Make up
your own mind

1 Preparing ourselves for the tour

Firstly, we were shown where to wash our hands, with special hand wash. Next came the glamorous part (NOT) hairnets, hats, aprons and gloves were all put on, then we taken outside and shown where the deliveries come in. Steve explained about the delivery process - I was surprised to learn that Esca (who make the McDonald's patties) didn't supply the restaurants direct but all their deliveries come from one place – Keystone - and they only ever get supplies from there, from sauces to paper products. Steve also explained that the restaurant came in 'kit' form and was put together. It was designed for efficiency, so the deliveries come in and are put straight away with little time wasted in walking about, as everything is near to hand. This also helps to keep the produce fresh.

Next we went into the freezer - I'm just glad it was on defrost (which happens 4 times a day) as it was cold enough in there. I was really surprised to see how small the freezer was, it was neatly stacked and most boxes were closed apart from one burger box. Before you get into the freezer you pass through the fridge section, which really was small and a bit of a tight fit for all of us at once. I was surprised to learn that McDonald's produce all comes ready to use (i.e. lettuce shredded, onions chopped and buns sliced). Everything is date coded and is only left out of the fridge or freezer for a set amount of time depending on the product. There is traceability paperwork to back this up all the way down the line. I'm surprised they have enough time to cook/serve burgers with how much paperwork goes into this organisation.

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2 Where the action happens

On to the interesting part of the visit THE KITCHEN, but first another hand wash and change of gloves.

Steve explained about the different sections of the kitchen, beef burgers down one side, chicken, fish and veggie burgers down the other. They even had their own colour co-ordinated baskets for frying in, tray for storage and tongs to use, so that if anyone was a vegetarian then their meal wouldn't come into contact with meat products - they even fry them in different fryers.

Steve's team at McDonald’s were all very efficient, all the while Steve was talking to us I had one eye on him and the other on the staff. They never stood still for one moment and didn't seem to be put out by our visit, they were either busy making the burger orders up or cleaning (which impressed me). In fact the kitchen was really clean and not like others I'd seen from the other side of the counter which had the poor McDonald's staff slipping and sliding all over.

We were told how they test burgers, that they have the machines calibrated for heat so that when the burgers are cooked for a set amount of time they will come out cooked to perfection and not still raw. Also we saw them cleaning down the hotplate that the burgers are cooked on each and every time a set of burgers are cooked. This cuts down on carbon build up and also ensures that the plate heats up to the correct temperature for the next batch of burgers. They also have to wear different gloves for this because raw meat cannot come into contact with cooked meat for health and safety reasons.

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3 Making Big Macs

Unfortunately, because I had still got my false nails on, I wasn't allowed to cook a burger, but we did watch one prepared especially for us, it all happens so quick from start to finish it could only have been a matter of seconds and not minutes!!!! But what really impressed me was when a burger box was accidentally dropped on the floor it was picked up straight away and put into a rubbish bin.

Because we had taken so long on the tour etc I didn't really get a chance to speak to any of the staff there, they had been told I was coming and no-body had objected to it. They were all looking forward to taking part in this.

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4 After the tour – conclusions for the day

After the kitchen tour we were offered another drink because of the heat, I jumped at the chance of a chocolate milkshake - my favourite (especially as I can now confirm that McDonald's milkshakes are made from fresh milk and not powdered). The only thing with all these free drinks was I needed the ladies, so I got Jason to switch off my microphone while I paid a visit. I wish he hadn't because when I went into the ladies I was very disappointed as every one of the three cubicles was in a bad way - every toilet needed flushing. I went straight to Steve to complain and told him his restaurant may be clean but his toilets had let him down. He went straight into the ladies to sort it out.

My overall impression of the day was the staff at McDonald's do a very good job, they all work exceptionally hard. I hadn't realised what went into working behind the scenes and this was a real eye opener, the kitchen and eating areas of the restaurant were very clean but the toilets let them down.

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