Film shows McD's trained new staff in proper use of Vulcan death pinch
November 27, 2021 2:56 PM Subscribe
[via the timesink r/ObscureMedia]
In 1969, MickeyDee's hired Pat Paulsen to present their new-staff orientation film. How this happened, we may never know. It's a combo of dated, prescient, and timeless. It's sardonic, dry, and self-deprecating, yet sincere in its effort. It's both entertaining and informative. It's approximately seventeen minutes long, yet it feels like it's no more than fifteen or sixteen minutes. [Whoop, that means my break's over g2g]
In 1969, MickeyDee's hired Pat Paulsen to present their new-staff orientation film. How this happened, we may never know. It's a combo of dated, prescient, and timeless. It's sardonic, dry, and self-deprecating, yet sincere in its effort. It's both entertaining and informative. It's approximately seventeen minutes long, yet it feels like it's no more than fifteen or sixteen minutes. [Whoop, that means my break's over g2g]
Oh my goodness this video! Oh my goodness this subreddit!
posted by Going To Maine at 3:39 PM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 3:39 PM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
We’re McDonalds really that efficient?
To a first order, fast food generally was way, way faster in that era. They had both much simpler menus and had a significant amount of ongoing prep such that they generally really did just have to reach back, grab food from the staging area, put it into a bag and hand it to you.
Larger menus with more varied ingredients, custom orders, and consumers not really wanting food that may have sat under a heating lamp for 5-20 minutes put an end to that kind of efficiency, in part because fast food companies over time really pushed the prep window so much and left it in the staging area way longer than their initial rules required, and eventually well beyond reasonable palatablility, which Burger King in the US probably got out ahead on with self-serve soda and "have it your way" which goosed their market share considerably.
I don't mind the tradeoff, but the tradeoff was significant.
posted by tclark at 4:03 PM on November 27, 2021 [14 favorites]
To a first order, fast food generally was way, way faster in that era. They had both much simpler menus and had a significant amount of ongoing prep such that they generally really did just have to reach back, grab food from the staging area, put it into a bag and hand it to you.
Larger menus with more varied ingredients, custom orders, and consumers not really wanting food that may have sat under a heating lamp for 5-20 minutes put an end to that kind of efficiency, in part because fast food companies over time really pushed the prep window so much and left it in the staging area way longer than their initial rules required, and eventually well beyond reasonable palatablility, which Burger King in the US probably got out ahead on with self-serve soda and "have it your way" which goosed their market share considerably.
I don't mind the tradeoff, but the tradeoff was significant.
posted by tclark at 4:03 PM on November 27, 2021 [14 favorites]
I'm old enough to remember McDonalds of that vintage (although I don't recall the fries being that shade of green). I have to say that was better than the training videos they make us watch at work; the cameo by Harlan Sanders was great! The prices were interesting; for context the average annual income in the US was about $9400.00. I think I may have voted for Pat Paulsen for president at least once (it would have to have been after 1981); we've certainly elected worse.
posted by TedW at 4:08 PM on November 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by TedW at 4:08 PM on November 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
I still have a button from the time of the dinosaurs that says, Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Pat Paulsen.
posted by Splunge at 4:18 PM on November 27, 2021 [11 favorites]
posted by Splunge at 4:18 PM on November 27, 2021 [11 favorites]
I miss when the burgers were wrapped in paper. The boxes they use now are horrible. Horrible!
posted by sjswitzer at 4:45 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by sjswitzer at 4:45 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
When I worked at McDs in the 80s, the training videos were done by Martin Short as Ed Grimley. It was a bizarre thing to witness on the first day of work.
posted by hippybear at 5:12 PM on November 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 5:12 PM on November 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
Those steps and QSC were still mentioned in our videos in the 80s, when I was a teen employee. Our training videos could've done with some humor; the ones we watched were dead serious and we reacted to them the same way as the boys in this video did.
The kid aping W.C. Fields cracked me up, and anyone who thinks girls and women aren't fed up with catcalling should be shown 5:11-5:21. There were way too many customers in my day where I imagined that exact scenario (as well as an assistant manager and the usual bin caller on my shift).
On Preview: hippybear, then you were lucky! Ours (in 1985-86) were so earnest, it was sickening.
posted by droplet at 5:14 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
The kid aping W.C. Fields cracked me up, and anyone who thinks girls and women aren't fed up with catcalling should be shown 5:11-5:21. There were way too many customers in my day where I imagined that exact scenario (as well as an assistant manager and the usual bin caller on my shift).
