23 McDonald’s Interview Questions to Be Ready For

McDonald’s is one of the most successful fast food franchises in the industry, if not the most successful. If you have an interview coming up, you’ll want to get familiar with some common McDonald’s interview questions you could be asked.

In our comprehensive guide, we’ll break down the McDonald’s interview process, spell out some helpful tips to boost your chances of acing the interview, and, of course, provide you with the top 23 frequently asked McDonald’s interview questions. 

What to Know About the McDonald’s Interview Process

If you have a McDonald’s interview coming up, you might have a few questions. That’s only natural. 

We’ll run through some of the most important and frequently asked questions about the McDonald’s interview, including its history, how long the interviews usually last, and what to wear, among other queries. 

A brief history about McDonald’s

The modern McDonald’s started in 1955 when Ray Kroc, the McDonald brothers’ franchise agent, opened a restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. The restaurant featured the brothers’ signature “Speedee service,” which was among the first of its kind with regard to fast food service. 

In 1961, the McDonald’s Corp. (Kroc’s predecessor) bought the brothers’ company for $2.7 million and began expanding. The franchise officially expanded into international markets, specifically Canada, in 1967. 

Today, McDonald’s thrives in over a hundred different countries with about 36,000 locations. 

How long is a McDonald’s interview?

Typically, a McDonald’s interview is no longer than 30 minutes. Some people have reported their interviews to last around 5-10 minutes. Aim to arrive a few minutes early. 

It’s usually at the McDonald’s location you applied to and is an in-person interview unless specified otherwise. 

How hard are McDonald’s interviews?

McDonald’s interviews are typically pretty mild. They’re described as “causal” or “lowkey” by people who work there. 

Usually, the conversation involves the candidate answering a few McDonald’s interview questions with time at the end for them to ask any interview questions for interviewers as follow-ups. 

What do I wear for a McDonald’s interview?

For a McDonald’s interview, plan to wear professional clothing like dark pants, a blouse, a dress shirt, a tie, and close-toed shoes. Specifically, McDonald’s recommends “smart business attire.” Make sure your clothes are clean and ironed with either simple patterns or solid colors. 

The trick here is not to dress too casually. It’s generally not recommended to wear jeans to the interview as they’re considered too casual by some hiring managers. 

Does McDonald’s drug test?

No, McDonald’s typically doesn’t drug test. This includes potential hires and existing employees. 

However, the policy can change at any time and varies slightly from store to store. Most people — including current employees and former employees — say they didn’t have to pass a drug test to work at McDonald’s.

Preparing for McDonald’s Interview Questions 101

For the most part, McDonald’s interviews are mild in terms of interview atmosphere, the questions asked, and the interviewer’s tone and attitude. Still, you should plan to prepare at least the day before your conversation. 

Before your upcoming McDonald’s interview, make sure to consider these four ways to prepare.

1. Practice answering some McDonald’s interview questions aloud.

Even though McDonald’s doesn’t have the most difficult interviews in the world, you should still put in some time and effort to practice before the conversation. One of the best ways to do this is to practice answering common McDonald’s interview questions.

You could practice answering questions with a friend or a family member, or even just in front of a mirror. But practicing with a virtual interview simulation like Yoodli can give you actual insights and metrics about how you answer interview questions. 

Yoodli is a free app that you can download directly to your desktop. It analyzes a user’s speech to provide metrics like:

• Word choice
• Filler word usage
• Speaking pace
• Inclusive language usage

Among other specific metrics, Yoodli also provides you with a transcript of what was said, so you can go back and tailor your responses to the particular interview question you answered to improve. 

But Yoodli goes beyond just using generative AI to give you the most realistic online interview for free — It also provides individualistic feedback specific to your abilities. 

For example, it can recommend places where you can tighten the language or swap words that could be considered non-inclusive for inclusive alternatives. The interview experience is so customizable that you can change not only the interview tone, but also the questions asked. 

