A Thanks to the Young Man at McDonald’s Who Made My Day (And the Perfect Mocha)

mcdonalds mochaA few days ago, I was having one of those days.

The I’m-really-dragging, too-much-to-do, never-gonna-get-caught-up, REALLY need a pick-me-up kind of day.

I dropped Lily Bean off at preschool (still not used to this fairly exhilarating “oh my God, I have 2.5 child-free hours to DO WHATEVER I WANT” feeling).  In that time, I managed to go to the grocery store, dollar store, gas station and bank.  Returned home where I put away 2 loads of laundry, 1 load of dishes and resolved the national debt crisis.  Granted, I do not usually accomplish nearly that much during preschool hours, but I lit a fire under my ass and vowed to do some serious damage to the almighty to-do list.

As pick-up time loomed closer and closer, my time was running out.  My energy had been zapped and I was craving a sweet pick-me-up.  I decided to stop at McDonald’s to grab a hot mocha latte drink – even though they are a pain. The McD’s crew never stirs them. And if you don’t stir them, your drink is fairly bland – until the end.  That’s when you are greeted by an inch of sludgy sweet mocha syrup which should have been mixed in with the rest of your drink.

Here is the dialogue that ensued:

McD’s: Hi, welcome to McDonald’s.  Would you like to try a delicious (enter random menu item here) today?

Me: No thanks.  Can I please have a small hot mocha with nonfat milk and no whipped cream?

McD’s: Sure.  Would you like the chocolate drizzle?

Me: Oh hell.  Why not?  I like to live on the wild side.

McD’s: Okay, your total is (can’t remember).  Please pull around.

*So at this point I pull around and pay at the first window.  I then pull ahead to the 2nd window and look inside.  Standing at the McCafe Machine of Wonder is the young man who is making my drink.  I watch as the drink brews into the cup – and notice with amazement that he is stirring my drink – methodically and thoroughly.

The stirring continues as my drink brews.  He perfects the creation with that chocolate drizzle and comes over to present my drink to me.

I couldn’t help myself.  I proclaimed,

“I HAVE TO THANK YOU!  I SAW YOU STIRRING MY DRINK!  NO ONE EVER DOES THAT!  AND THE DRINK ALWAYS TASTES LIKE CRAP!  SO I HAVE TO REQUEST A STRAW AND STIR IT MYSELF!  OH, FOR THE LOVE!”

And so clearly, at this point, the young man was probably terrified of the tired, desperate, unruly woman at his drive thru jumping for joy all because of a properly stirred beverage.  He could have slammed the little window shut and sought cover in the walk-in freezer.

But do you know how he responded?

He simply smiled.  And said, “McDonald’s protocol calls for 12 stirs per beverage to get the perfect taste.  I hope you enjoy it.”

God bless him.