A final note before I head to Rebecca’s in South Park to finally start on my studying: someone upthread said this wasn’t my best Pitting. Having just re-read all of my pittings, I must respectfully disagree.
Alanis’ song is about irony but contains no actual irony. Which is ironic, don’t’cha think?
It’s 3:49 minutes experience of irony for the listener, not for Alanis.
Oh, my.
Homer: All right, guys, pipe down. I got some more in the garage.
Herman: [quickly] Uh, I’ll, I’ll get it for you, Homer.
Homer: Hmm. I wonder why he’s so eager to go to the garage?
Moe: The “garage”? Hey fellas, the “garage”! Well, ooh la di da, Mr. French Man.
Homer: Well what do you call it?
Moe: A car hole!
Isn’t cook good enough? Chef is the head honcho cook. Barista is as silly as “burgero” would be…but who cares? They can call them “coffeistas” for all I care.
Depends. If he ordered that in Rhode Island, he might get a curious look at least, since “regular coffee” means with cream and sugar, not black.
I think dropzone is comparing the incident to the customer service one received in another time, simpler time. A time when you took out your earring (singular) before you asked for an application and wore a tie if you got a call back to show a little respect.
They went out of business? Aw, man, I was just going to go back there.
You wore a tie to the interview when you got called back. You didn’t have to keep one by the phone.
I once worked with a girl who was a (lacto-ovo) vegetarian and would occasionally order, at McDonald’s, a cheeseburger with no meat. I.e., bun, cheese, and condiments, for which she was perfectly happy to pay the full cheeseburger price.
The reaction, she said, would range from a blank stare to stammering confusion to (on more than one occasion, apparently) an outright refusal. “Uh… we can’t do that.”
I guess that would leave their inventory with one more beef patty than they had buns, which would of course send the whole system spiraling into chaos.
With all due respect, your friend is an idiot. McDonald’s prepares everything in advance, and you can’t “have it your way”-- that was Burger King. Your friend is no more clever than a person going to a grocery store and picking up a box of Raisin Bran Cereal, and then asking them to remove the raisins for you.
This is actually pretty common. However, it should also be noted that for the most part, this seems to be limited to places that specialize in “just plain coffee to go”–donut shops, truck stops, and the like. Takeout coffee for those who just want coffee fixed their way, and the faster it’s served, the better.
I used to grab coffee from a certain donut shop daily when I was working in a particular neighbourhood. There were fancier coffee places nearby, but I went to the little donut shop. Why? Because ordering a “large regular” got me just that: a large cup of ordinary coffee with cream and sugar (put in by the counter guy). No fuss, no decisions, no questions, and I was usually in and out in no more than a minute. Fast and convenient.
Guess I’m an idiot too.
When I was a vegetarian, about 12 years ago, I worked with a crew that went to McDonald’s for meetings on a semi-regular basis. Not one McD’s ever had a problem with the cheeseburger, hold the burger. They were all perfectly polite and accomodating, and I got what I asked for every time. Occasionally some would tease me, but it was all good-natured (as in, “Boy, you’re not getting your money’s worth!”).
It’s not really irrelevant, though. Starbucks is so ubiquitous that they are becoming the norm, and a lot of places are following in theor footsteps. So either the guy thought he was in one, or thought he was in a very similar type of place. The amount of time he spent looking at the menu would not have informed him of where he was.
My guess is that he either had a string of bad experiences, or imagined that he did. He was angry at Coffee World, and by gum he was going to let the world know about it. He probably rehearsed his rant for days before giving it its grand opening.
And you! You had to go and pull the rug out from under him, you bastarda!
If you order a regular coffee and a cup of chowder, it’s anyone’s guess what you’re going to get.
It’s ok, she wasn’t really my friend.
And I’m not really an expert on the the current level of automation, but I assume there is still a requirement at some stage for a human being to cook the patties and to place them on the bun with a slice of cheese. And (if I may be so bold in assuming) that this is a process that they must engage in at least several times throughout the day. Presumably, then, there would be, somewhere within reach, a bag of buns and a stack of slices of cheese, and someone—well, you get the idea.