On Preview: hippybear, then you were lucky! Ours (in 1985-86) were so earnest, it was sickening.
posted by droplet at 5:14 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm an old and remember the McDonalds ad campaign "Burger, fries and a drink with change back from your dollar". I understand that in the US it was two hamburgers.
posted by Zedcaster at 5:39 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Zedcaster at 5:39 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
But there's no such thing as a Vulcan death pinch
posted by webmutant at 6:20 PM on November 27, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by webmutant at 6:20 PM on November 27, 2021 [7 favorites]
The boxes they use now are horrible. Horrible!
Boxes? I haven't eaten at a McD's in maybe a year but last time I did the sandwiches all came wrapped kind of like in this video.
posted by jessamyn at 6:56 PM on November 27, 2021
Boxes? I haven't eaten at a McD's in maybe a year but last time I did the sandwiches all came wrapped kind of like in this video.
posted by jessamyn at 6:56 PM on November 27, 2021
Normal working-class sandwiches all come wrapped in paper like normal. It’s just the aspirational sandwiches that have the stupid boxes.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 7:05 PM on November 27, 2021 [12 favorites]
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 7:05 PM on November 27, 2021 [12 favorites]
Hahaha, I guess I have outed my own sandwich preferences then!
posted by jessamyn at 7:08 PM on November 27, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by jessamyn at 7:08 PM on November 27, 2021 [9 favorites]
I'm fond of the time they hired a fake Michael Jackson to produce "Clean It," a music video for employees about cleaning the store. Much of the choreography is one massive workplace safety hazard after another.
There was also this 1971 McDonalds cleaning musical ad, with a rousing chorus of "you deserve a break today" toward the end.
posted by zachlipton at 8:48 PM on November 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
There was also this 1971 McDonalds cleaning musical ad, with a rousing chorus of "you deserve a break today" toward the end.
posted by zachlipton at 8:48 PM on November 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
Larger menus with more varied ingredients, custom orders
Yeah, not 'having it your way' is why certain old-timers (like me) shun McDonalds, will always pass it up for any alternative. Used to be, if you just wanted a burger plain, without the pickle, ketchup and mustard, requesting such was a BIG deal, creating a several-minute delay with amused & even impolite resistance from the staff behind the counter. But they say the fries were better then.
Related, but not to fast food: Pat Paulsen For President 2016 America Oughta Shut Up Tour which must've been some kind of recycling (from '96?) since he passed away in 1997.
posted by Rash at 9:09 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yeah, not 'having it your way' is why certain old-timers (like me) shun McDonalds, will always pass it up for any alternative. Used to be, if you just wanted a burger plain, without the pickle, ketchup and mustard, requesting such was a BIG deal, creating a several-minute delay with amused & even impolite resistance from the staff behind the counter. But they say the fries were better then.
Related, but not to fast food: Pat Paulsen For President 2016 America Oughta Shut Up Tour which must've been some kind of recycling (from '96?) since he passed away in 1997.
posted by Rash at 9:09 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
It's nerve pinch and death grip, and as mentioned, the death grip is fake. And using two hands is illogical.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:34 PM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:34 PM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
> It's nerve pinch and death grip, and as mentioned, the death grip is fake. And using two hands is illogical.
fixed the tags thx bai
posted by not_on_display at 11:03 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
fixed the tags thx bai
posted by not_on_display at 11:03 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
To a first order, fast food generally was way, way faster in that era. They had both much simpler menus and had a significant amount of ongoing prep such that they generally really did just have to reach back, grab food from the staging area, put it into a bag and hand it to you.
The only place I've experienced this is Dick's Burgers in Seattle. I used to live one block away! They indeed have a very simple menu: burgers, fries, and shakes. And that's about it. There's almost always a line, so you go up, yell your order really fast, and you'll have your bag in about 30 seconds or so. It's greasy as hell and really really not good for you and I only got it once a month or so (even though I lived a block away!) but damn Dick's burgers taste great. And the fries. And the shakes.
posted by zardoz at 12:51 AM on November 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
The only place I've experienced this is Dick's Burgers in Seattle. I used to live one block away! They indeed have a very simple menu: burgers, fries, and shakes. And that's about it. There's almost always a line, so you go up, yell your order really fast, and you'll have your bag in about 30 seconds or so. It's greasy as hell and really really not good for you and I only got it once a month or so (even though I lived a block away!) but damn Dick's burgers taste great. And the fries. And the shakes.
posted by zardoz at 12:51 AM on November 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
The points about being unfriendly or friendly with a real or false smile - or about not saying the same robotically scripted thank-you to every customer, would be quite radical for many of today's corporate videos. I feel (today the emphasis if often on exactly what script to say or on how to smile in the regulation manner).
