What's so difficult about ordering a 2 Hamburger Extra Value Meal at McDonald's? Well, it doesn't exist. But there's a 2 Cheeseburger Extra Value Meal (2CEVM for short)—surely you could just order that without the cheese and end up with a 2HEVM.
If only life were so simple. Asking for cheese-less cheeseburgers in a 2CEVM at McDonald's is only mildly easier than walking on water. The Consumerist covers one man's never ending battle of mostly fruitless attempts in trying to order a 2CEVM with no cheese. Some choice quotes (emphasis mine):
Have you ever tried to order a 2HEVM? It confuses the heck out of the register drones. There's no button for it, and as you know: At McDonald's, if there's no button for it on the register it doesn't exist.
As a last resort, sometimes I have to ask for "Two Cheeseburgers, No Cheese." Don't ever do this. As many McDonald's order takers have tried to explain to me "cheese burgers without cheese are just hamburgers." In other words, they are a non-item. A thing that cannot exist. Anathema.
If I'm lucky, I'll be able to cajole them into ordering the 2CEVM and pressing the "grill:no-cheese" button. They'll be nervous about it though. Afterward, they'll stare at the register as if they expect it to blow up or start waving robotic arms around and shouting "DOES... NOT...COMPUTE...."
And the craziness continues. Why much McDonald's make it so difficult to get a value-priced combination of two hamburgers, fries, and a drink?
Haha my boyfriend orders this all the time. In fact, he's gone in and learned that he has to order the 2 cheeseburger meal, NO CHEESE, in fact PLAIN, nothing on them, and yet he still gets cheese (occasionally) but ALWAYS pickles/that little smatter of diced onions/ketchup. It's almost amusing to watch how frustrated he gets. At least I get to eat the pickles.
(I rarely go to McDonald's but when I do, I pretend to be healthy by ordering chicken items. I know, recent news articles have foiled this illusion. And I don't know why I love a man who eats flat little tasteless and overcooked burger patties on crappy buns with just ketchup, and says it's good eatin'. But I do.)
While we're on the subject of ridiculous things at McDonald's: Anyone else notice that a quarter pounder costs more than twice the amount a double cheeseburger does? You'd actually get more meat for less money if you got TWO doubles.
What, do they charge a premium on the sesame seeds on the other bun?
I only eat McD's hamburgers in this combo meal, and I can only recall one time where they screwed it up and gave me cheese anyway.
I have to deal with a similar problem at Wendy's. I like the #1 (classic combo), and I order it "with ONLY mustard, ketchup and pickles" (don't judge me). :)
Often, I am asked, "Do you want cheese?" And while I do realize that they are just checking, it really burns my tomatoes. If I wanted cheese, I would have said so. And yes, only one time was it actually screwed up. I really don't dig that fast food "cheese."
I know this is off topic, but does this happen to anyone else - back in my partying days, after last call/lights up, we'd go to the local diner (Georgia Diner on Queens Blvd... ahh those were the days) and occasionally I'd order an ice cream float/soda. And I had to start specifying NO ICE because 9 times out of 10, the damn thing would have ICE in it, underneath the friggin' ice cream. WTF???
After working at one of the busiest McDonald's downtown to pay for college tuition, I know that there is a 'secret' Combo meal with 2 hamburgers. Of course, if you're stubborn enough, they will make your cheeseburgers without the cheese; there's a sub-menu to make items to order. I was once asked for a chicken sandwich, no chicken. Go figure...
Excuse me... I thought this was a hamburger blog. What one receives at McDonald's cannot be a hamburger because it's not suitable for human consumption...
It's fun to see the responses to this same article on different sites. The responses on The Consumerist were much different.
That being said - the thing that irritates me more than an order being screwed up is being asked, "If I'd like ____ with that". I realize they have no option - the employees are just doing the corporate monkey song and dance they're required to but it still annoys me. I try to not let it creep into my voice though, I myself working for a corporate song and dance show.
i ordered two double cheeseburgers from the dollar menu .....no cheese no pickles ....no problem....my reasoning is that in most cases they have to make them fresh. also caloricly speaking four patties of meat and two buns is about as low on the scale as you can go there and still feel full
I worked at McDonald's in high school (not *that* long ago, ahem), and part of the issue is that when people didn't get their food almost immediately, many customers got what I considered to be irrationally angry. Not everyone was irate, but honest to God, it happened enough times that it created a sense of urgency I cannot overemphasize. That job sucked.
In Philly there is a large hassidic crowd and they know about the no cheese thing. Cheese on the meat is not kosher. I think it is where you go to McDonald's. Around this area it is not a major deal.
A friend of mine in college lived on McDonald's, ordered the Extra Value 2 cheeseburger meal from many locations without a problem--she even asked for hot mustard sauce as well as katschup, no 'vegetables' on the burgers (pickles and onions were veggies for her) and had no problems.
Eating with her was a bit of a problem for me, but that's a different story.
