It might be a franchise thing, I'll admit -- though given how draconian BK corporate is about The Rules, I'd be surprised if it was widespread.
According to my wife, they're only supposed to microwave the breakfast foods (croissanwich, for example); the burgers are supposed to be held at temp under
the heatlamps until they expire or are served. Which is why you'll see them ramp up production before the lunch rush. The majority of the folks ordering
a burger don't take advantage of the "Have it your way" rule, so the employees can just grab one, stuff it in the sack, and go.
(Protip: if you want a guaranteed-fresh burger from BK, order it without condiments, then ask for packets of whatever it is you want after you've been
handed the bag. They'll assemble one for you. If you order one without something else, they might just take the offending bits off. They're not
supposed to, but it happens. But you can't scrape off condiments.
She finished her career with BK as a training manager, hopping from franchise to franchise teaching The BK Way (caps mine; I just got elbowed for it). That
said, it wouldn't surprise me any to discover a local manager bending the rules for the sake of speed and/or labor costs.
Plus, the grill unit is a real pain to clean and maintain, so that might be a factor too.
Bob: Carl's seems to be a west-coast and surrounding areas thing, mostly. I think they do awesome burgers; the only reason I like Wendy's more is
because of the prices. Carl's is a bit more expensive.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
According to my wife, they're only supposed to microwave the breakfast foods (croissanwich, for example); the burgers are supposed to be held at temp under
the heatlamps until they expire or are served. Which is why you'll see them ramp up production before the lunch rush. The majority of the folks ordering
a burger don't take advantage of the "Have it your way" rule, so the employees can just grab one, stuff it in the sack, and go.
(Protip: if you want a guaranteed-fresh burger from BK, order it without condiments, then ask for packets of whatever it is you want after you've been
handed the bag. They'll assemble one for you. If you order one without something else, they might just take the offending bits off. They're not
supposed to, but it happens. But you can't scrape off condiments.
She finished her career with BK as a training manager, hopping from franchise to franchise teaching The BK Way (caps mine; I just got elbowed for it). That
said, it wouldn't surprise me any to discover a local manager bending the rules for the sake of speed and/or labor costs.
Plus, the grill unit is a real pain to clean and maintain, so that might be a factor too.
Bob: Carl's seems to be a west-coast and surrounding areas thing, mostly. I think they do awesome burgers; the only reason I like Wendy's more is
because of the prices. Carl's is a bit more expensive.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs