Yesterday morning, I drove over to my local Jack-In-The-Box to grab a quick breakfast before I spent my last day of my vacation slumming in front of the Playstation and doing laundry. Now, you can get into the drive-thru lane from two different directions perpendicular to one another, and the intersection is blind. So you’re always half-racing, half-avoiding an invisible opponent who may or may not be coming from the other entryway – Schroendinger would have totally eaten here all the time.
Anyway, I usually don’t actually encounter anyone, but as it would happen, this morning there actually was someone coming from the other direction, and we got to the drive-thru entrance at the same time. We both came to a stop, I waved her in, she waved me in, I smiled and waved her in a second time. So she smiled, acknowledged me, and drove on ahead. Lovely. I wasn’t in a hurry anyway, so who cares?
Well, she got her food and took off, and then I pulled up to the window. And the cashier informed me that the lady in front of me had paid for my food and passed along a thanks. I damn near blushed. I’ve done that for people before, but never had it done for me. It was a really, really nice gesture for me really not having done anything other than extended a little courtesy. It really made my day.
So, I guess I’ll make this into a poll by asking the following:
1. Have you ever paid for a stranger’s food at a drive-thru? If so, why?
2. Has a stranger ever paid for your food at a drive-thru? If so, how did it make you feel?
I have vague memory of having told a friend once about paying for someone else’s food, and the response I got is that they would find it a little creepy. I’m wondering if anyone else would have the same reaction.
I would be delighted, especially at the drive-thru where it was obvious no strings were attached. If I was in a restaurant, I’d be a little more unnerved, wondering if the person who paid for my expected to get a date or at least a phone number out of it.
Oh, right. Poll. No, no one’s ever paid for my food at the drive-thru, and I haven’t paid for anyone else’s. I have paid tolls for people before, though.
Someone did this for me, many years ago, at a Dairy Queen (A free Blizzard? Hell yeah). Now I pay it forward- occasionally, I’ll buy someone’s meal as I’m buying my own. For some reason, doing this always cheers me up.
I’ve never had anyone pay for anything of mine at the drive thru, nor have I paid for anyone else.
I have thrown a few dollars to help someone out who was short in the line in front of me inside before.
On a complete side note…I think I’d be willing to give up a first born (well, maybe not my own, but you get the picture) for a Jack in the Box here on this coast!
Several months back I did this for a lady who let me slide in to the drive-thru at Starbucks since I had been waiting for a break to get in from the parking lot (the main drive-thru entrance is off the main road) for some time.
A long time ago when my kids were apx 5 & under, I took them out to a sit-down establishment for dinner (a rare treat). When I got ready to pay before leaving, the cashier indicated that it had been taken care of. I wondered if it had been the eldelry couple that stopped by to adore the children & comment on how well behaved they were.
I once paid a toll for the car behind us, but that was because they were guests and following us.
A few months ago I was stopped on the street by a couple of young ladies. They had just parked and asked me if I knew how long the meters were in effect. I said I thought it was until 6:00, but I wasn’t positive. The three of us investigated, and it turns out I was right. It was 5:55 when this happened. This put them in a real quandry. Should they pay to park for five minutes? Or should they risk it? They were truly at a loss for what to do.
“Just put in a quarter”, I said, like it was no big deal.
One looked at me with sad puppy dog eyes and said “But I don’t HAVE a quarter.” The other one started searching her pockets and said “I think I might have a nickel.” I rolled my eyes at their adorableness and did the right thing. They were far more grateful than I really deserved.
After a particularly crappy day that I spent snapping at my husband, we drove to McDonald’s (as a punishment for my behavior? I dunno.) I was still sniping and snarking when we pulled up to pay. Turns out, our meal was already paid for by the couple ahead of us. I felt so chagrined, and my mood was considerably lightened. But then I didn’t know what to do. Get out of the car and knock on their window? I was afraid I’d be maced. Now I wish I had, and I hope they don’t think too poorly of me.
The whole toll booth thing (which I have done for others but only when the person in front of me did it for me–I wonder how far that kept getting passed on?) messed us up the other week, and left me guilty. What happened was, we went through the toll in one direction and gave three quarters, not aware that the toll had risen to $1. When we tried to hand in a quarter on the way back, we said “This is for the man behind you”, meaning the tolltaker on the other side of the same booth, still collecting for the other side. “Oh, sorry, he has an EZ-Pass”, since she thought we meant to pay for the person behind us. By the time we figured it out, we were long gone.
Must remember to drop an extra quarter next time through.
Anyhoo, people are pretty polite here anyway. It hasn’t come to paying for each other’s food in the drive-through. I was a little weirded out by that commercial where the woman pays for the guy’s shirts and leaves her card. Gentlemen might appreciate the gesture though.