In terms of truly fast food: my experience is that, if you want your food quickly - and in particular if you want your good food quickly - seek out somewhere with service that is brusque to or beyond the point of rudeness. Military canteens, 24/7 bagel shops etc. Actually - that notion of "hustle" - a rather aggressive state of hurry - is probably exactly the right attitude.
posted by rongorongo at 1:12 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
In terms of truly fast food: my experience is that, if you want your food quickly - and in particular if you want your good food quickly - seek out somewhere with service that is brusque to or beyond the point of rudeness. Military canteens, 24/7 bagel shops etc. Actually - that notion of "hustle" - a rather aggressive state of hurry - is probably exactly the right attitude.
posted by rongorongo at 1:12 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
they generally really did just have to reach back, grab food from the staging area, put it into a bag and hand it to you.
...and it was a 'trick' to ask for something slightly modified, so they'd cook it fresh.
posted by pompomtom at 1:53 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
...and it was a 'trick' to ask for something slightly modified, so they'd cook it fresh.
posted by pompomtom at 1:53 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
This brings me back to high school wrestling in the 70s - being sleepy, starved and dehydrated at early Saturday morning weigh-ins and then heading to Mc Donald’s to gorge on 25 cent cheeseburgers.
posted by brachiopod at 2:07 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by brachiopod at 2:07 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
consumers not really wanting food that may have sat under a heating lamp for 5-20 minutes put an end to that kind of efficiency,
if you just wanted a burger plain, without the pickle, ketchup and mustard, requesting such was a BIG deal, creating a several-minute delay with amused & even impolite resistance from the staff behind the counter.
I worked at McDonalds in the late 70s early 80s and haven't been to a McDonalds for at least ten years, so my knowledge is really dated.
Customers don't want food that's been sitting under a heat lamp, but they also don't want to wait five minutes to have a burger cooked fresh for them. Yes, it was annoying to staff when people wanted something different - it meant they'd have to stand off to the side and wait, and a lot of them started getting crabby about the wait - which was something the staff could do nothing about.
And the system involved a LOT of waste - a lot. Managers had to guess what would be ordered, there were strict protocols about how long food could be under the heat lamp, and all the food that was made and not ordered went into the trash. I was working a Sunday breakfast shift once where a bus that looked like some kind of youth group came up and we watched in horror as thirty people we were totally unprepared for walked in the door. The manager started desperately calling out orders - big breakfasts, pancake breakfasts, Egg McMuffins, hash browns. Every single one of those kids ordered a Danish - those were heated on a steam device and couldn't be warmed up in advance. So what the manager thought would be food for thirty people went straight into the trash.
Now multiply this waste by every McDonalds in the world and over how many years McDonalds has existed. It is a supremely shitty system. Places like McDonalds have trained customers to think they can buy freshly cooked food like a cookie in a bakery. I think it was John Oliver who did a segment on food waste in America a while ago. I wonder how much fast food contributes to that.
posted by FencingGal at 4:42 AM on November 28, 2021 [5 favorites]
if you just wanted a burger plain, without the pickle, ketchup and mustard, requesting such was a BIG deal, creating a several-minute delay with amused & even impolite resistance from the staff behind the counter.
I worked at McDonalds in the late 70s early 80s and haven't been to a McDonalds for at least ten years, so my knowledge is really dated.
Customers don't want food that's been sitting under a heat lamp, but they also don't want to wait five minutes to have a burger cooked fresh for them. Yes, it was annoying to staff when people wanted something different - it meant they'd have to stand off to the side and wait, and a lot of them started getting crabby about the wait - which was something the staff could do nothing about.
And the system involved a LOT of waste - a lot. Managers had to guess what would be ordered, there were strict protocols about how long food could be under the heat lamp, and all the food that was made and not ordered went into the trash. I was working a Sunday breakfast shift once where a bus that looked like some kind of youth group came up and we watched in horror as thirty people we were totally unprepared for walked in the door. The manager started desperately calling out orders - big breakfasts, pancake breakfasts, Egg McMuffins, hash browns. Every single one of those kids ordered a Danish - those were heated on a steam device and couldn't be warmed up in advance. So what the manager thought would be food for thirty people went straight into the trash.