If I am wrong, and behind each store there is a Wonka-type machine that hums, belches, and spits out prewrapped, immutable cheeseburgers in the wee hours of the morning, and the employees are forbidden from altering these sacrosanct creations, then I can understand the quandary and concede that her request is (nearly) as asinine as your “picking out the raisins” analogy.
I think it’s more likely that they just don’t want to do it, because it introduces a few seconds of unforeseen work into their shift—for which I shall cry a lone, sympathetic tear.
Someone’s an idiot, John Mace, but it’s not Vinyl Turnip’s acquaintance. McDonalds may make things in advance, but if you need a special order (say, hold the onions, I’m allergic, or whatever), they’ll do it. And yes, many of them will be happy to hold the burger patty.
Hell, I’ve been known to make that kind of sandwich at home, (haven’t for years, though)-onion, cheese, ketchup, mustard on bread-when I was craving a burger taste, but didn’t have any burgers, or was too lazy to make myself one.
I can’t recall the last time I’ve gotten a Big Mac that actually had the correct buns in the correct placement – I’ve gotten all middle buns, top and bottom and another top for the middle, etc. Personally, I blame their bunista.
The whole system has already spiraled into chaos. One little vegitarian order isn’t going to do anything worse to it.
McDonald’s may not have it in their taglines, but they will definitely honour special requests- no 1000 island dressing (sorry,special sauce) on your Big Mac, etc.
Man, I gotta be bored here at work to have made it through those 4 pages.
Guess I’ll fire up the Braun and brew myself another 10 cups of Maxwell House (apparently what was on sale last time at the store.)
Have a Starbucks and Au Bon Pain in my building, but don’t go to them mainly due to cost. But on the occasions that I have bought coffee in any number of shops/diners/restaurants - I never encountered any difficulty obtaining my desired “large black coffee.” At most, I’ve been mildly surprised/amused/frustrated to be asked “Caffeinated or Decaf?” In my mind, caffeinated coffee is the standard, which should be presumed. But the simplest response is to say “Caffeinated” (or “leaded”).
One aspect of the OP that hasn’t really been developed is the charge of “blue collar” resentment of “elitism.” I think that in many instances vendors today unnecessarily tart products up with unusual names and/or packaging in order to create the impression of adding value and justify charging higher prices. Or transactions are made more complicated than necessary, with multiple brands, sizes, and bundling of products/services making selection more burdensome upon the consumer.
I’m not sure if “blue collar” is necessarily the best adjective for the sort of person who is not thrilled by these developments, but in many respects I sympathize with the sentiment.
McDonald’s does not make any of their hot items ahead of time. The meat is cooked slightly ahead of time, but you’ll find that anywhere. If you order a cheeseburger, a screen in the back says “1 Cheeseburger”, and the burgero drops a bun in the toaster and assembles your sandwich. It has been quite a while since this was ever done, and don’t forget that most major fast-food restaurants (including Burger King - when I worked there, we made extra regular Whoppers during lunch rush) make everything as it’s ordered. (McDonald’s, unlike Burger King, does not microwave the pre-grilled burger as it’s ordered, though)
McDonald’s employee 2001-2006
Dunkin’ Donuts (which has pretty good coffee). McDonalds (they just started). Many delis, if coffee service is behind the counter.
:: hugs Alessan :: Brother!
I can not stand the “branded” conventions for S/M/D. Fuck, if I have to remember where I am — Starbucks? Second Cup? Timothy’s? Tim Horton’s? — just to remember which freakin’ convention to use… Is it “planet”, “solar system”, and “galaxy”?.. Fuck! I haven’t had my coffee yet, don’t challenge me with marketing drivel!
That’s why I carry a Thermos now.
That’s probably part of their training. I would imagine they are trained to enforce brand recognition the same way burger-flippers are trained to ask you if you want to super-size it.