Everything You Didn’t Know about McDonald’s Georgia

Ever wondered what goes on behind the counter at a McDonald’s? Are you curious about the cleanliness, interested in the ingredients or envious of the happy smiles of the employees? GEORGIA TODAY was invited into a McDonald’s kitchen to find out what makes McDonald’s Georgia tick.

“I joined McDonald’s 17 years ago,” Natia Devrisashvili the Director of the Dighomi branch, tells us. “First in Kutaisi, then I moved to Tbilisi. I was inspired by the brand. The training is excellent, the standards are international, and the job is both stable and enjoyable.”

Employees worldwide have a lot to appreciate from a job at McDonald’s, and Georgia is no different. There are great career prospects for a start. University students are given the chance to choose a flexible shift schedule that meets their study needs. Youth as young as 14 can work weekends for limited hours (according to Georgian legislation) to get work experience. And all the managers started out as kitchen workers, moving up over time with training and hard work. Each branch of McDonald’s is like a family, and each member of the team is treated as an equal- with respect and dignity. Holidays are paid and excellence in work and standards are rewarded monetarily and in recognition, with Employees of the Month being voted for in-house.

McDonald’s opened in Georgia 20 years ago, February 5. And, according to Natia, like the global chain as a whole, the Georgian McDonald’s is “improving by the day.”

Behind the Scenes – Kitchen

I was Surprised to see that kitchen runs like clockwork for the most part. The team members work in rotation at the various stations- Drive Thru (two windows- one for paying, one for delivering), deep-fryers/toasting, dressing and serving. The desserts are prepared in a separate area. Fresh food is cooked at the far end of the kitchen and is moved down to be dressed with buns, salads, sauces and sides nearer the tills. Customers can order the old-fashioned way by approaching and paying at the counter, or via self-ordering disability/child-adapted screens, which allow for menu selection and payment by card.

And there is plenty on the menu for all tastes: burgers and fries of various size (meat, fish, veggie or chicken), wraps, a choice of salads and then for those sweet-tooths among us, shakes, ice-creams, donuts and fruit. McDonald’s Georgia, works with the “Made for You” principle, meaning that while the ingredients are ready (cheese neatly sliced, lettuce and tomatoes clean and chopped), nothing is cooked or put together until you order it. The coffee is also fresh, with beans ground to order and unused beans thrown away every four hours to ensure freshness in your cup every time.

Hygiene

Employees enter the ‘Wash Area’ and after clocking-in via an electronic fingerprint identifier, change immediately into their uniforms in a cloakroom (one each for men and women). These cloakrooms come with a toilet and shower to ensure the employees are fresh and comfortable at all times. In case there are doubts when dressing, there are clear pictures by the door and Georgian descriptions of how a McDonald’s team member should dress. Such clear and instructive signs can be seen throughout the property. A touchscreen in the Wash Area shows each employee’s name, schedule and anything they need to know to catch up with the daily happenings in the kitchen. Once they are up-to-date, they wash their hands at the sensor-operated sink “as well as a surgeon would” (again, with clear instructions displayed for them) and sign their names on the “handwash sheet” at the entrance to the kitchen. They will repeat this hand-washing process every 30 minutes for the remainder of their shift, with the manager watching over them with hawk-eyes.

The Wash Area also contains a small but comfortable “Employee Lounge” with the same tables and chairs/stools as seen in the restaurant, a fridge and a TV. Team members get a 30-minute break every four hours, more if required, with shifts lasting between four and eight hours.

Supply-Storage

McDonalds has high standards with supply storage as well, A storeroom keeps the dry goods and plastic and paper cutlery and containers at room temperature, while the walk-in refrigerator stores the meat and vegetables which come from Germany and Poland. Absolutely every consumable is controlled and has a “use-by” date which is strictly adhered to. Left-overs and any food past its validity is thrown into the trash.

So, our conclusion after a visit to McDonald’s Georgia? Smiling and satisfied staff, a spotless kitchen, healthy options on the menu and strict quality and hygiene control. Here at GT, we’re lovin’ it!

Did you know…?

1) McDonalds burgers are made of 100% high quality beef without additives, formed into hamburger patties, and then quickly frozen to seal in that great fresh flavor. The company adds salt and pepper to the burgers when they are cooked on the grill in the restaurants to bring out all that great beef taste.

2) In Georgia’s 15 restaurants, tons of oil is used and changed every month. McDonalds is always looking for a way to make the world cleaner and happier, and for years environmental care was the company’s number one priority. Restaurants check and change the oil in fryers on a regular basis. There are several tests to determine when the oil needs to be changed, including a visual check, or by using a custom-made McDonalds oil testing kit). If the acceptable level reaches the limit of saturated fatty acids, the equipment automatically changes the oil, then waste oil is collected from a separate tank and taken back to a factory to be recycled.

3) All food for McDonald’s Georgia is brought from Germany and Poland. Georgian food manufacturers have as yet been unable to meet the stringent standards required of McDonald’s, so everything is imported. The McDonald's Supplier Quality Management System (SQMS) standard applies to companies who supply food products for the McDonald's restaurants chain. The standard is intended to help McDonald's supply consistently safe products of the highest quality that meet their requirements, as well as all applicable laws and regulations.

4) McDonald’s staff wash their hands every 30 minutes following a 9-step washing guideline. It was found that wearing gloves doesn’t guarantee food hygiene standards as well as clean hands carefully washed twice an hour!

5) The coffee beans that didn’t get into that brilliant-tasting cup of coffee you just ordered are thrown out after four hours. This guarantees that the beans ground for your next coffee have retained the aromas you love.

6) You can ask for orange or apple juice in your child’s Happy Meal instead of a soft drink and choose apple puree instead of fries.

7) McDonald’s is aware of its responsibility to the younger generation. Its latest initiative is to offer books with its Happy Meals instead of toys, the initiative is going ahead and this author for one will be grabbing the opportunity to stock up her kids’ bookshelf- hopefully other parents will too!

8) McDonald’s Georgia has a work experience scheme for school pupils. Where just a few years ago Georgian parents wouldn’t have dreamed of sending their 14-pluses out to work, it is increasingly being recognized as a way to encourage responsibility, motivation and confidence-building.

9) Almost All McDonald’s managers started out as regular crew members. McDonald’s is a bottom-up organization which encourages its staff to stay happy, stay motivated and to stay with them for the long-term. Trainings, high international standards, fair pay and ready internal promotion opportunities mean that everyone has a chance to climb the ladder.

By Katie Ruth Davies