Is it a Big Mac or a hockey puck?

[Ed Sparks]

I'll bet *somebody* out there knows... c'mon, 'fess up. What is the
purpose of the small, numbered tabs that are placed next to the unserved
hamburgers at MacDonalds?

Edward Sparks, KVUE-TV Austin, TX (spa...@kvue.uucp)
{asci1,ihnp4,seismo,gatech,harvard,ctvax,ucbvax}!ut-sally!kvue!sparks

[Scott Hazen Mueller]

In article <2...@kvue.UUCP> spa...@kvue.UUCP (Ed Sparks) writes:
>I'll bet *somebody* out there knows... c'mon, 'fess up. What is the
>purpose of the small, numbered tabs that are placed next to the unserved
>hamburgers at MacDonalds?
>
> Edward Sparks, KVUE-TV Austin, TX

I was told that they were to indicate the time at which the hamburgers were
put into the chute. They are numbered either 0-5 or 1-6, corresponding to
the six ten-minute intervals that make up an hour. The idea is to enforce
(in the case of the one that I worked at) a thirty-minute time limit in the
chutes. Public health laws, after all...
\scott
--
Scott Hazen Mueller lll-crg.arpa!csustan!smdev
City of Turlock work: (209) 668-5590 -or- 5628
901 South Walnut Avenue home: (209) 527-1203
Turlock, CA 95380 <Insert pithy saying here...>

[William J. Laubenheimer]

Regarding the small, numbered tabs placed in the hamburger rack at
McDonalds:

I have heard (or maybe read) that these tabs indicate the latest that the
product is to remain on the rack. If it hasn't been sold by the minute
indicated, it is thrown out. This would appear to create a challenging game
for a shift manager: try to avoid having a customer wait for his order
without having to throw out too many sandwiches and thereby jeopardize
the all-hallowed profit margin. Don't forget the antacid and the blood-
pressure pills :-)

Bill Laubenheimer
----------------------------------------UC-Berkeley Computer Science
...Killjoy went that-a-way---> ucbvax!wildbill

[ter...@tekcrl.uucp]

In article <2...@kvue.UUCP> spa...@kvue.UUCP (Ed Sparks) writes:

>I'll bet *somebody* out there knows... c'mon, 'fess up. What is the
>purpose of the small, numbered tabs that are placed next to the unserved
>hamburgers at MacDonalds?

Either one of two purposes:

1) It is the time on the clock when the burger was made. Said
burger should then be thrown away 10 minutes later, if not bought
by then.

2) It is the time the burger should be thrown away if it isn't bought,
taking into account the 10 minute shelf life.

[George Robbins]

In article <2...@kvue.UUCP> spa...@kvue.UUCP (Ed Sparks) writes:

>I'll bet *somebody* out there knows... c'mon, 'fess up. What is the
>purpose of the small, numbered tabs that are placed next to the unserved
>hamburgers at MacDonalds?
>
> Edward Sparks, KVUE-TV Austin, TX (spa...@kvue.uucp)

Gee, I always thought they were expiration times, to indicate when the 'burgers'
would turn from rancid to putrid! It is generally considered desirable in the
fast food industry for the customer to have time to get out the door before
wishing he hadn't eaten the food! Other aids such as anti-ergonomic seating are
said to help in avoiding these problems. .0125 8-)
--
George Robbins - now working for, uucp: {ihnp4|seismo|caip}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing arpa: cbmvax!g...@seismo.css.GOV
Commodore, Engineering Department fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)

[Clyde T. Poole]

In article <1...@csustan.UUCP> sm...@csustan.UUCP (Scott Hazen Mueller) writes:
>In article <2...@kvue.UUCP> spa...@kvue.UUCP (Ed Sparks) writes:
>>I'll bet *somebody* out there knows... c'mon, 'fess up. What is the
>>purpose of the small, numbered tabs that are placed next to the unserved
>>hamburgers at MacDonalds?
>>
>> Edward Sparks, KVUE-TV Austin, TX
>
>I was told that they were to indicate the time at which the hamburgers were
>put into the chute. They are numbered either 0-5 or 1-6, corresponding to
>the six ten-minute intervals that make up an hour. The idea is to enforce
>(in the case of the one that I worked at) a thirty-minute time limit in the
>chutes. Public health laws, after all...
> \scott

Ok, but that doesn't explain the tab numbered 8 I saw a MacDonalds
yesterday.

-----
Clyde T. Poole, Computing Resources Manager
ARPA: c...@sally.utexas.edu VOICE: (512) 471-9551
UUCP: {ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!ctp CIS: 75226,3135
Overland: UT at Austin, Department of Computer Sciences
Taylor Hall 2.124, Austin, TX 78712-1188
"Life is a bitch ... and then you die"

[Mills]

I always thought is was the number of minutes they had been sitting.

However, knowing McDonalds practice of putting pictures on a cash register
to make things easy for the cashiers, this would seem pretty technical.

[Rob Vetter;1044;92-725;LP=A;60YB]

In article <57...@ut-sally.UUCP> c...@pop.UUCP (Clyde T. Poole) writes:
>In article <1...@csustan.UUCP> sm...@csustan.UUCP (Scott Hazen Mueller) writes:
>>
>>I was told that they were to indicate the time at which the hamburgers were
>>put into the chute. They are numbered either 0-5 or 1-6, corresponding to
>>the six ten-minute intervals that make up an hour.
>

>Ok, but that doesn't explain the tab numbered 8 I saw a MacDonalds
>yesterday.

That tab's for the ones with the bite out of them.

Rob Vetter
(503) 629-1044
[ihnp4, ucbvax, decvax, uw-beaver]!tektronix!dadla!rob

[John Paul O'Brien]

The way I had it explained to me (by someone who used to manage a
Micky D) was that the number on the tag was the "oclock" that the food
had to be throw out. For example: If a burger is put down in the storage
area with a Number 7 tag it should be throw out at 25 minutes to the hour.
I think they are only to be out for 15 minutes.

Now you know why that burger with the 6 on it tasted so bad at 1:00p.m.

______________________________________________________
John Paul O'Brien, Coordinator of Technical Support
Nova University Computer Center
3301 College Ave.
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. 33314
(305) 475-7633
{codas|ucf-cs|allegra|usfvax2}!novavax!john

Technical Support, Working to keep you working!