By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: why are people who work in KFC retarded?
no matter where the KFC is, the staff who serve are consistently incompetent?
* unable to speak Chinese to take an order. Any attempt at ordering in Chinese from a foreigner is met with ting bu dong or a blank expression or the wrong result or the next one on the list:
* mutter the word lao wai despite KFC being an American brand
* never have food cooked ready to go e.g. chicken nuggets or breakfast items - always have to wait 4 minutes
* sell HOT orange juice (WTF?)
It is totally a KFC thing. staff in other places like McDonalds seem to know what the F they are doing.
I've noticed that some of the locals just turn their hearing off when they see a foreigner. They're sure you can't speak Chinese so they don't bother even listening, they just say they don't understand. It can be infuriating.
I went to Maccy D's today. Ordered some meal deal that is just a burger and drink. No problem ordering that, changed my drink to Sprite, all went fine. Then I ask how much a small fries is. I get a: "It doesn't come with fries." Yes love, that's why I'm asking how much a small fucking fries is. I had to say I want to order a small fries separate, how much are they? Even my gf was bemused by this afterwards. She didn't cut me off. It wasn't that loud. She just wasn't listening.
But I agree with Quinn68 and Kaiwen. It's not a MacDonald's or KFC problem. You get this all over China. It's just even more infuriating when all you're trying to do is order a small fries.
Shining_brow:
Your specific example may not be a language problem - I've encountered this sort of lack of thinking back home as well. Remember some of the people you are dealing with - who have to work in such places to earn a living. Not the brightest sparks.
Granted, I've also worked in such a place... and felt somewhat out of place (being slightly brighter than some of the others... but I will also say - a few intelligent people there who are just doing an easy brain-dead job, so they don't have to think about the other things that take real thinking!)
xunliang:
Yeah I didn't want to say it. But I agree some of them aren't too bright.
KFC decided to go down the route of totally changing to suite the Chinese market. The menu is totally different to in the west (you can get congee there for crying out loud) and they operate the stores in a Chinese way ie. inefficient and don't give a shit. But it's what the Chinese consumers want/are used to, so that's what they like. Have you ever seen a KFC next to a BK? The KFC will have a line out the door, but the BK will be mostly empty. For almost all foreigners here the decision to go to BK would be a no brainer, but for the Chinese it seems obvious to go to KFC.
Sadly McDonalds recently announced they are going to change their Chinese strategy and will follow the KFC model of local items on the menu and local operating procedures. So if you're after fast food, it looks like BK will soon be the only decent option left.
yeah understand that KFC is kind of like a favourite compared to all the other western fast food ones however i am just always not pleasantly amazed at the low level of intelligence that works in these places when comparing them to the likes of McD's or a BK.
and predict 2-1 Villa with Benteke not scoring.
Shining_brow:
Seriously? Vs Liverpool??? Away??????
I think 3-2 was a lucky escape for you guys!
(btw - yay Spurs doing 4-1 to M.C. :D)
aston.villa.f.c:
have to laugh at the amount of chinese man city 'fans' there are in sports bars in shanghai on saturday nights if a city match is on.
KFC is the lowest of the low in terms of fast food in China, heck even the local chains like Dico's and Wallace are much better.
KFC is where Zhou from Nongtown freshly arrived in the big city goes to feel international and have a taste of Foreignerland food, because as every Chinese know, all Foreign food is fast food.
This is also where Nong parents take their little emperor and assault any laowei who walks in to ask whether they want to teach some English to their spoiled brat, for free of course.
BK or MCD is a no brainer.
I think this incompetence pervades McDonald's's and BK too. At McD's last night last night I ordered my meal in almost perfect Chinese and the guy behind the counter started laughing and, very mockingly, repeated what I said to the other workers. He shook his head and said something about laowai's. I was ready to knock him out at that point. The manager came over and took my order which i repeated exactly the same way. She understood exactly what I said and I got my meal fast. BK for lunch today and had a similar issue. But yeah, BK will hopefully never tailor their menu for the Chinese. Tofu Whopper anyone?
RandomGuy:
You should have done it, they mock you because their poor mind result of substandard education in the PRC is unable to process the idea that a non-Chinese can ever understand "their mysterious and complex language" (so they think of it) beyond a couple of basic words.
