Sunday, March 02, 2008

Fast food disapointments- BK Paraparaumu

Usually Burger King are reliable- the burgers are the best mass-produced fast food out there- and in this case they were of the usual acceptable standard for factory fodder.

HOWEVER- the Paraparaumu BK itself proved to be a poorly run example of why we have Council lackeys inspecting such places (without any effect, of course)

This place had low standards, which they failed to achieve. The floor looked like they were experimenting with using soft drink residue to increase traction and reduce slip hazards. It reminded me of the Trentham Camp Baggies Bar, where years of coagulated beer prevented one slipping over when wearing Nomads and one walked with a squelching sound.

Normally a BK is sparking and a model of cleanliness. This one was grimy- the buildup of filth on the window frames gave evidence that this was an on-going problem. The aged piece of lettuce on the back of my seat had obviously been there for some time, going by it's advance state of decomposition. (it was grey)

We arrived at noon. During the extended wait while they stuffed up a simple order, a slattern arrived to clear the tables of debris and spread the bacteria evenly with a sponge that had not been recently acquainted with hot water or disinfectants.

The children's play area had been overrun with feral kiddies who gave indications of having passed puberty, even if they had never hit the median score on an IQ test.

The soft drink station was awash with spilled crud and scattered straws. An endless precession of the mindless continued to fill assorted containers- non purchased on the premises with the sugared stimulant of choice. The staff seemed oblivious to this.

As is not uncommon, I had to badger the minimum wage workers for the remainder of our order that they had previously agreed to deliver [insert Tui ad here]

Now all the other BK's I have patronized have been good- clean and efficient and this is not to say I recommend avoiding them- just that hole of pestilence at Paraparaumu!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The McDonalds up the road from there
is vastly superior particularly in service. The owner operators are excellent business people.

Oi said...

Personally, I prefer McDonalds any day. [May have something to do with all that ½ price stuff ES get] but seriously, Burger King outlets have always appeared grubby to me - and one I went to in Christchurch Central, mustve been the outlet your Paraparam one modelled itself on!
I was waiting with interest, to see if an army of cockroaches came out to clean the floor.

Panday said...

OB,

Looks as if you're feeling better, which is good news.

In case you miss it, I left a comment for you over at Meddlers in Time regarding knives.

Oh, and I'd love to see more Back Country Photos if you're up and about again. ;-)

Cheers,
Stephen

Oswald Bastable said...

I need to get out and take a few more photos, but the site is back in action!

Lucia Maria said...

That particular BK has been going downhill for a couple of years now. We've given up on it completely. It's far safer going to the mall.

Anonymous said...

You need a Burger Fuel down there, I've been to most of the ones in Jafaland and I've always been served great food in a clean environment by people with an equivalent grasp of her majesty's....

Anonymous said...

i disagree with paraparaumu needing a burger fuel, have you been down there? along that road, (all in a row) is kfc, cobb and co, what used to be a nandos(has now gone) then we have mcds and bk, is there really point in putting another food outlet in???? i think what it all comes down to is the main manager there. she needs to learn how to actually run the place properly... but just my opinion.