Slow service at fast food chains in Johor Bahru

If you are used to the super duper speed of service in Singapore (especially at the McDonald’s branches in Singapore during peak hours), you could be running out of patience at the fast food chains in Johor Bahru.

While an average ordering time at the counter takes 20 seconds in Singapore, it takes an average of 35 seconds in Johor Bahru (based on my own estimates). While the average time for the food to be placed on the tray takes 30 seconds in Singapore, it takes twice the time at Malaysia!

I was at the McDonald’s Branch at Holiday Plaza 2 weeks ago and the customer at the front of the queue ordered various items totaling RM28.00. Time taken for the McDonald’s staff to take the order: 5 minutes!!!

McDonald's at Holiday Plaza, Johor Bahru

Queue forming up at McDonalds, Holiday Plaza, Johor Bahru

Naturally, I run out of patience and started looking over at the next counter for a possible switch. Unfortunately, the queue is equally slow.

It took another 5 minutes for the order to be served for the customer in front, and another 15 minutes to clear the next few people in front of me before it finally came to my turn. Makes me wonder if this is really FAST food.

Anyway, I ordered an Ayam Goreng set (2 piece chicken meal) and as I was ordering, I can clearly see one staff at the kitchen putting a piece of freshly cooked chicken nugget into his mouth (Mm.. it is ok for them to eat while cooking at the same time?). While waiting for the food to be placed onto my tray, I saw another sight. A McDonald’s delivery man came over to the fries counter, and with his motorbike jacket still on, he scooped the fries onto a paper basket, in preparation for his next delivery! Can delivery people handle food as well?

Fundamentally, there is a large gap in terms of the delivery processes at Fast Food chains across both sides of the causeway. At Johor Bahru, you have to manage your expectations a little and not expect the same speed of service and the stringent controls in place at Singapore.

I have another story to share. At the KFC restaurant (also at Holiday Plaza) in Johor Bahru recently, I Read on…

5 commentsOctober 29th, 2011

MACS Booth at Holiday Plaza!

If you are one of the many Singaporeans whom head to Johor Bahru more than once a month, you will encounter the slight frustration of filling up the white card (or some call it white form) which is required for entry into Johor Bahru. This is even worse if you are traveling with young kids, as YOU will need to fill up their white cards as well.

The Malaysia Automated Clearance System (MACS) has already been introduced years back – it uses a sticker (which is pasted at the back of your passport) that contains a barcode and is scanned by the Malaysia customs officer to expedite the custom clearance. More importantly, it eradicates the need for any white form.

MACS Booth at Holiday Plaza

For a very limited time, you can apply MACS for your entire family at Holiday Plaza, Johor Bahru! From now till 15th Nov 2011 (includes weekends but excludes holidays), from 11am to 7pm daily, the Immigration Department of Malaysian has set up a booth at Holiday Plaza (just outside Guardian pharmacy) to process your application ON THE SPOT. This means that you can also receive the required stickers ON THE SPOT. Application is super fast and does not require any photographs (as they will scan off the photograph image from your passport directly for the MACS sticker).

MACS Brochure

Finally, time to say bye-bye to white cards. And no more cars will be cursing behind you, should you realise that you did not fill up the white card for the entire family only at the Johor Bahru custom booth itself.

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2 commentsOctober 29th, 2011

No cashcard check at Singapore Customs?

Have been receiving many queries on this issue of late from Singapore drivers traveling in to Johor Bahru.

At both Johor Bahru checkpoints (Linkedua and Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail CIQ), just after you have stamped your passport for entry into Johor Bahru, Malaysia, there will be barrier immediately ahead of you where you have to scan your Touch ‘n Go. Once the toll fee is deducted from the Touch ‘n Go, the barrier will lift up and you can then proceed to drive your car into Johor Bahru. If you do not scan your Touch ‘n Go card, the barrier will not lift up and you cannot proceed further until this toll fee is deducted.

Things are done very differently at both Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoint.

Malaysia's Touch 'n Go and Singapore's Cashcard

At both Singapore checkpoints, the barrier is lifted manually by the custom officer processing your passport. While the Singapore custom officer is busy scanning your passport, you are expected to slot your cashcard into the cashcard reader for the toll fee to be deducted. There are occasions when (as feedback by many of our readers), if you had forgotten to slot in your cashcard for the toll fee to be deducted, the barrier will still be lifted as it is done manually by the custom officer. Typically, the custom officers do not check if you had paid the toll fee, nor is there Read on…

Add commentOctober 29th, 2011