mcdonalds are known to screw up orders a google search reveal interesting stories. this one tried to get away using the "she does not speak English" line generating public anger and outrage
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/08/20/mcdonalds-customer-says-she-was-booted-due-to-english-skills
VANCOUVER — A British Columbia woman is demanding an apology from McDonald’s after a manager allegedly refused to serve her, then asked her to leave, because staff couldn’t understand her English.
Hai Xia Sun told QMI Agency she was mistakenly given a mocha coffee after she ordered a hot chocolate at a McDonald's franchise location in Richmond, B.C., on Aug. 15.
But when the 51-year-old Chinese-Canadian hotel worker – who speaks English as a second language – tried to correct the mistake, she alleges the restaurant’s manager was dismissive, saying: “You don’t understand English.”
“I was amazed and very angry,” Sun said during an interview conducted in English. “This is discrimination.
“They said they didn’t speak Mandarin. But I was speaking in English. She wouldn’t serve me. She said, ‘Don’t stay here. The line is long. I want to serve other people.’ She made me leave.”
Sun alleges that even when another McDonald’s staffer asked her what was wrong, the manager scolded him for interfering.
A spokesman for McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd. said the company is taking Sun’s allegations seriously, and representatives plan to meet with her to discuss the complaint.
“At McDonald’s Canada, we have a diverse and multicultural guest base, and our organization reflects a similar diversity of cultures and backgrounds – from our crew to our local owner and operators,” John Gibson said. “We are looking into a customer complaint regarding an isolated occurrence where a lone customer in one of our Richmond restaurants did not receive her intended order due to a language barrier.
“Our restaurant and franchisee are working directly with the customer to resolve the complaint.”
Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council, said the allegations are “disappointing” and “unacceptable.”
But Wong said he wants to hear what McDonald’s has to say.
“McDonald’s is a multi-billion-dollar corporation,” Wong said. “They have to provide an explanation for what happened. We haven’t heard from McDonald’s — the other side."
Sun hopes next week’s meeting with restaurant officials will resolve the complaint. But she wants a printed apology from the franchise owner and the manager who dealt with her — not only to her, but to other Canadians who don’t speak English as their first language.
“If someone speaks not-very-good English, you can’t just refuse to serve her or him,” she said.
Attempts to contact the franchise operator were unsuccessful. McDonald’s Vancouver said he was on vacation.
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/08/20/mcdonalds-customer-says-she-was-booted-due-to-english-skills
VANCOUVER — A British Columbia woman is demanding an apology from McDonald’s after a manager allegedly refused to serve her, then asked her to leave, because staff couldn’t understand her English.
Hai Xia Sun told QMI Agency she was mistakenly given a mocha coffee after she ordered a hot chocolate at a McDonald's franchise location in Richmond, B.C., on Aug. 15.
But when the 51-year-old Chinese-Canadian hotel worker – who speaks English as a second language – tried to correct the mistake, she alleges the restaurant’s manager was dismissive, saying: “You don’t understand English.”
“I was amazed and very angry,” Sun said during an interview conducted in English. “This is discrimination.
“They said they didn’t speak Mandarin. But I was speaking in English. She wouldn’t serve me. She said, ‘Don’t stay here. The line is long. I want to serve other people.’ She made me leave.”
Sun alleges that even when another McDonald’s staffer asked her what was wrong, the manager scolded him for interfering.
A spokesman for McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd. said the company is taking Sun’s allegations seriously, and representatives plan to meet with her to discuss the complaint.
“At McDonald’s Canada, we have a diverse and multicultural guest base, and our organization reflects a similar diversity of cultures and backgrounds – from our crew to our local owner and operators,” John Gibson said. “We are looking into a customer complaint regarding an isolated occurrence where a lone customer in one of our Richmond restaurants did not receive her intended order due to a language barrier.
“Our restaurant and franchisee are working directly with the customer to resolve the complaint.”
Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council, said the allegations are “disappointing” and “unacceptable.”
But Wong said he wants to hear what McDonald’s has to say.
“McDonald’s is a multi-billion-dollar corporation,” Wong said. “They have to provide an explanation for what happened. We haven’t heard from McDonald’s — the other side."
Sun hopes next week’s meeting with restaurant officials will resolve the complaint. But she wants a printed apology from the franchise owner and the manager who dealt with her — not only to her, but to other Canadians who don’t speak English as their first language.
“If someone speaks not-very-good English, you can’t just refuse to serve her or him,” she said.
Attempts to contact the franchise operator were unsuccessful. McDonald’s Vancouver said he was on vacation.
