With the nationwide rollout of fresh beef in their Quarter Pounders and Signature Crafted burgers next week, McDonald's is making some changes in the back of the house to keep things going smoothly. One of the newest additions to the kitchens will be cowbell buzzers that are already driving some employees crazy.
An actual McDonald's cowbell, not the buzzer in the restaurants. Photo: Peter Pham // Foodbeast
According to a statement on the buzzers from McDonald's, the noise will go off every time an item requiring fresh beef is ordered. It's supposed to alert the kitchen staff to drop a patty on the grill, ensuring that the burgers are cooked to order every time. The cowbell sound is programmed into some new monitors in the restaurant.
Since some parts of the country have been getting the fresh beef quarter pounders early, they've already had the monitors and cowbell buzzers installed. So far, employees have clearly NOT been fans of the new change.
Screenshot of Reddit taken by Foodbeast.
At least one crew member has indicated that the sound is driving their store insane, as it's very different from the other sounds in the store and can be "grating."
The cowbell noise is definitely an odd one to pick because of its loud volume and semi-annoying sound. It makes sense for when you're trying to find a lost cattle out in the field, but not so much for a restaurant.
I get what McDonald's is trying to do, though, since the buzzer does help ensure timeliness and efficiency for how and when the burgers are cooked and cranked out. Perhaps they could switch the noise to something less raucous to make it easier on their employees?
Until then, staffers will probably use the same solution as one of their own did above: Dampen the speaker with electrical tape so they don't go insane from the sound.
