McDonald's worker reveals 10 most annoying customer habits

From asking silly questions, to getting unnecessarily cranky about minor inconveniences, McDonald's customers can make life a nightmare for staffers. One employee has shared his most frustrating customer experiences, and the internet is eating it up.

The young Macca's team member listed his grievances in two TikTok videos, which have collectively racked up nearly 700,000 views and more than 100,000 likes, with many of his fellow fast-food workers finding his pet peeves all too relatable.

Here are the customer behaviours grinding the gears of the McDonald's worker:

• Asking whether the fries are hot

• Ordering a cheeseburger with no cheese

• Complaining that a Quarter Pounder comes with cheese

• Shouting an order, then shouting more when it's wrong

• Mumbling an order, then shouting when it's wrong

• Getting angry and shouting when the shake machine is broken

• Asking for fries without salt and then asking for salt sachets

• Asking for extra toppings in a McFlurry

• Ordering a "coffee" without further necessary detail

While some of the British employee's complaints might seem trivial, it's not hard to imagine such requests becoming tiresome when faced with them day in, day out.

The clips struck a chord with Macca's employees, with many sharing their own gripes, such as customers adding items to their order at the collection drive-thru window, ordering something fresh then getting upset that it's taking too long, and complaining their coffee is cold after letting it sit for 15 minutes.

Abuse rife in customer service industry

Macca's staffers aren't alone when it comes to dealing with poor customer behaviour. According to the union representing Australia's retail and fast food workers, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA), frontline workers encounter a wide range of abuse in the workplace, from swearing and threats right through to spitting and other physical violence.

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Research conducted by the SDA in 2017 found that more than 85 per cent of service staff had experienced abuse in the past 12 months, with almost a quarter reporting they were subject to verbal abuse each and every week. Even more shocking was the nearly 15 per cent of service staff who reported experiencing physical violence at the hands of a customer, the 33 per cent of respondents who said they'd felt threatened by a customer at least once in the past 12 months, and the nearly 12 per cent of workers who reported experiencing abuse or violence that was sexual in nature.

Speaking to the ABC in 2022, the SDA's Bernie Smith said the issue was bad before the pandemic and has only gotten worse. "It was terrible before Covid, got worse during Covid, and it hasn't come down," Mr Smith said.

Like their UK counterparts, McDonald's employees in Australia are generally quite young, working their first job in a fast-paced and demanding service environment for little more than the minimum wage. The SDA is currently taking on McDonald's Australia in the Federal Court over the alleged underpayment of up to 300,000 workers.

Customers nicer habits

Proving there are some polite fast food fans out there, the TikToker also posted a video titled "Things that customers say/do which I love", such as responding with "no worries" to an apology over a delay, or a request to park while waiting for a drive-thru order.

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