I have HSK 6, in other words perfect fluency and I still meet village idiots with miserable existences who've got nothing better to do than to repeat whatever I say using a mocking tone.
This only happens in the PRC, whenever I go to Taiwan or other countries with significant Chinese populations, people understand everything that I say and never ask me to repeat.
Never mind these people, I thank life for I am not them. This unless they hamper me in any way (like your case), then I will confront them verbally, ask them in Mandarin if they have a problem. After that, if they keep being stupid and obstructing my way, which they will because admitting their wrongdoings means losing face, then they let me no other choice than using my fists.
I never go to bar areas and yet I have knocked down a good number of idiots in China, mostly for the aforementioned reason.
Otherwise I just don't get it why such a large number of people in China feel this constant need to single out and mock foreigners for absolutely no valid reason whatsoever beyond us having slightly different facial features. It has to be a very deep rooted insecurity or some shit, I see no other explanation.
Back home it would never come to my mind to mock Asian or Black people just because they look different, or to assume that they can't understand German.
Garbo:
Anytime that happens to me I ask them if the can speak English or any other language and start laughing at them. Plus you can say if they don't like laowais work at a Chinese owned company.
Shining_brow:
I'm surprised you didn't go off your nut! If my Chinese was better, I would totally balls them out! And tell off the manager for hiring such rude people. How many other places in the world is it acceptable - or even tolerated - to openly mock your customers? In public - in front of said customer??
I'm fairly sure that there will be a head office of such companies which will take such BS relatively seriously (though, whether it ever ends up down at the store level is a completely different kettle of fish...).
Chhris:
Randomguy, don't you fear deportation? If you start a fight PRC can charge you with "disturbing the public peace" then put you in jail and eventually deport you.
aston.villa.f.c:
@ Chhris
typical jingoistic cowardice collective mindset. A person is entitled to his opinion and if that includes saying "would love to kick a racist idiot in a western franchise acting like western person should not be there" that is a prerogative.
the problem with people like you is:
a) cannot handle criticism because you are jealous
b) do not know F all about the world
c) want both sides of the coin (communist and charge money for everything from shopping bags to street car parking)
d) up your own arse
all my opinions and stated - empirically. thanks
What is being described here is not unique to fast food outlets. It is typical of customer service standards right across China and in every sector.
I can describe one particular encounter that I had two days ago that shows the same characteristics.
Whilst deleting a piece of trash games software that managed to get onto my laptop, I accidentally also deleted the driver for WIFI. I could have reinstalled the driver myself by using a broadband cable and downloading from the internet. However, I thought it was easier to return the laptop to the Lenovo branch from where it was purchased and let the technician do it. For him, it should have been a two minute job to fix the problem.
Typical scene:
The guy in the service area was in the middle of a computer game, feet on the counter slouched in a chair and smoking a cigarette. I put the laptop on the counter and explained the problem in Chinese (I am pretty fluent in mandarin and use the language on a daily basis in business).
Cue the inevitable "ting bu dong" followed by the childish giggles and looking around for other members of staff to tell them there was a stupid laowai waiting to be served.
Fortunately, a group of four or five teenage girls who were customers in the shop managed to understand every word I said then told the technician exactly what I had said.
Anyway, the technician then proceeds to make what should have been a very quick job look like the hardest task of Hercules. I should have known what was about to come. Had I been Chinese, the charge would have been no more than 10 yuan and most likely within 5 yuan.
I asked how much in Chinese. Amazingly, the guy had no trouble understanding that. He stuck 1 finger in the air. I gave him one yuan. Suddenly, he speaks English and says "no, no, no" and reaches for a calculator. He inputs "100" then shows me. I used a couple of expletives in English that he also knew the meaning of. He inputted "50" and showed it me. I was getting very angry with him at this point so he turned to a guy who I think was his supervisor. That guy said "san shi" which was still too much but I had to get back to my office so I gave him the money.
Chinese customer service at its finest! 
RandomGuy:
Chinese girls are our saviors, they love Foreign guys.
Chinese dudes hate us to death for the above reason.
Kind of funny that all of the foreigners who profess a good grasp of Mandarin seem to have more problems than those who don't.
aston.villa.f.c:
the problems stem from:
a) the worker pretending not to understand either because it is an ignorant / arrogant p.o.s. poorly trained in customer service
or
b) the person trying to communicate in their own language (the foreigner) understands disrespectful comments made by the p.o.s and quite rightly so takes offence considering that he/she is the paying customer.
thats what some of the posters are trying to say Sinobear.
