Hungry diners have criticized a ‘fast food’ restaurant for absurdly long wait times, with locals claiming managers are letting their mostly underage staff take the blame.
Customers at the Ballina Central McDonald’s, 30 kilometers south of Byron Bay, took to social media on Thursday to criticize the store’s routine 35-minute prep times.
Hundreds said ‘enough is enough’ for the Bangalow Road restaurant, which is known for slow service and understaffing during busy periods.
The person who kicked off the tirade said they’ve asked for management multiple times and “they’ve never been there.”
An angry local reported that the restaurant had to say ‘McF*** off’.
The Maccas in Ballina, 30km south of Byron Bay, are criticized by locals for long waiting times and understaffing during busy periods
Hundreds of people gathered on social media to criticize the restaurant. Some said they waited more than 45 minutes for their food, while others said the store was not worth visiting (stock image of a McDonalds)
Local Tanya Lee said the problem of long wait times was not new.
‘It’s been that way for months. I refuse to go there because when I get there it takes 45 minutes – ridiculous,” she wrote.
She added that it was “not the poor kids’ (staff’s) fault,” which many other posters agreed with.
‘The owners must take action and solve this! The staff and children are being flogged, it’s not fair,” Kellie Little wrote.
“Poor buggers are massively understaffed and massively under the pump. It’s frustrating but don’t take it out on the guys behind the window, they’re doing their best,” Ben Lovett added.
Patsy Mastrippolito also criticized managers who typically “work behind the scenes” but are unwilling to “do their part during busy times.”
Kye Lane said the store had become a blot on the franchise and it was unfair to the staff and customers who spend their money there.
‘All bins overflowing, tables filthy, floor filthy, receipts sprayed all over the counter. Is there just not enough staff? It’s not fair to them at all,” he wrote.
Ultimately, Rochelle McGauran came to the conclusion that it was time for people to get back to packing their own lunches and avoiding the store altogether.
Furious customers were frustrated that the store’s management was happy to let their mostly teenage staff deal with customer complaints (stock image of a McDonalds)
A spokesperson for McDonald’s Australia said this NewsLocal that the Ballina store had changed licensees in September last year.
“Customer feedback is extremely important as it helps us provide the best possible service to our community,” the spokesperson said.
‘We are working to address this feedback as a priority by hiring more people and training our staff on McDonald’s high standards of customer service and cleanliness.
‘While we will always do our best for our customers, we do not tolerate anti-social behavior and expect our people to be treated with respect at all times.
‘We are committed to providing our customers with a great experience and our team works hard to ensure we meet the high standards we set for ourselves.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted McDonald’s for comment.