Source: 田畑誠治 Seiji Tabata (@slugman.name) - image used with permission

Ordering a free smile at McDonald’s Japan: Difference in illustrations “cracks up” TikTok

Although it has disappeared from McDonald's locations in many other countries, one of the services still offered by McDonald's Japan is the free "Smile."

As a gesture of hospitality, McDonald's Japan asks employees to deliver "a big smile" to customers who order it.

If you eat in the store, the staff will smile for you in person, but when it comes to deliveries, they provide the service by drawing a smiley face on the bag!

Here is an episode from 田畑誠治 Seiji Tabata (@slugman.name), who sings, performs and teaches shuffle dancing, and counts traveling and boxing among his wide range of activities.

Tabata likes to buy a free smile along with his food and drink order from Uber Eats.

But he noticed that the smiley face illustrations are different depending on the staff who draws them.

What kind of difference? See for yourself:

@slugman.name 女性の素敵さがよくわかるスマイル0円#shuffledance #kyoto #マクドナルド #スマイル #素敵な女性 #fypシ ♬ dźwięk oryginalny - ?‍♀️Zodiakara?‍♀️

In the clip, Tabata shows paper bags, presumably from two different orders.

On one was an illustration of a cute smiling figure, maybe a rabbit or a girl with a ribbon, complete with red blush marks, and a big sun, along with the words "Thank you."

The other had a simple smiley face with eyes and a mouth!

In his caption, Tabata guesses the first one is drawn by a female employee and the second one by a male employee.

The video elicited comments such as:

"The first one is too cute, I'd fall in love..."
"Now that's god-level service"
"I actually like the second one, I think it's cute."
"This cracked me up!"
"What if it turns out that the first one was illustrated by a man and the second by a woman?"
"It's not about the gender of the employee, it's about their ability to draw."

If you're in Japan, it could be interesting to see what kind of smiley face you'll get when you order McDonald's for delivery!

In addition to TikTok, Tabata also posts his daily life on YouTube and Instagram. If you're curious, check them out too!

By - grape Japan editorial staff.