Day 153 - 12 Jul 95 - Page 24
1 Q. If, for example, the ketchups, the yield was too low on
2 them and it was because of a blockage, it might be that by
3 watering them down a bit they would flow out more smoothly
4 and you would have less waste?
5 A. That certainly would not be a course of action that we
6 ever would advocate. It would not work, anyway, because if
7 you added water to ketchup then the buns would be all
8 soggy.
9
10 Q. There is normally water within ketchup, is there not?
11 A. There is a certain amount, but the viscosity of the
12 ketchup is predetermined at the factory. If you start
13 adding water actually in the restaurant, then, one, the
14 water, I would imagine, you know, just squirt out
15 everywhere and, secondly, your buns would be all soggy.
16
17 Q. I believe water is one of the main ingredients in tomato
18 ketchup, anyway.
19 A. Sure, but it is mixed at the factory.
20
21 Q. Yes. You are getting ketchup in bulk. We are not talking
22 about tiny little proportions where you would not be able
23 to add any water without it being quite obviously
24 different. Where you are getting ketchup in bulk, it is
25 quite possible for you to add water and to make very little
26 difference or very little noticeable difference to the
27 consumers or the product?
28 A. I would suggest that the product would be noticeably
29 different if you added water to it.
30
31 Q. You could improve or you could save costs on the amount of
32 money that you were spending on cheese slices by cutting
33 down on the amount that went into the cheeseburgers and the
34 Filet-o-fish, but in such a way that customers would not
35 necessarily notice, particularly not if it was the standard
36 practice; there would not be anything unusual for them to
37 notice?
38 A. I think the customers are far more discerning than you
39 would give them credit for, and I think they would notice
40 fairly quickly.
41
42 Q. Not if they had only ever come to the Colchester store and
43 this has always been going on since they have been going
44 there?
45 A. The majority of people that come into McDonald's know
46 what a McDonald's product looks like.
47
48 Q. They might not know the exact size of a piece of cheese
49 that was in the burger?
50 A. They might not know, but it would seem a totally
51 nonsensical way of trying to save money, to me.
52
53 Q. You were given instructions to water down ketchup, mustard,
54 cut the cheese slices, and use less lettuce by Mr. Stanton,
55 were you not?
56 A. No, I was not.
57
58 Q. And you did instruct floor managers and other managers to
59 instruct crew to carry out those measures?
60 A. No, I did not.
