I worked there for two years while I was in high school...started out at the register, then transitioned to drive-thru. When I quit to go to college, I held the records for number of cars served per hour (88) and lowest average time per car (0:48). This was before debit cards and the Internet, so I imagine those records have long been beaten.
Here's what I remember about their food. As a matter of company policy:
- Their french fries are cooked fresh every 3 minutes. When you pull them, the machine automatically sets a timer and it goes of after 180 seconds. At that time, you are required to throw out any unsold fries and start another batch. If you don't, you will be fired. (They take their fries very seriously.)
- Chicken nuggets, chicken patties, etc., can be cooked ahead of time and kept in a warming bin for up to 30 minutes before they have to be wasted (again, automatic timers are used. They aren't as strict with this as they are with their fries, though...you will just be written up if you get caught ignoring/resetting the timer.) However, their fish patties must always be cooked to order, every time, no exceptions...they cannot be kept in a warming bin for any amount of time.
- Coffee is brewed fresh every 30 minutes (more automatic timers, ugh, I still hear them beeping in my sleep.) Decaf is almost always brewed fresh to order, because it is so rarely requested and it isn't economical to brew something twice an hour only to end up throwing it away.
- The fountain drinks are recalibrated twice a day to ensure they use the correct amount of syrup, water, and CO2. The ice bin, however, isn't cleaned very often...maybe once a week.
So. If you want the freshest food at McDonald's, order the Fillet o'Fish and a side of fries, a fountain drink with no ice, and do it at the drive-thru. Do not order the chicken nuggets or the hash browns; they have been sitting in the warming bin the longest.