Esky McDonalds'

Hello!! Is there anyone still here?

2007-06-15T21:45:00.000-04:00

I'm hoping there is someone from work that checks this once in awhile. If so we will be able to stay in touch.

HI THERE!!! OK, LET'S GET BACK TO WORK

2006-06-06T10:02:00.001-04:00

Boy, have I missed you guys up there. When I go to the McD here I'm always comparing. Somethings they do very well, but I still think Esky is tops. I still plan on visiting in July unless something more pressing comes up.

More later. Just trying to get back in the grove.

New Salad - New McFlurry

2006-03-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

How about that. Two new tastes coming in April. Both of them sound good enough to give them a taste. I'm hoping I can a taste of the salad here in Rochester.
Temperatures are getting a little warmer but it is getting a little damp. I take the getting warmer as a good sign.
See ya later.

Sorry about time off

2006-03-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

As Rich let you see our new place in Johnston City and told you we did get moved. What he didn't get a chance to tell you was his dad, my Bill, got terribly ill. We didn't even get to finnish unpacking the boxes when we were in the car headed for Mayo. He has been in the St. Mary's Hospital here in Rochester, MN. since Monday the 13th. He was released from ICU today and is in a regular room continuing to get better. I will return to the blog whenever I can and give you an update. All of you take care of yourselves.

Welcome to Johnston City, IL

2006-03-14T14:52:00.000-05:00

I’ve hacked the advanced security of this blog to bring you an update on Lois.

Bill and Lois have successfully navigated their way to Johnston City, IL. Where believe it or not they live 2 blocks from a Micky D’s

Above is a picture of their new home…

OK, I THINK I CAN HANDLE THIS NOW.

2006-02-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

You will have to sing.

" There she is Miss Retirement"
There were a couple of times in the last 5 days that I actually quit singing and dancing and had a feeling of sorrow. The flowers are beautiful but I don't think they will last long enough for the trip. Then I looked at my new little buddy and start singing and dancing again. "Ain't she sweet", see what I mean. So far all I do is pack, dance and drink coffee. Joyce only thought she drank coffee. I think I'm going to have to get a 3 pound can to get me through the next 12 days. It is sooo nice to drink a cup of coffee while it is still hot. Just one of the perks of retirement. It will probably hit home when I can't drive by and see who is working or stop for a drink and say "Hi". I have named my little buddy, Sara Joyce Debbie Judy Carol Tammy Cathy Misha Jenna Jade. Her real name is "Who's going to fill her shoes when she's gone". She will ride in the car with me on the trip to Illinois. We'll let you know how she like the drive.

See you in a couple of days when I get a little time.(TEE HEE)

BRIGHT AND EARLY START TO RETIREMENT

2006-02-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

It started about 4AM on Friday. Judy B. brought a homemade cake in and da I didn't have enough sense to get a picture of it. Did I mention it was delicious? I have a feeling I was more interested in the content and it's exchanging places with the empty spot in my tummy that at that point in time was calling out very loudly for a sweet bit of cake instead of the posterity thing. Only after it's too late does one stop to think. I might say at that time of the morning most things are done by rote. And rote doesn't take pictures. I have to put Judy among some of the really good cooks at our store. We do have a few. Boy I'm going to miss the impromto food fairs.

I will try to keep up with the goings on at the store to keep you up to date.

TIME TO HANG UP THE HEADSET AND DO SOME TRAVELING

2006-02-18T20:14:00.000-05:00

Now isn't this special?

Yes ol' #8 is retired. Lois is pasture bound. I am going to miss all the kids and the old folks and all the in between folks. Fellow employees as well as the customers. Working mostly the early morning shift we have the same people coming through in a hurry on their way to work and like they say someone had to get up first and make the coffee. Then the ones coming off the midnight shift on their way home, tired and ready for a snack and a little harrassment to get them on their way. Actually there isn't a paticular time that there isn't a special customer that you enjoy seeing and passing a couple of seconds with as they go on their way. I had one gent that started ordering a 'one o nickle' because that's what I always said when he asked for a large black coffee. I think he will miss that little reparte for awhile. Another as soon as he started to speak you could have his order punched in and get him moving. Soooo many. I think I took about 70 pictures as they came through and of course I was taking pictures of the crew too. I told them I was making a rouges gallery.

