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>>my noodle soup and toast was already ready. This is easy, just a matter of plating. They probably have a very limited menu (serves 95% just fine) and the res

>>my noodle soup and toast was already ready. This is easy, just a matter of plating. They probably have a very limited menu (serves 95% just fine) and the rest if just perfecting the system little by little

seanmcdirmid 6y ago
The little chengdu xiaochis I went to in Beijing often had my food up before I was done paying, I would hear the propane stove hose on just shortly after I said my order....
- onetimemanytime 6y ago
  at the risk of sounding like an idiot: are Chinese /HK workers more attentive to their job? We've seen the McDonalds and other fast food workers here...not that they get paid to work faster, let's be honest. Burgers and sandwiches should always be hot and ready to pack especially during peak times. Fries too. Others would replenish them as needed. Soda is what it is, so it should a matter of seconds if everyone worked like their livelihood depended on it. But they system is what it is: teenagers making believe they are working and employers making believe they are paying them. In the end, waiting just a few minutes is fast enough for the customer anyway, so no incentive to change the system.
  - seanmcdirmid 6y ago
    At least in mainland China, labor costs are lower, so they have more workers. The chengdu xiaochi wouldn’t be so responsive if there wasn’t so much extra capacity (both in terms of workers and a lack of customers because of lots of competition). I worked at McDonald’s as a teenager and we really did work. It was easy to get ahead of the game when things weren’t that busy, but often resources were simply over subscribed (not enough workers, too many customers, often both).
godot 6y ago
The GP mentioned Cafe de Coral, which has a menu size similar to any other fast food restaurant [1]. The thing is, this is a trend of a geographical region, not just a specific fast food restaurant. McDonald's in HK are always able to serve you your order way, way faster than any American or European McDonald's I've been to. Quite literally, most of the time once you've finished paying, the food is ready. In America, it's common to wait on average of 5 minutes for your order, standing around the order pick-up area. https://static.hkej.com/eji/images/2017/11/21/1707152_eb3877cfe6ecf306a1e257c9ac75887e.jpg https://static.hkej.com/eji/images/2017/11/21/1707152_eb3877...

seanmcdirmid 6y ago

The little chengdu xiaochis I went to in Beijing often had my food up before I was done paying, I would hear the propane stove hose on just shortly after I said my order....

onetimemanytime 6y ago
at the risk of sounding like an idiot: are Chinese /HK workers more attentive to their job? We've seen the McDonalds and other fast food workers here...not that they get paid to work faster, let's be honest. Burgers and sandwiches should always be hot and ready to pack especially during peak times. Fries too. Others would replenish them as needed. Soda is what it is, so it should a matter of seconds if everyone worked like their livelihood depended on it. But they system is what it is: teenagers making believe they are working and employers making believe they are paying them. In the end, waiting just a few minutes is fast enough for the customer anyway, so no incentive to change the system.
- seanmcdirmid 6y ago
  At least in mainland China, labor costs are lower, so they have more workers. The chengdu xiaochi wouldn’t be so responsive if there wasn’t so much extra capacity (both in terms of workers and a lack of customers because of lots of competition). I worked at McDonald’s as a teenager and we really did work. It was easy to get ahead of the game when things weren’t that busy, but often resources were simply over subscribed (not enough workers, too many customers, often both).

godot 6y ago

The GP mentioned Cafe de Coral, which has a menu size similar to any other fast food restaurant [1]. The thing is, this is a trend of a geographical region, not just a specific fast food restaurant. McDonald's in HK are always able to serve you your order way, way faster than any American or European McDonald's I've been to. Quite literally, most of the time once you've finished paying, the food is ready. In America, it's common to wait on average of 5 minutes for your order, standing around the order pick-up area. https://static.hkej.com/eji/images/2017/11/21/1707152_eb3877cfe6ecf306a1e257c9ac75887e.jpg https://static.hkej.com/eji/images/2017/11/21/1707152_eb3877...