We’ve all been at the McDonald’s drive-thru window, salivating over the food that has been handed to us only a matter of seconds after we ordered it – but how does it get there so quickly? Reporter NEIL ATHEY took a look behind the scenes at one of the chain's restaurants
“A MEAL needs to be completed in about 60 seconds,” says crew trainer Will Harvey in the kitchen of the Rising Bridge McDonald’s restaurant.
“We’ve got to respond to an order in five seconds and start the process immediately, it’s a really fast run,” says Will as he places fresh buns in the toaster.
Numerous alarms and signals go off at once as the complex cooking system tells staff food is either ready to go or has been standing too long and needs to be thrown away.
Taking my first steps into the kitchen, I thought it looked chaotic and demanding, however, I discovered there was a rigorous, tried and tested system all the staff is accustomed to.
Each station - fries, burgers, drinks and ice cream - has a dedicated staff member constantly producing orders which are distributed via a hi-tech computer network.
A £900,000 refurbishment of the restaurant, which took place over six months, has transformed how the staff work on a daily basis.
Shabana Khan, the assistant manager, showed me how the drive-thru is monitored and how cars are followed from order to delivery, making sure the process is as quick as possible.
Shabana said:
“The technology has really helped us so much.
“The kitchen is a lot calmer and more efficient, we get food out a lot quicker and customers are able to tuck in sooner than ever before.
“Our record for the most drive-thru orders completed in one hour is 114, but we’d love to beat it.”
I don my McDonald’s cap, shirt and pinny - complete with name badge - and try my hand at making a Big Mac for the first time.
I start off by toasting the ‘heel’, the bottom half of the bun, and the ‘crown’ - the top half.
I add a dollop of McDonald’s Big Mac sauce to each half, following by a garnish of onions, lettuce and two slices of pickles.
After carefully balancing the ingredients, I added two beef patties on each side to finish.
I was impressed by the speed and coordination of the staff as I slowly built my burger and others sped through the several orders that came flying through.
Fries are placed into hot oil and cooked, before being put under a heater, ready to be served.
However, with freshness being key, each batch is only allowed to stand for five minutes at most before they are considered not fresh enough to serve.
The restaurant’s new look, the McDonald’s ‘Alphabet scheme’, was really appealing, I thought.
It provided a modern, clean, inviting interior complete with wooden seating, white tiled walls and pleasant lighting.
The new look also comes with a touch-screen self-order service point so customers can pick their order and wait at the counter for it to be made.
Customers can also have table service so the risk of dropping a large order on the way from the counter is now a thing of the past.
David Duncan, the franchisee of the restaurant, also runs five others in the area and has been keeping them to the highest order for 19 years.
David said the refurbishment has brought a better customer experience to the restaurant like never before.
He said:
“The whole experience of ordering food has changed.
“You can order it at the self-service point, you can order it on your phone while in the restaurant, or have it delivered.
“We get customers who like the face-to-face interaction and they use the till, but we get others who like the new technology.
“It really has freed up the till area. Even when it gets busy the queue flows nicely.
“The table service has been really beneficial for the customers. Families with children can sit down and wait without having to worry.”
Cameron Rhodes, 20, another crew trainer, has worked at McDonald’s on and off for four years while studying at college and university.
He said:
“The flexibility of working hours is fantastic.
“I work during the holidays and I’m able to just slot right back in and I’m always wanted back for shifts.
“I really like the table service, you’re able to speak to customers and chat about the food and if everything is okay, you also get to build up a relationship with regular customers.
“We’ve had great feedback from everyone about the store’s new design, we really like it too.
“Staff gets on really well together and that is key to working in a place like this, a high-pressure environment.”
Around 90 members of staff are employed at the restaurant.
Eileen Murphy, brand ambassador for the restaurant, said the franchise is always engaging in community projects, including litter clean-ups, volunteering with the North East Lancashire Riding School for the Disabled, sponsoring the Blackburn with Darwen Good Neighbour Awards and helping with tile restoration at the Exchange Building in Blackburn.
I was impressed at how well the restaurant was run and how smoothly the process was.
Everyone knew exactly where to be and what to do at the right time, it was like complex clockwork, with all parts fitting together perfectly, all relying on the other to do their bit.
Staff were in high spirits and enjoyed working as a team.
Any ill-founded rumor of McDonald’s food not being as fresh as possible should now be a thing of the past.
The Rising Bridge restaurant is the future of McDonald’s.
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