Fast Food Hell

The BBQ Pit
1

I don’t normally do fast food, but sometimes I have a craving for Burger King. Today was one of those. BK’s double whopper with cheese is the only fast-food burger I really like; so I went there.

I went to the BK across the parking lot and got a #2 Medium to go. For those of you who (blessedly) aren’t familiar with the BK lexicon, that’s a double whopper with cheese, smallest size of fries and a soda. I get mine catsup and mayo only. The clerk entered the order correctly (I watched), repeated it over the microphone into the kitchen correctly and gave me back correct change.

I got my soda, napkins, etc., and wandered back over to the counter to wait for my burger. One of the girls who worked there asked, in a very friendly tone, “What are you waiting for, sir?” I told her. She went over to the fry area and called out the order to the kitchen workers again. About a minute later, the clerk who took my order did the same thing. Since the place wasn’t busy, you’d have thought it a) wouldn’t take too long and b) would come out right.

The girl grabbed my burger off the slide when it came down, popped it in a bag with the fries and bid me good day. I moved the fries aside to make sure I got the right burger. Sure enough, the catsup and mayo icons were circled. However, I did not unwrap the thing to check the number of patties. I headed back over to the office with my guilty indulgence, got to my desk, took everything out and - lo and behold! - it’s a single whopper, not a double.

“Shit,” I mumbled to myself. I decided to walk back over to the store and have them give me the right burger. The store is only 300 or so yards from my office; so it wasn’t that big a deal. I walked over, went up to the counter, handed the clerk (same guy) the bag and said, “You gave me a regular whopper. I ordered a double.”

Manager: (Turning around) Do you have your receipt?

Me: I wasn’t given one.

Manager: We always include receipts with the order in case there’s a problem. If you don’t have one, we can’t help you.

Me: (Keeping voice even) I wasn’t given one.

Manager: Sir, my people are trained to include a receipt with every order. You must have been given one.

Me: (to clerk) I’m not trying to put you on the spot here, but do you specifically remember giving me a receipt."

Clerk: I’m not sure.

Manager: Every order gets a receipt. You had to have gotten one.

Me: Look, receipt or no, I ordered a double whopper with cheese, catsup and mayo only, to go. He entered a double whopper with cheese, catsup and mayo only, to go. She, (pointing at the girl who helped with my order) told the kitchen a double whopper with cheese, catsup and mayo only, to go. He (pointing back to clerk) told them again a double whopper with cheese, catsup and mayo only, to go, and I got a single whopper with cheese, catsup and mayo only, to go. I’m not trying to screw you out of a hamburger patty, lady, but I would like to get what I ordered and paid for. Do you remember taking that order ten minutes ago?

Clerk: Y-

Manager: (To clerk) Don’t answer him! (To me) If you special ordered the sandwich and your special order came out, I’m pretty sure the mistake wasn’t ours. You must have said a whopper by mistake instead of a double whopper.

Me: Then why bloody fuck did two of your people enter the order and repeatedly tell the kitchen it was a double? Look, my order was number 94. The amount was $5.17. That’s the cost of a #2 medium with cheese, not a #1 medium with cheese. Think you can get this order hooked up correctly now?"

Manager: You don’t have a receipt. You WERE given a receipt and I can’t give you a free sandwich. (She turned and walked back toward the office.)

Clerk: (after the manager closes the office door) I’m sorry, man. I’d like to help you out, but if she finds out I’d get in major trouble.

Me: Not your problem, although now I really wish you’d given me a receipt. Thanks.

Clerk: I’m really sorry if I didn’t. It won’t happen again.

I dug the fact that this kid making minimum or slightly better was actually considerate enough to apologize.

I jotted down the regional office number from the sign next to the cash register, left, and came back to the office to eat my now cold burger and fries. I called the number. The girl who answered the phone listened and said, “Wow. It sounds like SHE’s having a really bad day. Is there anything else I can for you today?” To me, this implied that by simply listening to my complaint she felt she had somehow DONE SOMETHING for me.

Me: I don’t know. Send me a coupon for a free double whopper with cheese? Send a group of burly men in trench coats to Tonya Harding this bitch in front of the entire restaurant during the noon rush? Maybe, and this may sound novel, DO something.

Her: We just log complaints, sir. We aren’t authorized to make corrections.

Me: Then who is?

