McDonald’s mayhem: Global online services grind to a halt

Photo courtesy of KhaoSod English

McDonald’s, the global fast food titan, has been left reeling after a major technical glitch sent shockwaves across its chain, leaving customers hungry and frustrated. The culprit? A third-party provider’s blunder, not cyber-criminals as feared.

The chaos unfolded during a routine configuration change, causing a system-wide outage that crippled operations in the fast food giant’s key markets like the UK, Australia, and Japan. Stores found themselves unable to process orders, leaving burger lovers in the lurch.

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McDonald’s Chief Information Officer, Brian Rice, reassured that the problem was not caused by online fraudsters.

“Thankfully, this wasn’t a cyber attack but a glitch triggered by a third-party provider’s misstep during a system tweak.”

Despite the reassurance, the outage wreaked havoc, with reports flooding in from across the globe. In the UK and Australia, operations ground to a halt as systems froze, leaving customers staring at closed signs. Meanwhile, in Japan, staff resorted to old-fashioned pen-and-paper methods as digital systems failed.

Sarah McLean, a franchise owner in the Midlands, described the ordeal.

“We couldn’t serve anyone for about an hour and a half. It was a frustrating experience, to say the least.”

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Social media erupted with complaints as users vented their frustrations.

“Why can I order through the app when my local McDonald’s is closed?”

Fortunately, as the day progressed, signs of recovery emerged. By afternoon, most issues were being resolved, and McDonald’s outlets were slowly reopening their doors to hungry patrons.

In Japan, stores gradually resumed operations, with some resorting to cash-only transactions as electronic systems remained down. Down Under, McDonald’s Australia expressed gratitude to customers for their patience as normal service resumed, reported BBC News.

However, the outage left a bitter taste for many.

A customer in New Zealand lamented, that kiosks and drive-thru places also succumb to the technological gremlins.

“The McDonald’s outage is crazy. A system failure on this scale is unacceptable.”

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Puntid Tantivangphaisal

Originally from Hong Kong, Puntid moved to Bangkok in 2020 to pursue further studies in translation. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Hong Kong. Puntid spent 8 years living in Manchester, UK. Before joining The Thaiger, Puntid has been a freelance translator for 2 years. In her free time, she enjoys swimming and listening to music, as well as writing short fiction and poetry.

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