JerzeeTomato--I don't think McDonald's is kosher because of the way the cows are slaughtered.
My husband used to this at Wendy's and asks for the cheese on the side. It sort of works out better. But then he's stuck (and I do mean stuck) with two limp pieces of processed cheese in another piece of foil. Wasteful all around.
I suggested he ask for it saying 'without cheese' and that did the trick.
Not sure of the price differential, but you might try buying a hamburger Happy Meal, along with a dollar burger... The fries and drink are smaller, but you shouldn't be eating that much at fat and sugar anyway.
When I order the 2CEVM (my standard order), it ends up ringing up separately. I asked about this and was told that is essentially a keyboard shortcut -- there is no cost savings in ordering a 2CEVM vs. 2 CB, fries, and a drink. Using this logic, it would be cheaper to order the hamburgers, fries, and a drink separately than to ask for a 2CEVM sans cheese.
@fpatrick: I'd have no problem with that order, especially since an Egg McMuffin shouldn't have any meat on it to begin with. A Sausage McMuffin with Egg, yes. The jargon is very important.
I like the secret codes at In-N-Out ...just say..."Animal Style". If the MIQ (McDee's in Question) is in Philly...do you say "wit" or "wit out"?
Cheers, TB.
My favorite thing at McD's (and I'm not kidding), is to get 2 Big Macs with extra "special sauce". Remove the 3 bread pieces from one of them and put the rest of the ingredients into the other Big Mac. Four patties. We call them "Quad Macs". I know this isn't a hamburger, it's a gut-bomb. So I'm gonna die.
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What's so difficult about ordering a 2 Hamburger Extra Value Meal at McDonald's? Well, it doesn't exist. But there's a 2 Cheeseburger Extra Value Meal (2CEVM for short)—surely you could just order that without the cheese and end up with a 2HEVM.
27 Comments:
Over the last year, I've ordered many double cheeseburgers without cheese at at least 4 different McDonalds, and never EVER had a problem.
I just say, double cheeseburger without cheese, nothing magic.
peekpoke at 3:51PM on 05/29/08
I guess it just depends on the Mickie D's and the person waiting on you...
Johnna Knows Good Food at 3:58PM on 05/29/08
Haha my boyfriend orders this all the time. In fact, he's gone in and learned that he has to order the 2 cheeseburger meal, NO CHEESE, in fact PLAIN, nothing on them, and yet he still gets cheese (occasionally) but ALWAYS pickles/that little smatter of diced onions/ketchup. It's almost amusing to watch how frustrated he gets. At least I get to eat the pickles.
(I rarely go to McDonald's but when I do, I pretend to be healthy by ordering chicken items. I know, recent news articles have foiled this illusion. And I don't know why I love a man who eats flat little tasteless and overcooked burger patties on crappy buns with just ketchup, and says it's good eatin'. But I do.)
feistyfoodie at 4:10PM on 05/29/08
While we're on the subject of ridiculous things at McDonald's: Anyone else notice that a quarter pounder costs more than twice the amount a double cheeseburger does? You'd actually get more meat for less money if you got TWO doubles.
What, do they charge a premium on the sesame seeds on the other bun?
longbongsilver at 4:50PM on 05/29/08
I only eat McD's hamburgers in this combo meal, and I can only recall one time where they screwed it up and gave me cheese anyway.
I have to deal with a similar problem at Wendy's. I like the #1 (classic combo), and I order it "with ONLY mustard, ketchup and pickles" (don't judge me). :)
Often, I am asked, "Do you want cheese?" And while I do realize that they are just checking, it really burns my tomatoes. If I wanted cheese, I would have said so. And yes, only one time was it actually screwed up. I really don't dig that fast food "cheese."
bozichsl at 4:57PM on 05/29/08
I once ordered one of those root beer floats that Wendy's has, and was asked "do ya want root beer in it?". Seriously.
longbongsilver at 5:02PM on 05/29/08
seems there's a bit of hyperbole here....
on a related note, thank god for the taco bell ez bean button.
sloppy at 5:13PM on 05/29/08
I know this is off topic, but does this happen to anyone else - back in my partying days, after last call/lights up, we'd go to the local diner (Georgia Diner on Queens Blvd... ahh those were the days) and occasionally I'd order an ice cream float/soda. And I had to start specifying NO ICE because 9 times out of 10, the damn thing would have ICE in it, underneath the friggin' ice cream. WTF???
feistyfoodie at 6:11PM on 05/29/08
After working at one of the busiest McDonald's downtown to pay for college tuition, I know that there is a 'secret' Combo meal with 2 hamburgers. Of course, if you're stubborn enough, they will make your cheeseburgers without the cheese; there's a sub-menu to make items to order. I was once asked for a chicken sandwich, no chicken. Go figure...
karenkupkake at 6:27PM on 05/29/08
Excuse me... I thought this was a hamburger blog. What one receives at McDonald's cannot be a hamburger because it's not suitable for human consumption...
thattallguy at 7:01PM on 05/29/08
I figured most people know this, but in case there are those still wondering why there "no" is lost so often.....
