How Long Do You Take To Order At Fast Food Places?

[BarkingGhostar]

Was in McDonald's the other day with the wife. Quick bite. Only one customer in front of me ... orderings for six. She spent $60. Holy shit and she took at least ten minutes while I was there and was there ordering before I had arrived.

How the F- hard is it to know what you want before waling into a FAST food joint? But this would have been much worse had I been behind her/them in the drive through without the ability to give up and go somewhere else.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Indecision is nothing compared to the 'special' people. I'm talking about the legion of folks who have NEVER ordered anything straight off a menu in their entire lives. They always have to make a substitution, leave something out or, ask for an item to be prepared differently. They do this whether they're at Jack in the Crack or, per se in nyc. These 'special' people should all be burned at the stake, followed home so you can slap their mother and, forced to buy all their food from 7-11.

 

[IronWing]

Indecision is nothing compared to the 'special' people. I'm talking about the legion of folks who have NEVER ordered anything straight off a menu in their entire lives. They always have to make a substitution, leave something out or, ask for an item to be prepared differently. They do this whether they're at Jack in the Crack or, per se in nyc. These 'special' people should all be burned at the stake, followed home so you can slap their mother and, forced to buy all their food from 7-11.

We went to dinner at an Indian restaurant last night. The couple at the next table ordered tandoori chicken among other stuff. The woman started complaining that the restaurant had changed the recipe and that the chicken wasn't the same as it had been. She kept eating it while complaining. The waiter ended up taking the chicken off her bill even though she ate it just to shut her up.

 

[cbrunny]

The funniest thing about this phenomenon is that the menu hasn't changed. Ever.

 

[CZroe]

Every now and then I have to ask them to wait a moment while I look at the menu, but I'm usually extremely self conscious that I am holding up the line. The longer it takes for me to get to the menu the more angry I get at the inconsiderate people in front of me so I've usually rehearsed my order to take only seconds by the time I get to the speaker. The employees usually seem to appreciate it.

 

[IronWing]

The funniest thing about this phenomenon is that the menu hasn't changed. Ever.

You missed the ranch taco pretzel bun!

 

[CZroe]

Hysteria. Misinformation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o6Hh6tQj2w

I wish they would have explained to simpletons that those ingredients aren't as processed/artificial as they sound. For example, Dextrose is just sugar. Sure, people should know that, but to most it is just like calling water Dihydrogen Monoxide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkhhCi7nMFI

100% chicken, as in, whatever is in that box that says "100% Chicken" on it, which is the name of the company that makes it. :biggrin: The food industry uses a lot of trickery like that to misslead people.

Another fun one, when a product says it's made with something, it only needs to contain 2% of that something. Fruit juice is notorious for that. It's basically sugar, water, some various chemicals to give it taste and colour, and 2% fruit. "Made with real fruit!".

Stop spreading this FUD :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua5PaSqKD6k

 

[jumpncrash]

I chose I am a raging moron, but I don't go to fast food, but I can't imagine taking more than 30s to order, I mean how complicated can it be?

 

[ninaholic37]

I voted "I am a raging moron" but I meant "raging" to mean "extremely fast" which makes me come across as a moron because normal people order slow and think anyone who isn't normal is a moron even if they make more sense.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

When I worked there, we pumped the deep fryer oil through a filter and topped it off as needed. I don't recall being there for a complete oil change.

I worked at MickyD's in my teens and they had the oil filter machines that used diatomaceous earth. Oil would be good for a couple of cleaning cycles, then we would replace it with brand new oil. SeaWorld did the same thing when I worked there at the Captain's Table. No doubt there are regulations in place that dictate how often the fryer oil must be changed.

My recent visit to a fast food place was last Monday; Taco Bell. Hadn't been to one in probably 3 years but knew exactly what I wanted when I pulled up to the drive-thru.

As far as slow people, it is my luck, or curse, to be stuck behind them in so many capacities (at the store, while driving, the bank, golfing). It used to piss me off. Over the years I have learned to accept my fate. Never owning a gun has probably kept me out of jail while learning to accept that fate too.

 

[Banana]

Which is why 99% of the time I go inside even if there's a drive thru. Only time I go through the drive thru is if there's no one else in it. One person can screw is up for everyone.

The best (fastest) employees work the drive through. Seems like the inside cashiers are newbies.

 

[thedarkwolf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHnTocdD7sk

Seems like a good time to post Weird Al's Trapped in the Drive-Thru

 

[WelshBloke]

Hysteria. Misinformation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o6Hh6tQj2w

Totally not processed and made from easily identifiable whole parts of chicken.

 

[BD231]

I think the real question is, how long does it take for the fast food worker to intentionally f*ck up your order.

 

[John Connor]

Every damn time I go to Taco Bell the line is long as fuck in the drive thru. People taking their sweet ass time. You just want to hit them upside the head with a baseball bat and say, "order already you dumb ass!"

When I was in high school I worked at BK and I can't tell you how many stupid people would order something then cancel it, add pickles, no, don't add pickles, etc, etc. It boggles the mind. I think people pay closer attention to what they are ordering at a damn fast food restaurant than they do when they go to vote!

Ugh!

 

[BD231]

True. I have nothing to compare it to but it definitely feels like there's a sense of excitement in the ordering process, probably cus I know there's some asshole behind me.

