"Slack" - Donalds

What is it about McDonald's? It must be SO easy (and they have had years of practice) to produce rubbish food of no nutritional value in no time at all - and yet still, if you have the misfortune to go, they are poorly run, with teenagers behind the counter unable to string a sentence together, always having the effect of making you wish (at exactly about 10 seconds after entering) that the universe would implode and end it all for everyone.

This week I have visited a local McDonald's, in the role of generous and cool "Aunt"(!) only to find that:

1) half the restaurant wasn't air conditioned (just happened to be the half where the queue and food was) - on the hottest day of the year (only about 32c)
2) only 1 trainee was serving - so he was slow and the queue was long
3) said trainee really didn't get it - seemed to be struggling with the concept of ordering food and then going to collect it for someone, put it on a tray and give it to them - it is tricky. Certainly he couldn't cope with putting ice in drinks or pushing the right buttons on the till
4) half way through the queue, more staff arrived - hurrah? - no, a physically challenged one and another trainee ...
5) after getting the food (eventually) and sending it back because it was wrong (it was always going to be) ice cream was called for - back to the (hot) queue, this time to be served by the very slow woman with the limp (normally I wouldn't be bothered by any sort of physical impairment - however, in this instance, it impeded her ability to perform, so I was bothered)
6) ordered 2 ice creams from the woman (with flakes) - she disappeared round the corner and re-appeared, after a time, with said ice creams. She put them on the tray by the till and went to get the flakes (behind her). Disaster struck when the flake box was empty - turning to me she said "just popping to get some more flakes" - never were words less true - she limped off round the back of the restaurant at a pace that would have put a snail to shame (a la Julie Walters' waitress in Victoria Wood's "Two Soups") - as she turns to disappear all I can see is the ice cream, sat next to the till, melting ...
7) after some (not inconsiderable) time she limped back with a new box of flakes. She started to open them but, before completing the task, I ask for new (unmelted) ice creams - after some eye rolling she shuffled off again (slowly) and reappeared with 2 more - this time however, she has obviously had an argument with the ice cream machine and both are decidedly lop sided. She reached for the flakes and, on opening the box, it is clear that they have been sat out the back in the heat so, the minute she picked them up (with tongs I might add - they are very hygienic in McDonald's) they disintegrated into a million pieces on impact. Rather than entering into any sort of dialogue about whether or not the flakes are still required, she stuffs them (very ungainly) into the ice creams and hopes for the best. By this point, my will to live is being tested and there is little point in debating the merits of the flakes at this stage - I grab the ice creams and run ....

Perhaps it's just the heat that brings out the worst in these situations but my advice to you all is, if you get the chance to go to McDonalds (and you are not being emotionally blackmailed by a 5 year old) then don't!