Her: My manager. He’ll take a look at the complaint and get back to you. In the meantime, can you fax over a copy of your receipt. That’ll really help.

Me: <click>

2

I guess the moral of the story is to get a friggin’ receipt at Burger King. Geez what a bunch of morons…

Good story man.

3

I don’t mean to make light of what must have been a pretty aggravating lunch hour for you – but I’m giggling my ass off over here.

4

Twice, I’ve had to pull around from the drive through to get my order done correctly. Once, they tried to double charge me for my order. A good friend of mine says that bad service at Burger King means that the economy is doing well as INTELLIGENT people aren’t working there. Small solace when I want what I paid for without having to extreme measures to accomplish it.

5

I, too, am having Jack’s reaction.

When I get in a mood, I won’t let up. Demand your right as an egocentric customer. Ask the complaint woman to put you through to her manager, and have something done about it right damn now. I really like the burly men suggestion, though! Hmmm… maybe you should have Arnold take them on.

6

For Pete’s sake, Jack, if I weren’t able to laugh about it (albeit through clenched teeth) I’d have gone wiggy on them. My purpose in writing the OP was both to vent and to amuse. I feel vented. You’re amused. Mission accomplished.

7

It was to highlight the only intelligence I encountered in this situation to note that the line workers (Clerk and Girl) did everything right and were professional and courteous. It’s my sincere hope, given that both looked to be in their late teens, that this is just a college/summer job for them and they’re on their way to bigger and better things.

I like the theory of proportionality between BK and intelligence, but I’d through in a caveat to read BK management

8

And here I was thinking the McDonalds near my house was bad just because they have forgotten something (usually something for the youngest child, too) every single damn time we’ve gone there. At least they never demanded a receipt before correcting the problem.

9

Ya know, after reading all these stories I’m starting to wonder if maybe it isn’t something with Burger King. The BK near where I used to live ALWAYS screwed up your drive-through order. I think they figured that people going through the drive-thru were in too much of a hurry to go back and demand that their order be corrected. And I’m not just talking one hamburger instead of two. I’m talking, I ordered fries and got onion rings instead. And no, it didn’t only happen when it was busy. You could be the only car there and they’d give you something wrong. We stopped going there eventually.

10

How to get a free upgrade from Single Whopper to Double Whopper at Burger King:

  1. Order a Double Whopper. Save receipt. Consume Double Whopper. Mmmm, delicious Double Whopper.

  2. Order a Single Whopper. Discard receipt.

  3. Return to Burger King brandishing Double Whopper receipt and wave Single Whopper under manager’s nose.

What a bunch of jerks. It costs them, what, 30 cents to make you a new hamburger?

11

[Joe Pesci voice]
Never go to the drive-thru! You know why? Because they always fuck you at the drive-thru!
[/Joe Pesci voice]

12

I don’t normally get nasty to people in any service industry, but I did have an experience similar to yours. I drove through McDonalds, ordering a double quarter pounder with cheese, plain and dry. Fortunately, I checked it before I drove away; it was indeed plain, but it was a single rather than a double.

So, I went back through the drive through, told them that I had ordered a double with cheese only, and handed the burger back to the guy at the window.

The slack-jawed hammerskull at the window examines the burger and tells me that they’re out of the double quarter pounder wrappers (as if the WRAPPER was why I’d just waited through the drive through a second time). I said, “That’s not a double, dude.” He responded, “Sir, you don’t have to get rude, I’m not a cook.” To which I replied, “Well, can you count to two?” (I do not tolerate being called rude when I think I’m being perfectly civil.)

Were it not for the fact that they’d already taken my money, I would have just left. grrrr…

13

My story…but it’s McDonald’s, not BK.

I went to the drive-thru to get lunch for two of the Kinseylets. I ordered a QP meal and a Happy Meal. The total was $7.02. I looked in my wallet, saw a couple of ones, a ten and a twenty. I gave the cashier $10.02. Easy, right?
She gave me a look like I’d asked her to explain the theory of relativity. She handed me back the ten and said, “It’s only $7.02, not $10.02.”
I said, “Yes, I know, I can give you $10.02 or $20.02, which is easier for you?”
The poor thing was so freaking confused. She wanted either $7.02 or just the $10. I really threw her for a loop by adding in the 2 cents. I kept saying, “I get $3 back”, but she just didn’t get it. Finally a manager walked by, saw what was going on, and gave me the correct change.
As I drove off, he was still trying to explain it to her.

