Mcdonald's - Chelmsford

Disgusting we done a takeaway order chips were so underdone and to top it off had a hair in my burger

I cannot believe I am reviewing a McDonalds, but it is SO bad, beware! We stopped off at Chelmsford Riverside en-route to our final destination, as my son wanted a toy only available in Smyths Toy Superstore. As it was coming up to lunchtime, we thought we’d get an early lunch and despite trying to persuade our 9 year old that a Costa bacon roll would be fantastic, he could not get the thought of a McDonalds out of his head once he’d spotted the Golden Arches in the middle of the Riverside complex! Firstly, I couldn’t believe there were no screens available inside to place your own order. I waited at the till for what seemed like an eternity, at least 4 of the staff had made eye contact with me, but then carried on doing their own thing. There were at least 10 staff milling around that I could count, probably more cooking. The drive through staff were clearly visible from the counter, with no cars going through they had nothing to do and just stood in a group laughing and joking around. Eventually I was served and placed my order, which included an order of a burger with no cheese, so I knew I’d have to wait a while for this specific order to be done. Whilst waiting, I continued to observe the party atmosphere behind the counter, customers waiting ages to be served whilst the Just Eat/Deliveroo drivers waltzed in, grabbed their orders and went. The service was absolutely dire. Then the food…..once it finally arrived (one customer did say to me that the food is always slow to arrive in this restaurant) the burger with no cheese was in fact a cremated burger on its own in a burger bun. None of the other dressings or salad, which was not what was ordered. Every other McDonalds I have visited have always been able to produce a burger and just omit the placing of the cheese in the bun, this task was obviously beyond the intelligence level of the staff in this restaurant. By this point, we were tight for time, and I knew that there was no way I would get a new burger in the time we had available, so the rest of the party finished their food and we left. If ever I am in Chelmsford again, I will never visit this McDonalds. I actually feel sorry for the people of Chelmsford who have to put up with this. Maybe this was why the drive through was so quiet, the locals know better.

I stopped by this restaurant while I was at the retail park. There was nobody there except for an Uber delivery man waiting. The staff saw me standing there but ignored me. The girl at the drive-thru was not busy, yet she was chatting with a guy while glancing in my direction. Three employees were serving just one Uber driver. Another person came over, looked at the register, and then left. A different girl came and looked at the area where the burgers are prepared before walking away. It was a disgraceful experience and I ultimately decided to leave. The owner really needs to address this issue, as this was the worst service I have ever experienced at any of his locations.

I recently used the drive-thru at Riverside McDonald's in Chelmsford and received the wrong order. They also double-charged me and promised to process a refund, but I have not received it. Despite there being only two cars ahead of me, my order took nearly an hour. When I called two days later and explained that I had been double-charged (see image), the staff refused to issue a refund. The manager said I could receive a refund over the phone, but the person I spoke to would not allow it. This situation is unacceptable and illegal. I demand a refund immediately. The McDonald's branch in question is located at Riverside Retail Park in Chelmsford. Please address this issue promptly.

The McDonald's service at this location was absolutely terrible. The staff appeared to be more focused on their headphones and doing deliveries than actually serving the customers in the shop. There was only one person at the till, leading to a long wait in line. When I finally got served, they did not have hot chocolate available, and the manager simply shrugged without apologizing. If they don't have McFlurrys, they apparently don't have hot chocolate either. I ended up going to Costa instead, where the service was much better and the staff were friendly and helpful. While it cost more, the hot chocolate was perfect and worth the extra money. This place clearly lacks management skills and the staff seem unhappy in their work. I would have given this place a zero rating if I could.