Choose some of Yoodli’s pre-made questions or you can create your own so you can practice company-specific questions. In this case, you could use this interview simulator to answer real McDonald’s interview questions. 

Learn more about how you can ace your McDonald’s interview with Yoodli:

2. Put some time into researching not only the company, but also the fast food industry as a whole.

It’s important to have at least a basic knowledge of McDonald’s before the interview. You know a little bit about the company’s history, its values and mission, what the company culture is like, and what products and services it offers, specifically, its menu items. To do this, check out its company website and social media pages. 

One thing that candidates often don’t consider is going beyond this to learn a little more about the fast food industry as a whole. This can give you important context to better answer McDonald’s interview questions.  

Do a bit of research on any fast food industry trends that could affect a chain like McDonald’s. For example, some of the obstacles this industry faces include ever-changing consumer preferences and more competition from food options that are considered more nutritious. 

As such, McDonald’s has recently boosted its social media and digital presence, added some new items to its menu, and even given some restaurants a makeover. 

Taking the time to understand the industry as a whole can help set you apart from other candidates. 

3. Be honest when answering questions.

Although it should go without saying, always be honest when answering McDonald’s interview questions. Interviewers can see right through candidates who embellish their experience or qualifications, and it’s best not to risk it. 

Just be your authentic self and be confident. 

4. Be ready to talk about your experience working in a fast-paced environment.

There’s a very, very high chance that one of your McDonald’s interview questions will be about working in a fast-paced environment. 

McDonald’s is looking for potential employees who are ready to work in such an environment and having previous experience is definitely a plus. 

Still, it’s not over if you don’t have any prior experience. Instead, just focus on your ability to work well under pressure.

23 McDonald’s Interview Questions to Be Ready For

To best prepare for the interview, practice some McDonald’s interview questions either with a friend or family member, or through an app like Yoodli. This will help you feel comfortable going into the conversation. 

Remember, you don’t have to memorize potential interview responses, but practicing answering them will help you sound more natural during the interview.

On that note, here are some of the most common McDonald’s interview questions you’ll likely face during your conversation with the hiring manager:

1. What do you know about McDonald’s?
2. Describe your work ethic.
3. Why did you leave your previous job?
4. Can you tell me about a time when you went above and beyond to help a guest or customer?
5. When facing customer complaints, what’s your approach to resolving them?
6. Give me an example of a time when you had a difficult interaction with a challenging customer. How did you handle it?
7. Tell me about yourself.
8. What’s your process for managing your time and prioritizing tasks? 
9. Can you tell me about a time when you had to work together with others to complete a task?
10. What is your favorite McDonald’s menu item to order?
11. In what ways would you contribute to the team here at McDonald’s?
12. What are your thoughts on the future of the fast food industry?
13. What can you tell me about McDonald’s efforts toward sustainability?
14. In your opinion, what are the most important qualities for an employee to be successful at McDonald’s? 
15. When there are disagreements or conflicts within a team, how do you handle it? 
16. When you’re part of a team, what do you do to ensure you work effectively together?
17. Tell me about a time when you had to solve a problem at work.
18. How can you make McDonald’s a better company?
19. When you’re in a stressful environment, how do you keep up a positive attitude?
20. When a customer is visibly upset, what’s your first step to mitigate the situation? 
21. Will you be able to work on weekends or holidays?
22. What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?
23. Why are you interested in working at McDonald’s?

The Bottom Line 

As long as you practice a few of these McDonald’s interview questions and go into the conversation as your best, most authentic self, there’s no doubt you can ace the interview and score a job at McDonald’s.

Taking a little time out of your day to prepare will certainly be worth it. 

Sources

• McDonald’s Corporation: “McDonald’s History.” 
• McDonald’s: “About Us,” “What Shall I Wear to the Interview?”
• McDonald’s New Zealand: “Frequently Asked Questions – Careers at McDonald’s.”
• Indeed: “Questions and Answers about McDonald’s Drug Test.”
• Hiration: “What Are the Most Common McDonald’s Interview Questions of 2022?”