There is a pandemic that has been raging through America that few are actually aware of. For decades, in fact, this disease has affected countless Americans and frankly, its time that something be done about it. We, as human beings, must come together and stop the war on fast food employees.
I have worked in the fast-food industry for five years too long now. My first job was at a Dairy Queen in my hometown back in Delaware. I learned more about people in my first few months there than I had in my entire 17 years of life at that point. The hardest part of the job was not getting the famous curl on a cone right, or blending a blizzard without ripping the cup, it was dealing with customers that treated me as if I were the hamburger wrapper they threw on the ground (with a trashcan close by).
Now, one might think that I must have been taking their behavior too personally, but this is not the case. Over the course of those five years, I have had adults scream at me, cigarette smoke blown in my face, food and trash thrown at me, and even the occasional drunk drive-thru driver. Essentially, I have been mistreated as an individual by those who would probably never have acted in these ways had they known me personally. Now, I know that I am not the spokesperson for all fast-food employees, but I do feel as if few would argue with me when I say that we are some of the most mistreated minimum wage employees out there. We work tirelessly at a job we hate for minimum wage, and the last thing we need are unruly customers that usually have no idea what they’re talking about. Therefore, I have racked my brain to come up with some solutions for you fast food-goers.
When you decide where you would like to purchase elevated cholesterol, you must also decide whether or not you would like to go inside or through the drive-thru. This decision is crucial because there is much more to it than one would think. If you pick entering the establishment, you give yourself all the time in the world to pick a seat and decide what to order. However, if you choose to stay in your car, you should make sure you know exactly what you are getting. You see, the drive thru isn’t just supposed to be fast just for the sake of it. We are kept on a timer as to how long each car has been in the drive-thru from the time they get to the menu, to the time they exit. For my Dairy Queen, we were required to have an average in and out time of three minutes and thirty seconds or less. This is extremely difficult by the indecisive woman and her twenty kids in the drive-thru, which brings me to my next point.
Do not come through the drive through if you are carting around fifty of your best friends. Chances are, they will not be ready but more importantly, the order will become extremely complicated and the drive-thru times will go through the roof. Not to mention that, most of these times, all of you want separate orders because no one likes paying for that one friend who swears to pay you back.
Separate orders in a drive though do not help in any way, shape or form. In fact, it slows us down even more and increases the likelihood that one of the orders will be wrong. Help us help you.
One way to see whether or not you qualify for the drive-thru is guessing how much your order will cost. If you will be buying sixty-three dollars worth the food (and this happens more than you think), then you should not DARE enter the drive thru. Another way to determine if you are drive-thru worthy is by how many items you are purchasing. If the number exceeds what can be put into two bags at the most, you should definitely come inside. Keep in mind, that there are times that we have to meet and we cannot do that if you do everything in your power to make us slower. You will also be holding up a line of other hungry people who will become even more irritable, which is of no consequence to you since you will not have to deal with them when they arrive at the window.
(Picture above: Woman spends $400 in Taco Bell Drive Thru…THE DRIVE THRU)
When interacting with the employees, please put down your phone. We do not like having to figure out whether or not you are speaking to us or to your wife on the phone about your latest prostate exam. Not to mention, that it’s also just a common courtesy to not be on your phone when speaking to another human being. You came to us, not the other way around. What if you’re ordering for the person on the phone you may ask? Have them text you a list and come inside, your phone call can not be that important if you are able to multitask by driving, ordering and counting money.
Yet another way to be a good customer would be to not yell at the very people who are usually not the source of the problem. The prices are controlled by the owner/franchise; the cashier has no sway over the prices. Hey man, we just push the buttons. Also, don’t get offended when we ask for your ID when you claim to be in the military. It’s not that we don’t believe you, it’s just that we don’t believe you. Many people will do whatever they can for a discount of any kind, and I’ve honestly had people lie about this and drive off once you ask for the ID. If the business loses money, people will be fired and that is not something a struggling college student can afford. Please, just humor us and hand us your military ID so we can reward those who truly deserve it.
Also as a common courtesy, please have your money ready at the window. I cannot tell you how many times a customer will get to the window and complain about the wait, only to be scrounging around for their wallet or change. Not only do you look like a hypocritical jerk, but you also hold up the line and if I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it again; We. Are. Timed. When you finally have all of your money together, I can only hope that it is not all change.
Yes mam I have to count all of this before I can give you your food.
Lastly, I beg of you, please do not come right before closing. This can be applied to all businesses, not just fast food. After a long shift, one cannot help but think of getting home and sitting on their tookus as they reevaluate their life. If you come anywhere between five to ten minutes before closing, you will be crushing the very soul of everyone in the restaurant. Closing times are really just a deadline as to when we can officially turn our lights off and lock the doors. The real closing time is ten minutes before. That’s when we have finished up most of our cleaning jobs and are in the process of closing down the grill. So when we hear the patronizing ding of the drive-thru bell two minutes before closing, we die a little inside. It is true that we have to serve you, however, you are being very inconsiderate to the people that really want to go home. If you come through at 10:59 jolly as ever and say “I made it just in time” with a laugh, we will not be laughing with you. We will be giving a sound that resembles an amused chuckle but is actually a repressed sob. Am I being dramatic? Perhaps, but until you have worked in the cold and unforgiving world of fast food, you will just have to take my word for it.
Obviously, there are decent customers who compliment a job well done but this call to action is not for them, it’s for those who have no regard for their own behavior. I have never understood treating people poorly, especially those who handle your food (because that is incredibly trusting of you). As a fast food employee, and fellow American, I realize that we are the fastest people on the planet. I use the term “fast” loosely because I am not referring to whether or not we can outrun Usain Bolt, but that we are constantly on the run. Our time is so precious we forget that those who are not on our schedule are just as human as we are. We forget our manners and how to conduct ourselves when in the presence of those who we only encounter for (hopefully) three minutes and thirty seconds. All that we ask is that you take the time to remember that we’re human too and deserve to be treated as such.