It's called fast food for a reason and McDonald's has always been a go-to for people needing grub in a hurry.
Whether it's grabbing a burger for lunch or a quick tea after a family day out when there's no time to cook, it could always be relied upon for its quick, no nonsense service. But customers are complaining that since it started taking orders from the likes of Just Eat and Uber Eats, it's now taking 'a ridiculously long time' to get served in store.
While waiting for their orders, people have told us how 'driver after driver' are turning up to collect deliveries for those who have ordered from home.
One mum told us she was at the Trafford Retail Park branch near The Trafford Centre last week where frustrated customers were queuing six-people deep for around half an hour.
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"It's terrible now," she said. "You used to be able to get your food in just a few minutes and now it just seems to take forever.
"You'll get your order number and you can see that you're so far down the list and you're usually surrounded by delivery drivers, all of whom seem to get their orders first."
She added: "It was half term, but it wasn't full of families so that wasn't the reason. It's been like this for a while now but people seem to be getting really sick of it.
"Every time I go in there someone is complaining about the service or a wrong order. I feel sorry for the staff as they just can't keep up with the number of orders coming in.
"The milkshake machines hardly ever seem to be working. On this occasion they were out of milkshake so I asked for Fanta. They didn't have that either."
Other customers told us there are regularly delays at their local branches, including Walkden, in Salford, and Tyldesley in Wigan.
And posts are regularly popping up on social media raising similar complaints both in Greater Manchester and elsewhere.
Last month, one customer posted: "McDonald's has gone so downhill since the arrival of Uber Eats and Just Eat etc. Staff no longer want/are allowed to serve you at the tills, waiting times are ridiculous and the restaurants are just crowded with rude and spatially unaware delivery drivers. Needs to hit the reset button."
Customers will be pleased to hear that McDonald's is already addressing some of the issues by investing in a redesign of some of its sites.
Its £250m Convenience of the Future upgrade programme will see changes at 200 restaurants as it promises to 'shake up the way its restaurants operate to reflect the increasingly diverse ways that customers can order'.
While the company insists the the traditional walk-in and drive-thru 'remain core to how customers order', its says the redesign of kitchens and dining areas 'will better integrate digital sales channels, MyMcDonald’sApp, and make smarter use of space'.
Reflecting the rise in delivery, which marks its five-year anniversary this June, a separate delivery courier collection area is also being introduced.
With around 50% of sales now going through digital channels, including McDelivery, mobile, and self-order screens, McDonald's says the revamp will also 'provide restaurant teams with the technology, equipment, and space to work together more effectively and better manage more complex or personalised orders'.
Gareth Pearson, McDonald’s UK&I chief operations officer, said: “The pace of change within the restaurant industry is relentless, and the pandemic accelerated this with digital adoption gathering greater pace. Our customers rightly expect to have choice in how and where they order and collect their food, and our job is to ensure that every experience is a great one.
"For this to be the case, we know we also have to provide our restaurant teams and delivery partners with the best possible environment to work in.
“We strongly believe we have to continue to invest to grow, and this investment not only addresses how customers are ordering now but provides us with a platform to continue to adapt in the future, whatever that innovation looks like.”
Have you noticed a change in the wait times since the introduction of home delivery? Has it stopped you buying McDonald's or have you changed the way you order? Let us know your views in the comments here .
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