
just perk up and ignore some legitimate complaints too? While the
customer may always be right, the employee too often is too young, not
trained, and underpaid. So it all stays the same.

Most people dont understand how hard it is to serve food. I work at
a small ice cream shop. While most of the customers are pleasant, and
some even make small talk, I do get the occassional 'unsatisfied'
customer. Its hard to keep smiling all day when youre tired from
standing constantly. People think that they're the first customer of
the day and dont understand that we've been putting on the same old
act for every other patron ALL DAY.
Just today an older man who attends the same church I do came to
the ice cream shop and confused me so much that I had to get my
sister, who also works there, to help me. It didnt help that the
entire time he was making fun of my attempts to make him the ice cream
he wanted. I never get openly angry with customers, and I didnt today,
but it was the most annoyed I have ever been.
Customers should also know that the servers dont like having jokes
made about their 'slow' or 'bad' service. When I was learning to cook
at this ice cream shop (we also have a little kitchen where we offer a
few items) one lady complained that I was too slow. Im sorry that
seven minutes was too slow for two hamburgers and fries, but she didnt
even know the circumstances. I was training and it didnt help to have
her comments hanging over me.
Please understand that my statements are not intended to release
all rude and inefficient workers from the blame they deserve. But many
customers only see their own points of view. Whenever I go to another
ice cream shop, or any store or restaurant, I treat the servers with
respect. Who knows under what circumstances they are working? Please
try to appreciate the people who work for your enjoyment. If you cant
appreciate them, at least respect them.

My family really likes the food at Wendy's,we choose it over the other
leading chains.The problem I am having and have found to be a
consistant one is that any variation from the normal fixings tends to
arrive wrong.My husband detests pickles and always asks that they do
not put them on his single.They always do and he goes away angry and
hungry.I am not the type to accept that kind of service.I will take it
back and they usually fix the problem.NO PICKLES should not be a
problem.this is just one of my complaints.There have been numerous
times driving away from the drive thru to find there isn't a condiment
to be found or a spoon for the Frosty short a couple of Biggie fries
etc.This is not just one or two stores this is consistant from here
clear across Canada.Please try to train your employees to have a mind
of their own, so a little flexibility in the menu won't cause a major
issue for them or your loyal customers.

Seriously, I've worked at just about every fast food chain and a
couple of bakeries.

I can give you examples of REALLY rude customers...grab a drink and
read on:

--At Hardee's there was an elderly gentleman (using the term loosely
here) who kept mumbling his order...and I was VERY new and new to the
register. I had to ask him several times to repeat himself because I
couldn't understand him. Whereupon he screamed, "YOU WANT ME TO BUY
YOU A HEARING AID!?"

The manager was compassionate enough to put me on the back line from
then on.

--I was 16 and had braces on my teeth when I was working in a
Detroit-area bakery. A customer, being a real wise-acre, asked me if
the tin grin was in. I was polite but I felt like belting him one,
because those things HURT! (This was in 1989 and I still remember
dreading getting those things tightened.)

--I've had much older men trying to flirt with me. I guess the
wedding ring on my finger (in my 20s by this time) wasn't enough of a
hint. I flat-out told one such perv I wasn't his sweetheart!

Bottom line is, respect is a two-way street. And before you ask why
counter-jockeys don't get "real" jobs, may I ask what's considered a
real job? I should think that legitimate work for pay is a real job!
And if no one worked these jobs, you couldn't go to McDonald's--could
you?

I for one am glad that I am now a stay-at-home mother.

So what IS the weather like in McDonalds and "Buger" King?

Oh...did you mean "whether"?

Well, as a person who has worked in many customer service jobs, I
really learned how people should be treated. When I go shopping for
clothing, I know that I should be greeted when I walk in, even if its
just in passing. This is mainly a loss prevention method, but it lets
the customer know that you know they are there. When I worked as a
waitress, I remembered the fact that when I went out to eat, I never
liked to run out of drinks, so I made sure my customers' cups didn't
go empty. These are just a few examples. I gave good service, and I
don't think its too much for me to expect it back. I know at times I
really didn't want to be at work and could have thought of a thousand
things I wanted to do besides be there, however I never let my
customers know that. They came in for whatever service and you are to
render it -- with a smile. Check your issues at the door!
And as for a customer being wrong, if you speak nicely to most people
and you don't act rude or condescending, they may give a little and
see your side of things. You are the face they see in the business, so
if something is wrong -- its your fault! So if its your fault, its
your responsibility to fix it. Take ownership of what you do, no
matter what it is. I definitly feel both sides of the argument, but
being sweet to people and smiling has never hurt a situation and has
made a lot of issues turn into "non-issues."