RandomGuy:
Normal you know, those who can't speak any Chinese are ignorant and the more you master the language the more you understand the dominant twisted and extremely racist mindset within Chinese society. It doesn't take too long usually because Chinese are not a very smart people, they will talk rudely about you using racist words straight in your face, making the assumption that you can't understand because you are too dumb. One would wonder who is dumber here. In case of confrontation they will claim that you misunderstood their words or play the victim card because they are cowards. At least if I am ever to make racist comments on someone in German, I won't do so in front of the person automatically assuming that he or she can't understand. Finally I am smarter than them, and it's not very difficult to be so, because I am here taking advantage of the economic development of their country, grabbing a generous portion of a niche market and dodging taxes thanks to existing grey areas. They can assume whatever they want, it doesn't really matter in the end.
I've noticed that some of the locals just turn their hearing off when they see a foreigner. They're sure you can't speak Chinese so they don't bother even listening, they just say they don't understand. It can be infuriating.
I went to Maccy D's today. Ordered some meal deal that is just a burger and drink. No problem ordering that, changed my drink to Sprite, all went fine. Then I ask how much a small fries is. I get a: "It doesn't come with fries." Yes love, that's why I'm asking how much a small fucking fries is. I had to say I want to order a small fries separate, how much are they? Even my gf was bemused by this afterwards. She didn't cut me off. It wasn't that loud. She just wasn't listening.
But I agree with Quinn68 and Kaiwen. It's not a MacDonald's or KFC problem. You get this all over China. It's just even more infuriating when all you're trying to do is order a small fries.
Shining_brow:
Your specific example may not be a language problem - I've encountered this sort of lack of thinking back home as well. Remember some of the people you are dealing with - who have to work in such places to earn a living. Not the brightest sparks.
Granted, I've also worked in such a place... and felt somewhat out of place (being slightly brighter than some of the others... but I will also say - a few intelligent people there who are just doing an easy brain-dead job, so they don't have to think about the other things that take real thinking!)
xunliang:
Yeah I didn't want to say it. But I agree some of them aren't too bright.
I have encountered this before. There is an easy hack.
If they say ting bu dong you say " Are you retarded?" . They always seem to start understanding/ listening then. Say it loud so others can now see him losing face from a laowai.
If they chuckle or laugh you say " What the fuck are you laughing at?"
They lose that smirk instantaneously.
If I wanna continue I usually go along the lines of. This is Guangdong. Have you never seen a foreigner before? Here in the city we are polite. Quickly, go back to your village you peasant.
If they say harroo! Like a little bitch i turn back and say " Are you gay? Do you like my ass? No? Then why do you sound like a little girl? Be a man.
And if they really piss me off and i wouldnt mind a fight i just say " Be careful farmer. I am a rich laowai and I will buy your wife an iphone to suck me off"
I am now mortal enemies of 90 % of my apartment complex but I can now come and go in peace.
Lord_hanson:
I don't know who downvoted you. If people pulled this shit in a country in the majority of posters home countries then they wouldn't stand for it. They seem to let uneducated idiots get away with anything. Have an upvote from me.
mike695ca:
Its not the downvotes tha get me. Its the people that claim I am a liar.Like no way anyone would ever say these things. The Chinese should be feared hahaha.
yongge:
Upvote from me, I like your style. When I get the tingbudong, I ask them where are they from, can't the speak putonghua?
Had an incident the other day at a family mart, where I sometimes buy a hotdog, which costs Y6.50. I asked for an additional sausage and the stupid tried to convince me it is now Y15. I got really pissed off for the open atempt to cheat me, but maybe it was stupidity. Also had a swipe at some of the other customers who made smirk remarks about the laowai being angry. Some choice words came in handy at the time.
aston.villa.f.c:
what i tend to do to counter the laowai remarks in a place that is a western brand i.e. fast food outlet or supermarket such as Tescos etc is point out that it is a laowai brand and laowai items mainly.
on a larger scale I worked out that Chinese people really DO NOT like being laughed at. You can laugh at a made in Chinese only joke / mickey mouse situation that occurs and they will also laugh but if you actually laugh at them in their faces, they will scuttle or at least not try anything else that involves racist comments.