18 years 10 days. Might not seem like a very long time until you consider I wasn't a teeny bopper when I found a career I really enjoyed. I had done many things but working at McDonalds and meeting interesting people from all over the world really made a difference. One couple from Scotland owned a McDonalds there and his name was the same as the owner of our store. Everyday something that just makes life that much more interesting. My son says I will have withdrawl symptoms for a time especially when I see the 'Golden Arches'. I can't even begin to tell about all of the youngsters I have worked with, a lot of whom I trained. I say youngsters because everything is relative and it's the point at which you start.

Enough said for awhile. It will take forever to forget those I have worked with and those I have waited on and those customers that suddenly didn't show up one morning for coffee. All of the high school kids that grew up and started coming in with their own families. The whole process is like it was your family. I really am going to miss it. Talk at ya later. Bye.

OK, I GIVE UP.

2006-02-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

You guys are too smart for me. I am #8. We can only hope you have as much fun as me when you hit #!$*" years old. It's a blast most of the time. I know I can usually get away with more with the customers than the pups can. Speaking of pups, we are sitting our grandpuppy, Al. He will be 14 next month. Let's see that's only 98 in people years. How about that, he has me bested.

See ya later. Keep those witty comments comming.

I CONFESS.

2006-02-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

I was wondering how long it was going to take for someone to notice that #8 was missing. At this point in time there are 11 managers plus the Boss. Does anyone know who is missing?
Cathy has probably already figured out who it is. Way to go.

CHILDREN'S ART and ANSWERS

2006-02-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

We were decorated this last Christmas season with ornaments made by Pre-School children. Really a cute idea. The children go to The Little Country School House
here in the Escanaba area. Give a child paper and glue and you have art.

Only one person emailed me with answers to the questions on the previous post. That person got all answers right. 1. The CUSTOMER of course. 2. 1955 3. Des Plains, Illinois (just south of Chicago on what else? The Des Plains River)

JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS!! So OK three questions

2006-02-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

1. Who is the number ONE person at McDonalds'?

2. When was the first McDonalds' opened?

3 . Where was the first McDonalds'?

You can email me by using the column on the right and the bottom.
Thanks. Hope to get some response.

We will do this again another time.

FINAL COUNT ON MANAGERS - #10 & #11

2006-02-02T07:02:00.000-05:00

Here are the 'boys'!!... These are the men that do the overnight shift.

On the left is John D. and on the right is Scott B. They Manage the shift that ends around 5:30 A.M. I was able to catch them for posterity when they came in for the managers meeting. It was difficult to get John to straighten up and face the camera. I'm not sure if he has the Central America Indian idea that the picture will steal his soul. Not to worry, just the image man. Scott is willing but the smile isn't. He's all smiles until you point a camera at him. Both he and John seem to be able to smile and be pleasant until camera time. Good luck guys and stay awake. I don't think I could.

BREAKING NEWS

2006-02-01T07:25:00.000-05:00

As of 12:01 A.M. Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Donna and Tom have "retired"!!!
Tim and Cathy W. have bought the Escanaba, Escanaba Wal-Mart, and Gladstone stores.
Jim and Sandy W. have bought the Marquette and Marquette Wal-Mart stores.
Brian and Sophia W. have bought the Ishpeming and Houghton stores.
Great news for all concerned. Hope Tom and Donna really enjoy retirement. Throw off the harness and enjoy.
Pictured with Tim is Shift Manager, Jenni. He refused to let me take his picture unless someone was in it with him and lucky Jenni walked by at the right time. Picture taken and the rest as they say is history.