Well, you know what?? No job is easy in this world. But, I gurantee
you one thing: When my family and I head out for a late supper, and
its a siple three combo order, same drinks, and something as easy as
baked potatoe instead of fries, it tends to annoy and aggrivate when
they pass you the drive thru bag and only half of what you paid for is
there. Especially when your paying an extra 2.50$ for broccoli cheese
sauce and dont get it. This seems to be a continuous recurrence with
this particular restaurant in my home town, and making complaints
never seem to matter-its almost as though yall get a joy or a rise out
of it...Its NOT the customers fault. Its the workers. You cannot deny
this.
As well as making a very clear fact to avoid onions on combo #2
because of a serious food allergy. What happens?? Theres EXTRA onions
on the damn burger.That type of mistake can be irrevocable. Its just
plain stupidity.
Sure, Id love to be told Im doing a great job at my place of work too,
but ya know what?? It hardly ever happens because your SUPPOSED to do
your job well. You WORK for the money, and get paid for doing a job
well done.
Just my opinion...and guess what? The customer is ALWAYS right.

Well, there are two sides to every coin. A guy from our town was
recently fired from a fast food restaurant. Why? While making a
burger, he dropped the meat on the floor. Instead of waiting for more
meat, he put it on the sandwich anyway. How nasty is that? The manager
caught him in the act. SWEET!!!

On the flip side, my teenage son worked @ a Burger King last summer.
One day a drive-thru customer demanded: "I want 5 Whoppers, and I want
'em to look just like the picture!" She was pointing at an advertising
poster in the window...and she was DEAD SERIOUS. Despite this lady
obviously having her posterior on her shoulder, the manager told the
crew they had to try to please her. Too bad they couldn't hand her 5
posters and say, "It was a pleasure serving you, have a nice day..."

Bottom line: whatever happened to the Golden Rule? Or like Rodney King
said years ago, "Can't we all just get along?"

There are definitely two side to every issue. But the bottom line is
this, EVERYONE needs to treat each other with kindness. The company
and employees have a responsiblity to treat their customers in a
friendly way. Regardless of whether you had a bad day, you treat your
customer the right way and you do your job 100%. The customer also
needs to realize that they have no right to come in with a
condescending attitude and be rude to the employee. Yelling at a
cashier because a cook put bad tomatoes on a burger solves what? The
cashier did not do it. Calmly asking to speak to the manager, and then
explaining the situation is better than causing a scene. And the
manager should rectify the situation properly, not as though it is a
burden to help your customer. Employees and corporate need to treat
their customers with respect, do their job 100%, and customers need to
be respectful as well. We do have the right to complain but we do not
need to be nasty about it.Thanks to all who do follow these policies
regardless of what everyone around you is doing.

I would agree with another poster that this is not a prime example of
proper English. However, yes, we all can make mistakes during our
jobs. Some customers do get too upset when a mistake is made.

Working in fast food is not stressful if you are organized and know
how to multitask. As a worker there, you should be able to get their
order right over 99% of the time. If you are unclear as to what they
wanted on the order, stop and ask. Always repeat the order and make
sure it is correct.

As long as the people preparing the order take the time to read the
screen, you should hardly ever make an incorrect order and all are
happy.

For those upset about the tomato situation, etc - if they cannot
understand that, there is not much you can do.

I worked at McDonalds, loved it. I had no problems at all. Being a
consumer of fast food is a whole different story. If I would have
treated one of my customers the way I have been treated I not only
would have been fired, but probably not welcomed back to the
restaraut. We blame cashiers/managers for the mistakes that they make
when they shouldnt make it. If someone says no onions, they may have
an allergy to them, as to where even the onions oil can cause them to
need emergency treatment. Therefor, if someone requests no onions and
onions is on the burger, would you rather us come in and complain or
sue the bejesus out of your company.

As consumers, we have the right to make requests, we chose to eat at
your restaraunt and we are choosing to give you the money instead of
the taco joint down the road.

