If you can’t spell, you look like a moron. And you make other people look like morons, too.

I managed McDonald’s restaurants from 1986-1991, 1991-1993 and 1995-1999. During those years, I was arrested and tried for a crime that I did not commit (ending my first stint with the company), robbed at gunpoint (ending my second stint) and worked full time and oftentimes overtime in order to put myself through college.

Quite a busy five years to say the least.

I finished my McDonald’s career at a restaurant near my college, and I still visit the restaurant often. In exchange for the occasional equipment repair or bit of technical advice, I often receive a free breakfast.

Call it an Egg McMuffin retainer of sorts.

I am proud of the work that I did for McDonald’s. It was incredibly challenging, terribly undervalued, occasionally dangerous, socially crippling but also very rewarding. I was given the opportunity to help non-English speaking immigrants work their way from poorly-paid cook to less-poorly-paid manager, and more importantly, find confidence in themselves and their abilities.

Some still manage McDonald’s restaurants today. Others have moved onto bigger and better things.

They were all great people.

Some of the best that I have ever known.

Which is why a sign like this makes me crazy.

Inconvince?

Invintory?

Is it too much to ask for the manager to use the spell-check before posting a sign like this for hundreds of customers to see?

While McDonald's is hardly an ideal or preferred career path for most Americans, I learned a great deal during my years spent managing restaurants, including the importance of delegation, personal connections, follow-up, perspective and hard work.

It may sound unrealistic and naive, but I believe that the skills learned while managing McDonald's restaurants would allow me to manage almost any business today.

These are lessons that I continue to use today. Every day.

So when I see a sign like this, I get a little crazy. It only serves to preserve the stereotype that McDonald’s is staffed by morons.

The next day I went through the same drive-thru and was pleased to see that the sign has been replaced.

My only question:

Which is it? Are they closing for invintory or equipment maintenance?

Why the disparity between the two signs?

Thanks, McDonald’s. Making yourself (and your managers) look stupid once again.