Now multiply this waste by every McDonalds in the world and over how many years McDonalds has existed. It is a supremely shitty system. Places like McDonalds have trained customers to think they can buy freshly cooked food like a cookie in a bakery. I think it was John Oliver who did a segment on food waste in America a while ago. I wonder how much fast food contributes to that.
posted by FencingGal at 4:42 AM on November 28, 2021 [5 favorites]
There's a place in downtown Santiago, called "El Rápido". You walk in, shout your order from the doorway, like "dos de queso, una de pino ", and by the time you get to the counter your two cheese and one meat empanadas are waiting for you just pulled from the fryer.
posted by signal at 5:16 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by signal at 5:16 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
The only place I've experienced this is Dick's Burgers in Seattle.
With their famous slogan, "Eat a bag of Dicks!"
posted by hippybear at 5:32 AM on November 28, 2021 [8 favorites]
With their famous slogan, "Eat a bag of Dicks!"
posted by hippybear at 5:32 AM on November 28, 2021 [8 favorites]
I watched that vid hoping it was something I remembered from long ago. I guess it wasn't McD's who said "the most important person is the clean up person"? The reason I remember it was whoever the ad was for, they used a kid I went to school with.
posted by james33 at 5:45 AM on November 28, 2021
posted by james33 at 5:45 AM on November 28, 2021
Managers had to guess what would be ordered...
It was an informed guess, though. Even when I did my obligatory stint working McD's in the mid-70s, the managers were getting data on things that would affect expected customer volume, like weather, times when commercials were airing, history of customer volume at different times, average sales, etc. etc.
The schedule for commercials airing was interesting. My manager explained that McD's had data showing that a store could expect an increase in customers withing x-minutes of a commercial airing on tv. This included both national airings and local time buys (The managers would also factor-in the predicted weather for those times, as bad weather had a dampening effect on customer volume.) We would start preparing the requisite amounts of burgers, fish, fries, etc. in anticipation of the anticipated uptick in customers. And, for the most part, you could watch the customer volume increase as predicted. It was rare that we had many burgers left after the rush. I'm sure things are even more heavily data-driven today.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:09 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
It was an informed guess, though. Even when I did my obligatory stint working McD's in the mid-70s, the managers were getting data on things that would affect expected customer volume, like weather, times when commercials were airing, history of customer volume at different times, average sales, etc. etc.
The schedule for commercials airing was interesting. My manager explained that McD's had data showing that a store could expect an increase in customers withing x-minutes of a commercial airing on tv. This included both national airings and local time buys (The managers would also factor-in the predicted weather for those times, as bad weather had a dampening effect on customer volume.) We would start preparing the requisite amounts of burgers, fish, fries, etc. in anticipation of the anticipated uptick in customers. And, for the most part, you could watch the customer volume increase as predicted. It was rare that we had many burgers left after the rush. I'm sure things are even more heavily data-driven today.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:09 AM on November 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
More (excellent) Pat Paulsen: He's the hapless Secretary of the Department of UFO Information in the wraparounds of this episode of The Monkees.
posted by jocelmeow at 7:43 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by jocelmeow at 7:43 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
The only place I've experienced this is Dick's Burgers in Seattle.
I was thinking about Dicks when I watched this video. I remember going to Dicks for ice cream and then walking up the road to... Vivace? Some really good espresso place, and pouring a shot of espresso over the teeny ice cream and having a proper espresso sundae for very little money or time.
posted by jessamyn at 8:41 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
I was thinking about Dicks when I watched this video. I remember going to Dicks for ice cream and then walking up the road to... Vivace? Some really good espresso place, and pouring a shot of espresso over the teeny ice cream and having a proper espresso sundae for very little money or time.
posted by jessamyn at 8:41 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
I have to say that was better than the training videos they make us watch at work; the cameo by Harlan Sanders was great!
I wonder if this was produced for a corporate/franchisee convention?
posted by mikelieman at 8:49 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
I wonder if this was produced for a corporate/franchisee convention?
posted by mikelieman at 8:49 AM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
...and it was a 'trick' to ask for something slightly modified, so they'd cook it fresh.