As for your rotting tomatoes go, you get them whole, you then slice up
and place in its appropriate spot, and then place those as needed. If
you grab a tomato out, and see that it is rotten, and you slice and
serve anyways, that IS then YOUR fault. When we ordered nobody
requested 'i'd like a cheeseburger, and please be sure the tomatoes
are rotted.'

If you watch the older lady court show she says 'if you come into
court with 'unclean' hands your not gonna win'...so when you saw the
tomatoe was rotten you should have then brought it to your supervisor
and informed them of the inedible item. If you think were griping,
imagine what would have happened if that was a INSPECTOR that got the
burger with the rotten tomatoe!

I worked at a Wendy's, quite a few years ago. It's probably the
hardest I've ever worked, and for the lowest wages I've ever earned.
Despite the fact that 96% or more of orders were done quickly and
correctly the first time, 99% of the feedback we got from customers
came in the form of complaints. We need to know what mistakes are
being made so we can fix them, but we'd also like to hear what we're
doing well, once in a while. It can get frustrating to work so hard,
yet only hear complaints. I think that may be what the original
poster was trying to say?

Don't ever swear, or yell, or even raise your voice to a fast food
employee. That's abusive and frankly, we're not paid well enough to
have to put up with it. We're human, we make mistakes sometimes. Let
us know politely and we'll be more than happy to fix the mistake for
you. If we need to be reprimanded for some reason, trust me... our
manager can do that just fine without your help. All you need to do
is point out a problem to him/her and let the managers do their job.

True story... we actually sent a sandwich out the drive-thru window
without any meat once. We were exceptionally busy that afternoon, and
the sandwich maker was working faster than the grill was cooking.
He'd assembled a sandwich, closed it to make more room for the other
sandwiches he needed to make, and set it aside to wait for the meat to
finish cooking. The person assembling the order grabbed the sandwich,
put it in the bag, out the window, and sent the customer on her way.
About 30 seconds later, the grill person is standing there with the
meat saying "uhhh, where is the sandwich for this?" Whoops! Luckily,
the customer noticed before she drove away. And luckily for us, she
was more bewildered than angry. We fixed her order, we (both us and
the customer) all had a good chuckle about it, and I think we probably
offered her a frosty or something for the inconvenience. Then we
started the "whatever you do, don't close the sandwich until the meat
is on it" rule. It was embarassing, but comical, since it wasn't too
long after the "Where's the beef" TV commercials had aired. If that
customer had come back all angry, it would've totally ruined the mood
of the rest of the day, so I'm glad she was understanding about it.

I started at Wendy's a couple of months ago, and I think I have
identified a large part of the problem with fast food restaurants.
Like many people, I am fed up with the service at all fast food
restaurants. I have called McDonald's customer service line several
times in regard to bad service. (And they always give me a lame dollar
coupon.)
I am married with three children and have worked part-time off and on
over the past 10 years. Wendy's is the lowest paying job I have had in
all this time. I choose to work at Wendy's because of the flexibility
to my schedule.
The low wages are a big part of the customer service problem. There is
a very big turnover rate at fast food restaurants. This is because a
lot of work in expected in return for low wages. So, you get new
employees at all times. And, as we know, all new employees make
mistakes. Also, the employees are under pressure to get the food out
fast. And managers are under the same pressure.
My opinion is that fast food restaurants need to start paying their
employees higher wages (about the same as a department store employee
would receive). And get rid of those employees that can't (or won't)
comply with higher standards. This is our food, after all.
The thing is, I really like my job. But I w

It is frustrating as a customer when it appears that the server hasn't
listened carefully enough or the person preparing the entree didn't do
it correctly. However, patience is needed in this situation.
Sometimes, looking around, it appears that management is absent or the
place isn't properly staffed. Maybe someone called out sick at the
last minute. I once asked to see the manager of a McDonald's to tell
her what a great job the people there did after several consecutive
good experiences. She looked stunned, and told me it was one of the
only times someone had said something positive about their experience.
So, while I concur that the poster can more effectively communicate
her messages in the future using improved grammar, I also agree that
more people should take advantage of good experiences to pass
compliments along to the staff. If something goes wrong, remember that
the staff are human beings too.

