Normally I would'nt say anything about a company I have had problems or concerns about. I'ts just not my style. However, I feel that the actions at the McDonalds franchises in Sioux Falls are grounds for a possible boycott of the company.
I worked at the Sioux Falls stores for about three and a half years (Yes, I know this is too long, but Sioux Falls is a joke when it comes to employment. Not meaning to be brash, but its the truth). I started in November '99, and I noticed immediately that it got ugly. THis is only the FIRST store, mind you.
First, the store was in terrible shape. The floors were a dull beige color instead of the red that they were originally. Numerous chairs and tables had nicks, dents, or missing parts to them. The trash cans had month-old, or older, ketchup and mustard CAKED on them, and the door on one waste bin wouldn't shut completely. The light fixtures were old and often had food or other things in them. The floors were slick with grease and slime from God knows what, and the bathrooms flooded with water often. The entire dining room stunk like old chicken nuggets, and litter seemed to decorate the whole store, even the parking lot. The parking lot was all tore up, the paint had faded, and trash was all over the lot too.
The kitchen and work areas were worse. The ergonomics of the kitchen were that dirty and clean rags and grill cloths all got mixed in together, and even wrappers and bits of food fell into the wash buckets. The dress tables were way too hot for human hands to touch, and the metal tools and tables sometimes had ragged edges that you could get cut on. The grills were in varoius states of disrepair (often the tops on the grills would'nt open right or at all. If you work in fast food you'll know what I mean) and tools were either missing or broken. The ergonomics of the grill made it that frozen patties and finished product came into contact often. Grease was always all over thanks to poor kitchen layout and shot equipment.
The microwave only put out half the power it was supposed to, and wrappers and boxes were mixed up all the time. The fry and grease vats were never changed enough, and the control panels were old and broken. One time the back of the control panel on the fish fillet vat caught on fire!
I personally had to put out the fire with the fire extinguisher nearby. Luckily, we weren't open yet. The sink area was never sanitized or even cleaned daily. The drains would back up and stink up the back kitchen area. The basement drain also stunk the whole basement up like, well, you guessed it. Shit.
To finish it off, the drivethru headsets never worked right. The battery charger was weak and an electrical hazard, being very close to dripping wet trays. The cash registers had poorly labeled and faded buttons, and the screens covering the keyboard were half torn off. The drive through pick-up window was always a mess; the doors wouldn't open without damn near a crowbar.
The windows throughout the whole store had smudge marks and sauce smeared on them, and even old Ronald McDonald himself was in rough shape (his eye was put out once). The break room was also a mess; the TV was screwed up and we had, I'm not making this up, a coat hanger for an attenna. Tiles from the walls would fall off, and people left food and cups all over. The freezer is the last.
It was always slick inside (I slipped in there once when someone mopped) and people always mized products or just left empty boxes and bags all over the freezer. Even the prep area was a mess; onions and granola and everything got mixed up all the time. Salad items and breakfast meats and yogurt parfait products got mixed a lot!
Too much? Too bad. The people that this franchise hires are worse. People only stay for 2 or 3 months, and they quit because the pay is only $40 after taxes, at least for the youngsters. The adults and young adults are just as bad. They only pay a 20 year old $6.00/hr to work, and they give some punk kid $6.25/hr that was only there for a month! They only give a max of $. 25/hr for raises to any of the hourly employees and managers, and that's if they like you. The employees were all stupid, even for McDonalds employees. They wouldn't come to work with clean clothes, couldn't speak any language coherently, and half were all f*ed out on drugs or dropouts.
Management was a joke. Selective management and punishment are the norm at McDonalds of Sioux Falls. They punish those who they don't like, and others get off the hook, even if they use racist language or fight! I hated the management. They never staffed the restaurant right. They think that only 3 employees were necessary to open a store, and no shows and late workers were expected EVERY DAY.
I know that you probably are wondering why I stayed at such a shitty company. I would have left a long time ago, but Sioux Falls is no mecca for employment and I needed something flexible while going to school. Don't go to work here if you're smart. Don't even eat there. Don't go at all.
AlSioux Falls, South Dakota
U.S.A.
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