Had something like that in the grocery story. I was checking out, and the cashier (a derpy 20 something) held up a plastic bag and grunted, instead of asking if I wanted to buy a bag. I told him, "不要" (I had my backpack with me).
After ringing up, I waited for him to tell me the price. He motioned to the display. I asked in Chinese what the price was, and he tapped the display, rather than actually tell me.
In those cases, I just say something like, "
我现在知道了. 你不会说普通话."
Not saying I'm fluent by a damn sight, but numbers are not beyond my ken.
It's the shitty "Our language is so far above your primitive intellect
as to render any attempt for you to learn futile"
attitude that pisses me off.
Shining_brow:
I do the same thing! Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often, but I'm in a city with a sizable amount of foreigners, so they're probably more used to us having at least some Chinese.
So, yeah, I do ask them "Don't you speak Chinese?" (obviously, not in English! :p)
I do like a few of the places I go to where the staff are used to me, still use Chinese, but also accept that sometimes I won't understand... and not get impatient! But then, I also get the ones who know my Chinese isn't too great, and so they absolutely refuse to say anything at all. (granted, maybe their just generally grumpy and angry to everyone and everything!!)
Rather ironic, in a sense, that taxi drivers always say how much, instead of just pointing to the meter!
really people they make 7 rmb an hour and for all u brillant people that thunk u can speak chinese just point on the menu poof no problem
Shining_brow:
I am poor - so I'm allowed to be rude and insulting to customers...
No, I don't think so!!!
bat22:
guess u reaaly dont get it do u let mr explain there to unedeucated and really dont know there being rude ok
As I already write several times here, specially at KFC I never get any order correctly delivered, and always wait too long time for anything. And ding bu dong is solved by pointing on menu usually. Anyway I decided not to go there again, because food is crap , more expensive than McD or BK, And service sucks the Chinese way.
I feel that KFC is quite popular here and it has more penetration in Chinese market than McDonalds.
The net result is that KFC in China is Chin-ised.
Therefore, the service hat you get is same as in other Chinese restaurants, rather than Americanised.
Love it or leave it .
estern:
KFC being more Chinasised is the cause of them having more penetration. Not the result.
I got some KFC again last night and was reminded again of this thread.
Firstly, I only buy KFC on Tuesdays, as the following days are the only ones in which I have enough available time to spend on the toilet. I have a pretty strong stomach, but KFC gets me every time.
So, as I entered, I already knew what I wanted, just two pieces of chicken, which cost Y19. The panicked fluttered when she saw a foreigner and called the manager. Their first thought was to get me a menu so they don't have to talk to me. Surprise, surprise, they couldn't find one and another attendant casually said she threw them away. I was getting pissed off, because they ignored me, and in no uncertain terms I told them what i want and that I don't need a menu. My Chinese is quite good enough for everyday situation, but the attendant nevertheless tingbudonged and tried to speak broken English to me, until I had to ask her, in Chinese, if she can understand putonghua. Blank stare, overwhelmed by seeing a foreigner. Eventually I showed her a picture of a chicken leg, which the manager understood. But, said he, I had to wait for ten minutes as they are still frying chicken legs. I told them other pieces would be OK, since the shelf was full of breasts, but nobody thought about that. Eventually the penny dropped.
Why must it be such a mission to get a simple thing? Rhetorical question, of course
aston.villa.f.c:
i doubt this recollection is a genuine one. unless you live in outer Chengdu.
yongge:
Actually it is real and not an isolated incident either. What makes you think it is not real? BTW, I live in Jiangsu, considered by many to be a bit more"advanced" than the rest.
The food in KFC is not to be eaten. There's just nothing they sell that one would want to eat, imo.
However the coffee isn't bad at all, and worth the six kuai it costs. I go there about every 8 months to have a coffee.
There's no Macca's or Burger KIng in my city but if there were I doubt I'd go there much at all. There is a new Pizza Hut, but that place is extremely expensive and for the life of me I don't understand the attraction.
I had Dicos once in Urumqi and it left a poor impression.
All in all I don't prefer to eat that kind of crap.
What I miss most is gala. In Qingdao I could eat it every other day. And I pretty much did.
