McDonald's Durban Road is the new Mzoli's

Picture it, it's Sunday. The time is 09:01:43. The date, 24/10/2021. The Order #00. The McDonald's "Restaurant#***". Reg#3. Crew ID#22. McDonald's Durban Road.

I walk in, ready to be blown away by great service and a great meal.....OH SO WRONG!!!!

What sounds like Xhosa Church hymns is blasting full volume over the speakers, so loud nobody hears me walk in. Staff are jiving and pulsating to the ear deafening music behind the counter and in front...

Nosiphiwo Kalkop, disinterested and void of customer centricity doesn't greet but I see her lips moving without audio so I ask her to please turn the blaring music down. This doesn't help...she cant hear me! I raise my voice and again ask her to please turn the music down which is met with disbelief in her facial expression.

She disappears then reappears.....music still blasting. With my voice still raised I ask her why the music hasn't been turned down. She says it will be and over the next ensuing 28 seconds I'm standing waiting for this to transpire!!!

Finally when the Xhosa music is lowered she just asks me what I want to order. No apology, no greeting, no smile just a demeanor that says "I'm doing you a favour by being here behind the counter"

I don't know......THE MENU SCREENS ARE OFF

I ask about the breakfast menu.

I stifle a laugh when Nosiphiwo Kalkop turns her head to also look at the blank menu TV's like a Jedi knight using mind control over the enemy!!!

Well, nothing changes.....still no menu to choose from.

It takes several attempts and much interpretation but I finally get somewhere.

Then when Nosiphiwo Kalkop rings up my order she doesn't apologize but says our burgers aren't R29 each but R32.90.

By this time all I want is OUT before I lose what little sanity I have left and so the waiting game begins and the church music plays onnnnnn. Luckily Im entertained by the tons of what seems to be office work etc piled high on the downstairs patron table.

Eventually the food comes, we leave and out in the parking lot a different server chases us down as Nosiphiwo Kalkop had forgotten to include the juice earmarked for our daughter.

What an absolutely nightmare of an experience.

The only positivity I experienced was the working hand sanitizer!

And this wasn't the first time that we had the displeasure of Nosiphiwo Kalkop "serving" us. Why is she so morbid, so void of faking a smile and couldn't she pretend to be happy to see us.

Sorry McDonald's, you're only as good as you allow yourselves to be.

Bad atmosphere Bad attitude Bad service BAD ALTOGETHER