# 9 ON THE COUNTDOWN

2006-01-31T22:03:00.000-05:00

Assistant Store Manager, Training Coordinator, Shift Manager, and today Crew Person. Joyce F. makes # 9 on our countdown of managers. As you know the managers also work as crew when necessary. Today Joyce worked Drive-Thru and Grill. All of the managers are trained at all stations before they take on the responsibility of telling others where to work and what is expected of them. By the way the Boss was in the Grill all day.

I was told today that when the Asian Salad comes on line the Cobb Salad will leave. The Cobb Salad is delicious but I guess not enough people around the U.S. think so. I will give you more information on the Asian Salad as we receive it. Until then we will all just use our imaginations and see who gets the closest.

Tune in tomorrow evening for big, late breaking news.

'Til then, Big Mac

NEW SALAD THIS SPRING

2006-01-30T20:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks again to one of our interested viewers asking about our products. I read one of the new products coming in the spring is (at this time) called the Asian Salad. I can hardly wait until it gets here to give it a taste.

SPICY CHICKEN AS A SUBSTITUTE

2006-01-28T20:47:00.000-05:00

In answer to one of our interested viewers. Yes, the Spicy Chicken can be substituted anywhere there are premium chicken portions. On the salads, or the other chicken sandwiches such as the BLT or the Club.
We are happy to answer questions if I know or can find the answer. Thanks for your interest in the new premium chicken, Spicy.
Big Mac

HERE ARE TWO MORE OF THE MANAGERS,NUMBERS 6 & 7

2006-01-28T20:18:00.000-05:00

On the left is Kim. Usually you will find her afternoon or evening. I rarely get to work with her since I usually do the mornning to early afternoon thing. Kim has been with us for 3 years. On the right is Misha. Misha has 5 years. She is another anytime any day manager. She opened on Saturday (oh, that was today) and will be switchover on Sunday. Makes for interesting problems and solutions. You really get to know the store and the crew that way.
P.S. Do you see those smiles?

SPICY CHICKEN

2006-01-27T15:03:00.000-05:00

We have a new chicken on the menu. So far I've heard mixed reviews. Of course it's only been on our menu for about 4 days. I guess I will have to give it a little more time. The Spicy Pemium Chicken is built like the Classic with mayo, leaf lettuce, tomato, and of course the honey wheat roll.

MEET FIVE of OUR MANAGERS, NUMBERS 1 AND 2

2006-01-25T18:58:00.000-05:00

Cathy on the left is the newest kid on the block. She has been a manager since October 2005. We have some that work any day and anytime. Cathy is one of them and so is Carol on the right. Carol has been with us for 27 years. You might find her at 5 in the morning or 5 in the evening. Many people are amazed we have so many employees that have 5 or more years with us. I have 18 years.

If you'll notice they all have a great SMILE. Pop in anytime and find out that the SMILES are not just for the camera.

NUMBERS 3 AND 4

2006-01-25T18:55:00.000-05:00

Tammy on the right is another any day anytime plus crew scheduler. I probably shouldn't harrass her like I do. You know, not enough hours, too many hours, wrong time of day, wrong day, but she hasn't buried me yet. Always good natured about it. Tammy has been here 11 years.

On the left of on the right is Jenni with trainer/employee of the year sister, Jade. Jenni usually works the morning switchover shift a couple of days a week. Jenni has been with us for 6 years. For those that don't know what a swithchover manager does, they take us from breakfast to lunch. They have to get ready for lunch in about 20 minutes while breakfast is still being cooked and served. Most of our managers know and do this job very well. We generally have a crew change about the same time. Some work right on through which helps.

NUMBER 5 MANAGER

2006-01-25T18:13:00.000-05:00

Debbie is found weekdays early in the day. Deb always has a big smile and a big laugh that lets the customers know someone is glad to be taking care of business. Most of the customers like seeing a crew that likes to be there. She has been here for 12 years. Deb opens the store for breakfast. That's at 5am. The Drive is open 24 hours a day but the lobby opens at 5 when breakfast starts. Lunch starts again at 10:30am.

2005 EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

2006-01-24T11:19:00.000-05:00

Jade is the winner!!!