Or the "unsalted fries" weird trick, which got so common that workers started making batches of unsalted fries and putting them to the side, defeating the purpose of the weird trick.
posted by credulous at 10:11 AM on November 28, 2021
Or the "unsalted fries" weird trick, which got so common that workers started making batches of unsalted fries and putting them to the side, defeating the purpose of the weird trick.
posted by credulous at 10:11 AM on November 28, 2021
Metafilter: I was thinking about Dicks when I watched this video
posted by Ahmad Khani at 10:28 AM on November 28, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by Ahmad Khani at 10:28 AM on November 28, 2021 [6 favorites]
re custom burger orders: I'm reminded of an old Dave Berg strip where a fast food customer orders a plain burger, and the cynical teenage employee picks the oldest serving from under the heat lamp and pulls the toppings off with his fingers.
posted by ovvl at 1:18 PM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by ovvl at 1:18 PM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Well, I certainly can't say that I didn't enjoy some of the parts of that film, compared to how much I enjoyed other parts of the same film.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 1:45 PM on November 28, 2021
posted by Baby_Balrog at 1:45 PM on November 28, 2021
More entertaining than Ridley Scott's new film!
posted by Ahmad Khani at 1:48 PM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Ahmad Khani at 1:48 PM on November 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Even when I did my obligatory stint working McD's in the mid-70s, the managers were getting data on things that would affect expected customer volume, like weather, times when commercials were airing, history of customer volume at different times, average sales, etc. etc.
I remember this as well during my stint in the mid-80s, and used to help the manager compile this data. It was all done by hand, and from my recollection was pretty much useless. A decent store had a few good "bin" people that could put a finger to the wind and know how much product was needed in that holding bin at any moment. And they could spot that school bus from a mile away and get the 2:1 turn/lay* started before the bus turned into the parking lot.
I'm reminded of an old Dave Berg strip where a fast food customer orders a plain burger, and the cynical teenage employee picks the oldest serving from under the heat lamp and pulls the toppings off with his fingers.
We did this more than you will ever know. If you really thought you were going to have the kitchen crew go through an entire cooking cycle because you didn't want a single pickle slice on your cheeseburger...
* 2:1 turn/lay was the firehose. It was literally the fastest you could grill burgers at a McDonald's and stay within procedures by putting down the next batch of 12 frozen patties as soon as the first set was flipped. You would be finishing burgers and Big Macs at the rate of about one every 5 or 10 seconds. There was also an insane variant called the sear/lay and I only saw Chris Perez do it once on a Sunday afternoon while nursing a massive hangover, he was a fucking 15 year-old legend let me tell you...
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:19 PM on November 28, 2021 [5 favorites]
I remember this as well during my stint in the mid-80s, and used to help the manager compile this data. It was all done by hand, and from my recollection was pretty much useless. A decent store had a few good "bin" people that could put a finger to the wind and know how much product was needed in that holding bin at any moment. And they could spot that school bus from a mile away and get the 2:1 turn/lay* started before the bus turned into the parking lot.
I'm reminded of an old Dave Berg strip where a fast food customer orders a plain burger, and the cynical teenage employee picks the oldest serving from under the heat lamp and pulls the toppings off with his fingers.
We did this more than you will ever know. If you really thought you were going to have the kitchen crew go through an entire cooking cycle because you didn't want a single pickle slice on your cheeseburger...
* 2:1 turn/lay was the firehose. It was literally the fastest you could grill burgers at a McDonald's and stay within procedures by putting down the next batch of 12 frozen patties as soon as the first set was flipped. You would be finishing burgers and Big Macs at the rate of about one every 5 or 10 seconds. There was also an insane variant called the sear/lay and I only saw Chris Perez do it once on a Sunday afternoon while nursing a massive hangover, he was a fucking 15 year-old legend let me tell you...
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:19 PM on November 28, 2021 [5 favorites]
We did this more than you will ever know. If you really thought you were going to have the kitchen crew go through an entire cooking cycle because you didn't want a single pickle slice on your cheeseburger...
Ever use a soda lid to scrape off rehydrated onions?
posted by mikelieman at 10:48 AM on November 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
Ever use a soda lid to scrape off rehydrated onions?
posted by mikelieman at 10:48 AM on November 29, 2021 [2 favorites]
A rehi scrape was a very covert operation. Walking around to the front to get a drink lid while wearing an apron was a huge giveaway. We threw the patty back on the grill and used the spatula.
posted by JoeZydeco at 4:49 PM on November 29, 2021
posted by JoeZydeco at 4:49 PM on November 29, 2021
One night, my manager dropped an entire sheet of Big Mac buns just he pulled them from the toaster. He immediately picked them up off the floor and quickly pressed them on the hot grille, while declaring “Clean floor, clean floor.”
posted by Thorzdad at 7:50 PM on November 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Thorzdad at 7:50 PM on November 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
5 second rule! Plus heat to kill germs! FTW!
posted by hippybear at 9:39 PM on November 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 9:39 PM on November 29, 2021 [1 favorite]
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