I work in retail myself and deal with this a lot. It is very difficult
to maintain your composure with some customers. However, I've noticed
that most people are generally understanding if you can substantiate
what you're saying and why you're saying it. The main thing the
customer wants is the problem solved; they don't really care why
something has went wrong. Unfortunately, with the hustle and bustle of
today's society, that's the way expectations have been set for
employees in the service industry. It's certainly not for everyone; I
personally hate working in retail and am in the process of finding a
job outside of the sector. My general manager gave me a little bit of
inspiration a few years ago when I had a very nasty customer when he
stated, "It's their life. Let them be negative!" I still think of that
after I deal with someone nasty who simply won't accept any reasons I
provide them for issues that occur and it instantly makes me smile!

Yeah, I'm in complete agreement regarding composition, spelling, etc.
Be that as it may, I think Wendy's is tired of hearing from me. (They
always respond, too.) All the comments I make about Wendy's is
complimenting the gals who work at my nearest location. They're
absolutely terrific.

But too many customers(?) want high-end service at low-end prices.
Earlier today I went to McDonald's to order a buy one, get one free,
Big Mac. Naturally, it came with pickles and the third slice of
bun--both of which I don't like. So, my solution? Took off the
pickles, removed the center slice of bun, and discarded them. The
complainers on PFB would have ordered it without those two items--and
then written to PFB when it wasn't done to their exact specifications.
Oh, I forgot. Then they'd demand 'coupons' after swearing to never
go there again!

Although this message is not an ideal specimen for an English
Composition course, the point is still made. Sadly though, this is
not isolated to food service. Everybody portrays a victim at some
point as a consumer regardless of the product or service. Consider
the times you have had issues traveling, buying that new oak cabinet,
having to wipe somebody's sweat from the bench or seat at the gym or
even simply getting your morning newspaper. Consumers have come to
see employees as an entity rather than a person which is caused by the
lack of personal "old town" service. Having credit card companies to
fall back on to dispute any charge or that watchdog news team to fall
back on simply reinforces this behavior.

Spend some time shopping on websites and read the reviews for the
products and you will see what I am talking about. The good reviews
vary between ecstatic and somewht pleased, meanwhile the unhappy
reviews are just plain obnoxious claiming some sort of legal issues,
company conspiracy of bait and switch on a global scale or even that
the company is the evil empire.

Any of you whom have taken an American History course can see that
this similar ideals have been around since the first settlers stepped
off the boat. We have always tried to manipulate the system or taken
advantage of any situation to better ourselves personally. (generally
speaking of course)

Well I am sure you are good at your job, but not everyone is.

I agree wholeheartedly. When I was in high school, I worked at Taco
Bell, and there were a couple of times customers were so vicious to me
that I nearly cried. A lot of people act like fast-food employees
don't have any more feelings than the tables and the chairs.

Most important, I do agree with you. I always try to be pleasant and
patient with workers in fast food restaurants. It's a lot like my
profession (teaching), though. We only hear about the bad, and, as the
other poster said, mostly we remain quiet about the good. I have tried
on this site to post when I receive good service at places, and I'll
try to do it more.

Now, for the negative, and I mean this in an attempt to help. You HAVE
to improve your writing. The spelling is terrible, and you have not
punctuated the sentences so that they read correctly. In other words,
while you have much to say, the composition of the letter does not
communicate as it should. Too many of us write the way we speak, and
we should remember that periods are important to break up ideas for
the reader. Captialization is important, too, and spelling says
something about the care you took with your writing.

I don't know how old you are, but there are some good websites that
you can access for improvement in these things.

Good luck.

You know what? YOU'RE RIGHT! I agree with you 99% because I think
only 1% of complaints are legitimate.

When I'm in Wendy's or McDonalds and look around, everyone seems
satisfied with the food and service. I rarely hear anyone
complaining.

Take some advice and stop reading these letters. For every complaint
you read, there are thousands of satisifed customers who are not going
to sit down and write a letter to Planetfeedback about their wonderful
experience at Wendy's.

So just relax, be friendly and do your best!

Unfortunately we live in a world where if someone gets good experience
they mostly remain quiet, kind of sad. On the other hand many people
would not get angry if you gave the wrong order, they would get angry
if you made a snide remark then they would. There are a few jerks
that get angry for little things because that's their personality. As
long as your manager or co workers think you are doing well should it
really matter what others think. Most people use planet feedback to
get their frustrations out. If you do a search for Wendy's you will
find positive feedback, not as much as negative. Lets face it if
someone provides good service they may not say anything, but if
someone gets bad service they will write everyone that they can write
to.