Highway sign and all. I add my congratulations to Jade as well. It had to be a tough decision but I agree Jade is always there, great attitude, and can work all stations including the books.

LET'S FINISH THE 'EotM' LIST

2006-01-23T17:55:00.000-05:00

April 2005 - Kyle K. - Kyle works grill and maintenance. Really keeps him busy. Thanks for all your help Kyle.
June 2005 - Luke G. - Luke is another grill member. Really does a great job and keeps busy. Thanks Luke, keep up the good work.
July 2005 - Mike L. - Mike is a member of the grill team. Sounds like a broken record but Mike does do a great job. Thanks and keep up good work.
October 2005 - Drew H. - Drew is also a member of the grill team. Drew works the overnight shift. Sometimes alone and working without a net. Thanks Drew, keep on keep'n on.

That rounds out the year of 2005. All of these guys as well as the others that have been 'EotM' have made a tough job for Shift Managers sometimes a little easier by coming in on days off or just sucking it up a little more and doing the job of at least one and a half if not two. Thanks to all and congratulations to all. Wish all could be 'Employee of the Year' but only one can be chosen of this fine group of twelve. We will find out Tuesday, January 24.

See ya tomorrow, Big Mac.

MEET THE BOSS OF ESKY MCDONALDS'

2006-01-22T21:27:00.000-05:00

This is the young lady I like to call Boss. Sara F. started at the Esky McDonalds' while she was ending her career as a high school student. I met her 18 years ago after she started at Bay College. Sara became a Swing Manager and then left us for the Marquette store. Sara went on to open the new store in Ishpeming, then I found her at Marquette Wal-Mart and the Marquette store again as it was being torn down and rebuilt. I for one was delighted to welcome her back home when Larry and Cheryl moved to Lower Michigan. Now happily married and settled in for the long haul we will continue to wish her success.

SOME MORE 'EotM'

2006-01-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to get us up to date with the people selected as 'Employee of the Month' before the announcement Friday, January 27th, of the 'Employee of the Year 2005'. We have January, September, November, and December of 2005. February was Sarah D. who has gone off to school in Lower Michigan as of January 13. March was Greg W. He left us last year to a job for which he had gone to college. Before becoming a Shift Manager, Cathy B. was the August 'EotM'. She is pictured below in 'Smile'. Coty B. was our May 'EotM'. Coty works in the Grill area. I found he can talk, get his picture taken(numerous times as the camera person isn't that great), and build sandwiches perfectly all at the same time. Seems to me to be a real asset no wonder he was chosen one of the 'EotM'.

TWO MORE 'EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH'

2006-01-21T14:16:00.000-05:00

The ones we have here are. On the left is Jenna D. W. for September, 2005 and on the right is Jade A. for January, 2005.

Jenna has been with us for 6 years and Jade has been with us for 5 years. Jade has been the weekend bookkeeper but normally works Drive during the week. Jenna works Grill and Drive.

LET'S MEET THE CREW

2006-01-21T13:54:00.000-05:00

Meet Steve. Steve works in the grill area breakfast thru lunch. He's not hard to spot because he is quite tall. He has been with our store and the Gladstone store for just over 9 years. Keep up the good work Steve.

'CREW PERSON OF THE MONTH' FOR NOVEMBER,2005

2006-01-20T19:57:00.000-05:00

The cute little lady on the right is Judy B. She was the 'Crew Person of the Month' for November. You will find her doing a super job keeping the grill running during the morning hours Mon. thru Fri. Congrats to Judy. The one on the left is Ann M. Usually you will find her taking care of the Drive Thru but she will be on counter training new employees for the breakfast shift. She was 'Crew Person of the Year' for 2001. I always did like to hang out with special people. Maybe that's why I work at McDonalds'.
The one in the middle is yours truly.

'CREW PERSON OF THE MONTH' FOR JANUARY, 2006

2006-01-20T19:42:00.001-05:00

Shannon M. is the 'Crew Person' for January, 2006. As we all know Shannon does an outstanding job of keeping our books straight and keeping all the numbers posted that we are supposed to be looking at. The Drive Times and the Penny Perfect stats., etc.

