How Long is Too Long to Wait?

One night last week, I made the mistake of stopping in a McDonald's restaurant. I only ordered two items but it took about 20 minutes to finally get my food. At 11 pm the last thing I want to do is stand in a fast food chain hovering around the register waiting for two measly items. Alas, I waited with a look of disgust on my face.

It is interesting to note that the cashier saw my look of disdain but did nothing to speed up the service. It was almost as though she wasn't going to take care of my order until she was good and ready. She offered no apologies, no free-bees, nada.

Isn't McDonald's the establishment that has timers to clock how fast you are being served? It is interesting that I find that I never see those timers on in the evening and ironically it always seems as though a manager is never on duty in the evening in my local restaurant to keep an eye on employees who don't want to hustle and would rather just horse around with their fellow employees.

I think employees need to have a new found appreciation for customers who support establishments that contribute to their paychecks. It seems they forget to provide friendly service with a smile.