 

[Nebor]

I virtually always go inside, since I don't eat in the car and I don't eat if I'm in a hurry. I've had a few drive thru situations where some whale of a woman is ordering a wheelbarrows worth of food and modifying each item as she orders. So not only does it take forever for her to order, but also for them to make her order.

A few months ago I was standing in line at Taco Bell behind a 70-something year old woman that was by herself, and had never been to a Taco Bell before. "Oh dear, now what is a cha-luh-pah?"

THe order ahead apps for Taco Bell and Starbucks doesn't work here, because nothing works in Hawaii. Pizza Hut here is inexplicably not even the same company as the one in the mainland. So the app won't find the stores.

 

[CZroe]

Totally not processed and made from easily identifiable whole parts of chicken.

Did you gloss right over the parts where they showed and identified exactly what easily identifiable whole parts of chicken were used or is your complaint really that they ground it up right after? Granted, grinding up the best white meat parts of the chicken seems like a total waste to me, but it sounds like you were expecting chicken strips or something.

They showed the grinder and the grinding plate and talked about how course the grind was. They showed the parts of the chicken that go into it. WTF else do you want? Unground nuggets?!

Your objection seems to be based purely on grinding. I don't see anyone demanding cuts of steak on burgers because they couldn't determine/identify the parts of the cow in their ground beef.

To complain that the chicken in nuggets is ground is like complaining that oranges and apples are juiced. Where are the easily identifiable whole parts of the apple in your apple juice?!

 

[DrPizza]

How the F- hard is it to know what you want before waling into a FAST food joint? But this would have been much worse had I been behind her/them in the drive through without the ability to give up and go somewhere else.

It's hard when you don't have the menu memorized, because you don't go to a fast food place more than 2 or 3 times a year.

 

[matricks]

I don't have a car, so always inside. Less than 30 seconds. I read the menu before I get in line, preferably on my phone ahead of time.

We have a baguette/sub sandwich shop here, which only has one till at the start of the counter, and as your order is prepared you walk along the counter to pick your veggies and whatnot. I'd guess it's a common format, but for the sake of clarity: you go to the till and order the "wrapper" (sub, tortilla wrap or toast), meat (chicken, meatballs, ham, lots of variants) and extras (cheese, extra meat). You pay, and walk along and tell the next person what free stuff (veggies, sauces) you want in it (and repeat your order if there is lots of traffic).

Even if they have an infinite line of regulars in front of them to learn from, who all know how the system works and how to order efficiently, there are people who can't grasp this concept even if it would win them a billion dollars. They will tell the cashier their entire order, some veggies they want, where they want the veggies placed, that they don't want tomatoes, why they don't want tomatoes, and at least two accounts of how they severly messed up their order five years ago. Only to repeat it again to the next person who actually deals with veggies.

I've seen this happen with families, two parents and four kids. The number of seconds a kids order is consistent is equal to how many years old said kid is. If you are a happy couple, for the love of god don't bring your kids with you to place your order. If you can't keep track of six orders in your head, tell your family to order less complicated, or eat cheaper at home and buy memory games for the money you saved.

 

[Newell Steamer]

It's hard when you don't have the menu memorized, because you don't go to a fast food place more than 2 or 3 times a year.

Beef or chicken on some sort of bread item with french fries is what it boils down to.

You've got salads as well.

::mic drop::

Oh wait,..

:icks mic back up::

Sandwich shops I can understand taking more time. I am bitching and moaning over McDonalds like places.

:laces mic back on floor::

 

[nageov3t]

at any fast food/takeout restaurant, I generally stand back and away from the queue until I know what I want.

 

[Axon]

I wish they would have explained to simpletons that those ingredients aren't as processed/artificial as they sound. For example, Dextrose is just sugar. Sure, people should know that, but to most it is just like calling water Dihydrogen Monoxide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkhhCi7nMFI


Stop spreading this FUD :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua5PaSqKD6k

I'm a plaintiff's attorney. If McDonald's was lying about the content of their chicken nuggets, their liability would be sky high (And I'd be making a fortune leading the consolidated litigation or class action).

 

[poofyhairguy]

I voted the moron option, because I go to the same fast food places all the time and I know what the questions are going to be. Before they can even speak I tell them what I want in the order of the buttons they have to hit on the machine. Normally the only question they get out (sheepishly) is:

"So....you ...uh....been here before I guess?"

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Which is why 99% of the time I go inside even if there's a drive thru. Only time I go through the drive thru is if there's no one else in it. One person can screw is up for everyone.

Because quite often the line inside is much much much much much much much shorter than the drive-thru because American's are too fat and lazy to go inside. It's like a secret club that few people know about: Go inside... and you might just get treated like a king and get to pass everyone.

As far as the OP goes, I don't go to "old style" fast food places (Mcdonalds, etc..). Outside of Starbucks on occasion I don't go anywhere with a drive-thru.

I do however go to places like Chipotle, burrito places, etc... which I still categorize as fast food (my definition is any place that doesn't have a waiter/waitress wait on you = fast food). I try my best to determine everything I want prior to making it to the front of the line. However some point along the way of the 10 things I have to say I want on my burrito bowl I might forget one and ask them to go back and grab that real quick.