McDonald’s

Although I occasionally eat fast food, I almost never eat at McDonald’s. I find that I enjoy the food at Burger King or Wendy’s more than the food at McDonald’s, and even worse for McDonald’s, I find that in this area the service at McDonald’s is much worse than at those other places. But the thing that really annoys me about McDonald’s is that whenever I order a hamburger, I am always asked the following question: “Do you want cheese with that?” I know what is going on. They have trained their teenagers to ask this question to increase their profit margin, as a burger with cheese will most likely make them more money than one without. They are saying, as a company policy, we’re not going to give you what you just ordered until we have the chance to wring more profits from you.

But from my point of view, I have been quite specific in my order. I should not be asked if I want a different item on the menu, when I have already ordered what I want. The English language, and the menu at McDonald’s, differentiates clearly between a hamburger and a cheeseburger. Sometimes I feel like I should be snippy to the poor teenager taking the order and say “You have two items on the menu, a hamburger and a cheeseburger, and I ordered a hamburger. Do you think I want cheese?” But its not the teenager’s fault. Perhaps I should call the manager out and ask him that question.

One time, I asked someone why McDonald’s does this. They claim that if they sell you a hamburger, often the customer will complain that they really wanted a cheeseburger. I don’t buy this. I am quite sure that 99.9537% of all Americans can distinguish between a hamburger and cheeseburger and order the one they want. And I note that at other fast food places or restaurants, when I order a hamburger, the meaning is clear. (Until this morning, when it happened at Burger King, sigh!)