14

So really, it’s all about the math.

Two burgers, one burger, make change, don’t make change.

Maybe the training period should include some time with a piece of charcoal and a shovel.

15

I’ve generally been lucky with fast food restaurants (Carl’s Jr., all the way, baby!), but once, long ago, I went to McDonald’s (I don’t go there anymore, ever) and ordered a Double Quarter-Pounder (with cheese, no less). It was a busy day, so I had already readied myself for a long wait. I waited. And waited. I realized that people who ordered LONG before me were getting their food.

Now, at this point, I would have just left if I hadn’t already paid. But no… so, instead, I found an employee, told her the situation, and she said she’d get right on it (and, yes, I had a receipt). A few minutes later, I saw a DQP (with cheese) slide down the little chute… and she gave it to another customer that ordered it fifteen seconds before.

That pissed me off, so I went to get the manager. I explained to him what just happened… and he snagged a DQP (with cheese) off the chute, AND gave me my money back.

16

Tonight, after 7 pm, it was only myself and 2 other crew people who spoke english working. I had one taking orders in the back booth, the other was handing out orders in the front booth, and I was doing front counter by myself. We were getting our asses kicked. At one point, the girl out back came up and said there was a customer growing real impatient, because she’d had to wait so long. We were doing the best we could, but there’s only so many things you can do at once. The lady eventually got her food, and left.

Five minutes later, I see an incredibly pissed off woman storming through the side door, dragging a kid who looked to be about 8 with one hand, and holding a sandwich in the other hand. She walks up to the counter, throws it down, and demands to talk to the manager. I sweat to God, she was the rudest thing I’ve ever seen…

her: I want to talk to the manager.
me: (sporting a nametag that says “Pam, manager”…) I’m the manager, can I help you with something?
her: i just went through the drive thru, and besides the fact that i waited fucking 45 minutes for my food (so far from the truth…), you fucking screwed it up again.
me: what did we do wrong ma’am, and i’ll fix it for you…
her: what does this look like to you? (pointing to her son)
me: an 8 year old?
her: no, this is my son. does this (pointing to sandwich) look like something he should eat?
me: (not really sure where she was going with this…) Umm, no?
her: I asked for a double hambleburger kids meal, plain, with only ketchup This, is not a double hamburger. It’s a fucking double quarter pounder with cheese!
me: (still being civil) I apologize for that ma’am, let me get you another sandwich. That was a double hamburger with only ketchup, right?
her: (raising voice…)Listen, you stupid bitch…every time I come here, you fuck up my order. Did you ever think that maybe it’s your GODDAMN EMPLOYEES?

By this time, I was seriously wondering why it was she still came to us, if we continuously screw up her order. I mean, BK southbound messed up my order one time, nad I haven’t gone back since. I’ll circle the highway and go to the northbound BK, just because they’ve never once screwed up. I got her the right sandwich, offered my apologies, and told her to have a good night. Before she walked out, she was like “You know, you have to do something to fix this shit…everyone in town is talking about how bad you are.”

Well, we made $35,000+ in sales this week,…obviously our customers aren’t THAT unhappy…

Personally, I’m just glad I didn’t loose control and yell back like I wanted to…

17

Goodness gracious, ma’am, you’re right! From now on, we’ll change out hiring policies. . . we’ll only hire totally perfect people who never make mistakes! Please excuse me while I add another question to the application . . .

18

Pammi, you know, we could REALLY use you at http://www.customerssuck.com

It helped me alot to vent there. Seriously.

19

See, this is why I eat at Tack Bell. I went through the drive-through one evening with a friend of mine and gave my order. As I was driving away I bit into the taco and realized it was the wrong order. So I went into the store and told the manager what happened. She immediately apologized, got me the tacos I ordered, plus some Oreo brownies! And she never asked to see a receipt or anything. Now that’s customer service!

20

That’s an amazing story! No tickee no extra patty I guess. I would have been on the phone to BK corporate raising hell as soon as I got back to the office.

You need to write a letter to Burger King Corporate and CC it to the local/regional franchise office if the unit is franchised at the bottom of the letter and tell the story just as you indicated to us sans the f word. Be sure to reference precise time and date. You may only get a coupon but that letter will go into Ms. No Receipt’s personnel file.