Hmm. I’m torn. Do I not bump the zombie or do I contribute because I’d actually missed this thread the first time around?
::Throws caution to the wind::
I’ve never worked fast food but worked in the theater business for about a dozen years and so much is similar here.
People standing in line for 15 minutes, get to the front of the line, are told how much they are expected to pay, then act baffled. God, at least have your wallet out! Sometimes (when I worked a multi-screen) people would stand in line for ages, get to the front of the line, THEN have a conversation about what they wanted to see.
The same stupid jokes and complaints over and over. The guy who scrunches down saying “I’m under 12!” in a lame attempt to get a child’s ticket. I started saying “That’s not age, it’s inches” (meaning tall) until a guy said “I’m under 12” - wanna see?" WHOOPS! Another “fave” are the people blurting “$XXX! I remember when it only cost $XX!” Me too, so what? I was in the worst mood one day and some guy pulled that on me and I said “Yeah, but it costs more now because there’s sound.” (His kid said “Oh man, she burned you good.”)
When I worked a single screen theater there was a dinky concession stand that was barely big enough for two people to work behind it. On nights we were expecting it to be busy we would transfer popcorn from the popper into a heated bin on the other side of the stand so both workers could scoop without being underfoot of the other. (Soda fountain in the middle.) People would actually watch us transfer popcorn from the popper to the bin THREE FEET away then demand corn from the popper, not the bin, because it was “fresher”. 
Then there were the conspiracy theorists. At one super high-volume multi-screen I worked at there was a separate room for popping the corn upstairs and it was one persons job to literally just pop corn all night, scooping it into bags which would be brought down to the concession stands and put in the bins. One guy insisted the corn wasn’t fresh because we obviously had it shipped in in bags like that.* Yes. Because having popcorn shipped in by the truckload is so much more cost effective than popping it on site. :rolleyes: I said “well you can SMELL we pop it here, right?” He replied that we pumped that smell in somehow. Then there were the usual paranoid complaints of “You oversalt the popcorn so you’ll sell more drinks!” as if people buy a popcorn and no drink then rush out of the theater PARCHED demanding an extra large of anything wet.
Hey, guy who came to see the movie “Live, Nude, Girls” 6 times in one week: you are creepy. Even I only saw the Justin Bieber movie ONCE. Have a little shame. There are other theaters showing it; at least go through the motions! (I know enough to rotate my vodka buying between four different stores so as to not make people uncomfortable.)
Regarding fast food:
I usually preface my order with “I’ll have…” Now I’m concerned that that’s rude - is it?
I also prefer the taste of Diet Coke over the syrupy taste of regular. I’m fat and not delusional about it. It’s just what I’m used to.
Re: bussing tables in the US - the only fast food restaurant that used to have table bussing was Wendy’s, and even they did away with that 15 or more years ago. The only (borderline) fast food place I can think of where you’re expected to leave your dishes is Fuddruckers. (High end burger joint.) Since the point has been made “If they buss, you tip” I’m going to start leaving a tip. It had honestly never occurred to me to do so before since there aren’t actual servers. (They call you up to a counter to get your food.)
I guess I’m just used to picking stuff off my food, but I never EVER make a special order. I don’t like tomato/lettuce on my sandwich but assume it’s easier/faster for the workers to make it the way they’re used to and for me to flick off what I don’t want on the receiving end. Obviously, if you’re allergic to mayo or something by all means hold the mayo, but the whole “This but not that, extra whatever, substitute etc…” God, go to a sit-down restaurant where they have time for that crap. (And even then, I’m apologetic about it: “I’m sorry, but would it be possible to get fruit instead of eggs?”) That having been said, I think it’s odd that a request to cut a burger in half is such an onerous task. I usually cut mine in half myself because I guess at places where the burgers are that large, they actually provide knives so you can do it on your own.
Regarding regulars expecting to be recognized…I’m actually usually SHOCKED when people remember what I usually order. I’m kinda…uh…distinctive-looking I guess, (or order very strange things, lol.) I’m flattered when someone actually remembers me.
And my number one peeve that no one has mentioned yet: DON’T CHANGE YOUR KID’S DIAPER
ON THE TABLE!!!
I have honest-to-god seen this.
*Oddly enough, years later when the company started selling air-popped corn in addition to the regular it was shipped in from someplace. In that instance whenever someone ordered it I informed them it wasn’t popped onsite every time. Most of the time people didn’t care.