Shannon is training one of the girls from Gladstone formerly of Esky McDonalds' to work with the deposits, waste, and daily numbers. Besides all this Shannon is a really swell person. Congrats to her.

Yum, Yum!! What a dinner. 'OUTSIDE THE BOX'

2006-01-05T21:55:00.000-05:00

I want to apologize for not having turkey or ham for Christmas dinner but the chef, aka $E$, decided it was time for Mom and Dad to step 'outside the box' and have lobster. It was really hard to choke it down but we were brave and did it.(HeHe) Can't tell you when I enjoyed a home cooked meal more or a restaurant meal for that matter.

He also fixed a dish called 'Colorful Cabbage' that I will share with you another day. I felt I owed you a look at how it is 'outside the box'.

See you next time..........Big Mac

FRIES ANYONE?

2006-01-03T10:40:00.000-05:00

"I'll take a no-salt, please. Thank you". Really is nice to be able to order how you want it. It makes for happier customers. Just take a look at the clean, beautiful fry station. Isn't she a beauty. It looks like this every morning when the overnighters get through with it. New Years Resolutions are apt to bring some strange requests for how the customers want their food fixed. Keep a smile and be glad they didn't give us up for 2006. Keep good thoughts and have fun.

IVR Cheat Sheet

2006-01-01T15:55:00.000-05:00

Tired of talking to computers (IVR) when calling customer service? Try this CHEAT SHEET of prompts that may help you bypass the computer and actually get you through to a real live person.Unfortunately, I don’t have a list for what language you must speak when your wish is granted and you get to talk to a person….Special thanks to the people that provided this info to me.. (Becky, Jon, and Jon’s Dad & Rich)

SMILE!!!! :)

2005-12-28T10:44:00.000-05:00

We all appreciate a smile when we are being waited on no matter if it is a store or restaurant

Catch this smile on Cathy. Now doesn't that make you feel better. We will be checking on her and others to see if the smiles are still there.

When the weather is not perfect we need to cheer up the customers and in turn they cheer us up. And as far as perfect weather is concerned, some like it hot and sunny while others like it cold with at least a foot of snow. I can hear myself say, "Everything is relative".

Smile, Smile, Smile and make yourself happy.

Check with you later.

Driver on Thru..

2005-12-27T17:21:00.000-05:00

Now that Christmas is over it's time to get back to work (for some). Hope you are enjoying. Just in case you weren't familiar with the concept in the picture it's called "Line Around", or as Carol likes to say, "Here we go again", when she knows it never stopped.

The weather in Rochester, Minnesota has turned cold. No sun today. But since I can stay indoors I don't mind too much. I know you had a few nice days. OK so it's winter and supposed to be cold. Stay warm.

Merry Christmas All...

2005-12-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

This is the Boss giving out the well earned annual awards at the Christmas dinner.

Flower Power

2005-12-20T19:41:00.000-05:00

If you know a shut-in or someone that likes to watch things grow, this is the flower to get them. It's an Amaryllis. It grows so fast you can see it grow. You can get the bulbs almost anywhere this time of year. Try it you'll like it.

Christmas and New Years are upon us.
Closing hour for Sat., Dec.24th is 6 PM - Open Mon., Dec. 26th at 6 AM
Closing hour for Sat., Dec. 31st is 9 PM - Open Sun., Jan. 1st at 7 AM

Here's hoping everyone has a Merry Christmas.
I will try to post more later but I will be out of town so I may miss a few times. This is a new experience for me so hang in there and leave your comments.

Crew Person of the Month

2005-12-18T22:29:00.000-05:00

We will be having some things of interest coming. (We hope) We will be putting the crew person of the month and pictures of some of the crew in here. Whatever we can come up with. So be careful, we will be watching.

November crew person for the Esky store is Judy B.
December crew person for the Esky store is Linnea B.

Love the picture....

First Post

2005-12-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my McDonald's Blog!!!!