According to McDonald’s corporate site, the fast-food giant operates 42,000 restaurants in over 100 countries—that’s a striking number. Equally striking is the chain’s number of employees, which is in the millions (around 2 million, to be exact).
One way McDonald’s successfully operates such a widely beloved fast food chain is by selling food with a reliable taste at a reasonable price. Another way is by dolling out pretty strict directives for those millions of employees. Just like employees of other major chains, like, for example, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s fast-food workers follow many specific, strict rules of conduct.
We did some sleuthing and found several strict rules McDonald’s workers must follow in order to keep their jobs with the franchise. A few of them did make us wonder what exactly happened behind that counter or drive-thru window that made these additions to the employee rule book necessary in the first place.
No free handouts, ever
With an extremely limited number of exceptions, McDonald’s workers are strictly prohibited from giving away free food. No ice cream cone for a kid, no coffee for a cop, no freebies, period, unless you want to risk termination for having effectively stolen from the restaurant. It was a refreshing departure when McDonald’s OK’d some food giveaways to healthcare workers in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sandwiches must be prepared in a specific order
McDonald’s sandwiches like the Big Mac or McDouble are meticulously designed, with everything from ingredient type to the order of assembly tested and locked in. According to Mental Floss, any employee who does not follow the exact assembly steps of a McDonald’s menu item risks termination.
Frequent handwashing is mandatory
You know those signs in restaurant (and other) bathrooms that say: “Employees must wash hands before returning to work,” right? Well, those are indeed enforced policies. But it goes even beyond that, per Salon: in many McDonald’s locations, managers mandate that every employee washes his or her hands every 30 minutes or face discipline or even termination.
Ronald McDonald is bound by many rules
For starters, McDonald’s workers may only refer to the iconic clown mascot as Ronald McDonald (that means no nicknames like “Ronnie!”). As for the person playing the clown himself, that gent is bound by a number of strict rules, including agreeing never to reveal his true identity, to protect company secrets indefinitely, even beyond his tenure with the chain, and to reply to customers using a set script, according to Reader’s Digest. Along with keeping up a stellar reputation for the worldwide chain, Ronald McDonald has a special code of conduct that doesn’t allow the mascot to appear in any venue that is not consistent with his core personality—which specifically includes no nightclubs or lounges—Business Insider reports.
Tips don’t go to employees, they go to Ronald
Tips aren’t often given to workers at McDonald’s, but even when they are, any donations must immediately get put into the Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC) box at the register. Employees are expected to honor this rule because, as the corporate website puts it, “McDonald’s restaurants have a team environment which is not about rewarding individuals.” In addition to sticking to an equality-based business model, the RMHC serves to help sick children around the world and their families, which may be why the company would rather a customer’s extra change or generosity go towards such an endearing cause.
Improper portion sizes can spell trouble
According to a former McDonald’s employee, if a worker is off with the measurements of volume items like french fries or milkshakes, they can be terminated. With milkshakes, the commenter cited a very strict window of just plus or minus 0.25 ounces leading to a shake considered unacceptable, and a few unacceptable shakes (or over- or under-loaded containers of fries) could do it.
Black pants and shiny black shoes
McDonald’s provides its workers with most of their uniform, including a shirt, hat (or visor), an apron, and a name tag. But when it comes to pants and shoes, the worker must bring their own, and they must meet very strict criteria. Pants must be black and can’t be denim, sweats, or leggings. Shoes must be nonslip, black, and able to be polished, meaning leather or faux leather material.
Yes, you have to work on Christmas
And on other holidays, too. Per an article on Medium, if a McDonald’s worker is employed by a location that will be open on a given holiday, he or she may have no real recourse to avoid a scheduled shift on that day unless they can prove an extraordinary need for an exemption—in other words, merely saying you celebrate Christmas won’t get you off on December 25.
Jordan Summers-Marcouillier
Jordan Summers-Marcouillier was born and raised in San Jose, California and now works as a writer in New York, NY. Read more about Jordan