Never say "no cheese", the "no" doesn't make it through the vox triggered order pa system. All they hear is "o'cheese" or "cheese".
Instead, always use "with OUT cheese". Don't run the words with+out together, be percussive in your speech, put emphasis on the word OUT.
Also try to frequent places that have an order display confirmation screen if you really hate a wrong order.
peekpoke at 7:19PM on 05/29/08
It's fun to see the responses to this same article on different sites. The responses on The Consumerist were much different.
That being said - the thing that irritates me more than an order being screwed up is being asked, "If I'd like ____ with that". I realize they have no option - the employees are just doing the corporate monkey song and dance they're required to but it still annoys me. I try to not let it creep into my voice though, I myself working for a corporate song and dance show.
feriorrenna at 7:31PM on 05/29/08
I order this value meal all the time with hamburgers and no problem.
I just ask for whatever the number is and say hamburgers instead of cheeseburgers. I've never had confusion or mistake.
This is a non-issue.
Jennalynn at 7:49PM on 05/29/08
What wondeful times we live in, where this is a "problem"?
srhcb at 10:02PM on 05/29/08
i ordered two double cheeseburgers from the dollar menu .....no cheese no pickles ....no problem....my reasoning is that in most cases they have to make them fresh. also caloricly speaking four patties of meat and two buns is about as low on the scale as you can go there and still feel full
Kenzo at 11:04PM on 05/29/08
I worked at McDonald's in high school (not *that* long ago, ahem), and part of the issue is that when people didn't get their food almost immediately, many customers got what I considered to be irrationally angry. Not everyone was irate, but honest to God, it happened enough times that it created a sense of urgency I cannot overemphasize. That job sucked.
BangieB at 11:06PM on 05/29/08
In Philly there is a large hassidic crowd and they know about the no cheese thing. Cheese on the meat is not kosher. I think it is where you go to McDonald's. Around this area it is not a major deal.
JerzeeTomato at 1:43AM on 05/30/08
A friend of mine in college lived on McDonald's, ordered the Extra Value 2 cheeseburger meal from many locations without a problem--she even asked for hot mustard sauce as well as katschup, no 'vegetables' on the burgers (pickles and onions were veggies for her) and had no problems.
Eating with her was a bit of a problem for me, but that's a different story.
JerzeeTomato--I don't think McDonald's is kosher because of the way the cows are slaughtered.
HeartofGlass at 6:04AM on 05/30/08
My husband used to this at Wendy's and asks for the cheese on the side. It sort of works out better. But then he's stuck (and I do mean stuck) with two limp pieces of processed cheese in another piece of foil. Wasteful all around.
I suggested he ask for it saying 'without cheese' and that did the trick.
challah at 8:32AM on 05/30/08
Here's another one that results in a 50% success rate.
Try asking for an Egg McMuffin, no meat, no butter, that my vegetarian wife often tries to get.
I've suggested she try saying "sin carne, sin mantequilla", but since we live in NJ, she draws the line before resorting to that.
fpatrick at 11:14AM on 05/30/08
Not sure of the price differential, but you might try buying a hamburger Happy Meal, along with a dollar burger... The fries and drink are smaller, but you shouldn't be eating that much at fat and sugar anyway.
Dee at 12:50PM on 05/30/08
When I order the 2CEVM (my standard order), it ends up ringing up separately. I asked about this and was told that is essentially a keyboard shortcut -- there is no cost savings in ordering a 2CEVM vs. 2 CB, fries, and a drink. Using this logic, it would be cheaper to order the hamburgers, fries, and a drink separately than to ask for a 2CEVM sans cheese.
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 12:56PM on 05/30/08
@fpatrick: I'd have no problem with that order, especially since an Egg McMuffin shouldn't have any meat on it to begin with. A Sausage McMuffin with Egg, yes. The jargon is very important.
karenkupkake at 12:08AM on 05/31/08
I like the secret codes at In-N-Out ...just say..."Animal Style". If the MIQ (McDee's in Question) is in Philly...do you say "wit" or "wit out"?
Cheers, TB.
texas blues at 12:40PM on 05/31/08
My favorite thing at McD's (and I'm not kidding), is to get 2 Big Macs with extra "special sauce". Remove the 3 bread pieces from one of them and put the rest of the ingredients into the other Big Mac. Four patties. We call them "Quad Macs". I know this isn't a hamburger, it's a gut-bomb. So I'm gonna die.
trwalters001 at 10:33AM on 06/03/08
I rarely go to McDonald's, but today I did. Here's my observations: http://www.allanmclemore.com/blog/?p=4
amclemore at 5:07PM on 06/10/08
A friend of mine went to Wendy's and asked for a double with cheese, plain. It was plain, all right. Nothing besides cheese. Including meat.
worldcupfever at 11:22AM on 06/12/08