# The Ten Commandments of Drive-Thru Etiquette **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 11, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607 "2005-08-11T16:51:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![VegemiteMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df788c/32.png) [@VegemiteMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VegemiteMoose)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/81 "2005-08-11T20:25:44Z")
> [@cowgirl](#): > > [display of fast-food ignorance]Um, how hard is it to decide what you want at a fast food place? > \ > > Why does it take so long to decide what you want? By the time you’ve decided to go to the drive-through in the first place, aren’t you thinking something along the lines of “Man, I could really go for a burger and fries right about now.” So order the damn burger and fries. What’s the problem? Do you ever, when faced with a McD’s menu, say to yourself “Wow! I didn’t know they sold THOSE!”? > > [/doffi] I may have something in mind, but want to check what the daily special is. I may want to see if they have added something new to the menu. The only times fast food drive thru ordering has gone over two or three minutes from start to finish, is when the restaurant has goofed and needs me to pull over. Question for those in the know. Does the seconds of service counter keep going if for whatever reason, they “park you”? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/82 "2005-08-11T20:26:46Z")
When I go through drive-throughs, it’s usually because I’m in the car with other folks, on a road trip. I don’t eat warm-blooded creatures, so I’m going to be feeding in the corners of the menu already (some places have fish sandwiches, some don’t; some have baked potatoes, some don’t; some have biscuits at all hours, some don’t; etc.) Some places give big discounts on combos, while others give small or no discounts (I’ve even seen one that apparently charged MORE for the combo than if you ordered the items separately–go figure!) So yeah, it can take me a good thirty seconds to figure out what I want. And if it takes someone else thirty seconds, it’s okay: that vein in my forehead won’t begin a drumroll. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/83 "2005-08-11T20:27:39Z")
> [@cowgirl](#): > > What’s the problem? Do you ever, when faced with a McD’s menu, say to yourself “Wow! I didn’t know they sold THOSE!”? Very often – yes. A specific example from among many – some locations of McDonald’s sell Spicy Chicken sandwiches on the $1 menu. Other locations don’t sell them at all. I consider the Spicy Chicken sandwich better than the burgers, so I always take a few seconds to peruse the $1 menu at a McD drive-thru to see if they’ve got them. For some people, the McRib sandwich is similar – another item not sold at all locations. Some more McDonald’s examples – apple pies and hash browns. Some locations sell them at 2/$1.00 all the time. Other locations sell them for 99 cents most of the time, and 2/$1.00 occasionally as a special. I will check the menu on their price, because I’ll usually bite on the 2-for-a-buck deal. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/84 "2005-08-11T20:29:03Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > When I go through drive-throughs, it’s usually because I’m in the car with other folks, on a road trip. I don’t eat warm-blooded creatures, so I’m going to be feeding in the corners of the menu already (some places have fish sandwiches, some don’t; some have baked potatoes, some don’t; some have biscuits at all hours, some don’t; etc.) Some places give big discounts on combos, while others give small or no discounts (I’ve even seen one that apparently charged MORE for the combo than if you ordered the items separately–go figure!) > > So yeah, it can take me a good thirty seconds to figure out what I want. And if it takes someone else thirty seconds, it’s okay: that vein in my forehead won’t begin a drumroll. > > Daniel Then, for you, the rule is very simple. **Go the hell inside!** ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/85 "2005-08-11T20:29:40Z")
> [@Happy Scrappy Hero Pup](#): > > Then go inside. > > In your posts, you heap derision on these people or their employers. No I do not, and no thank you as to your kind offer for me to go inside. If you’d like this change, try petitioning the restaurants to have a time-limit on ordering. You’ll find that the folks who set up the restaurant are perfectly happy to allow me to take 30 seconds to order, I wager. > [@](#): > > Have you ever gotten riled about a cilent who didn’t understand how your programming language was structured or asked you for things you couldn’t give them? No, I have not. > [@](#): > > you come off (whether you mean to or not) like the princess of the autistic savants. Whether your grandmother was an Astor or whether you’re freaking Rain Man, there is no entitlement. Actually, you come across as a binary-world-seeing fool who thinks a person who takes 30 seconds to read a menu is autistic. Chill the fuck out, dude! Thirty seconds is not a lifetime! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/86 "2005-08-11T20:29:52Z")
> [@Happy Scrappy Hero Pup](#): > > Fast-food places are patronized by the impatient. The impatient trade quality and nutritional value for nownownow, and to act as though the status quo ought to be modified while you Indigo-Child your way through the board is, while not earth-shatteringly silly, certainly outside the bounds of the **fast** -food paradigm. _30 seconds?!?!?_ C’mon. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/87 "2005-08-11T20:31:06Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > OK, I’ll bite. What is an AMPM? Yes yes, as already said, it is just the name of a gas station store. The one by our house growing up was called “AM/PM” so I have always called all of them that. Just a habit, really. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/88 "2005-08-11T20:31:24Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > Then, for you, the rule is very simple. **Go the hell inside!** You are incorrect; that “rule” exists only in your fevered imagination. For you, on the other hand, there is a very simple rule: wait your fucking turn! Continued useless whinging entirely optional. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/89 "2005-08-11T20:32:53Z")
Because you get Whoppers at Burger King, so there’d be no arches to notice. Your comment would make sense if it read: “I don’t think it’s too much to ask of the customer to look up and notice the LACK OF FUCKING ARCHES before attempting to order a Big Mac.” ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/90 "2005-08-11T20:34:12Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > _30 seconds?!?!?_ C’mon. You C’mon. Thirty seconds is an eternity when you have a car full of screaming brats. And, as an aside to the fast-food worker who screws up my order, I’m not adverse to parking the car and turning those brats loose inside your establishment. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/91 "2005-08-11T20:37:23Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > You are incorrect; that “rule” exists only in your fevered imagination. > > For you, on the other hand, there is a very simple rule: wait your fucking turn! Continued useless whinging entirely optional. You do realize that your authority over him is just as valid as his over you, right? I hope so. As for this— > [@bordelond](#): > > 30 seconds?!?!? C’mon. > [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Actually, you come across as a binary-world-seeing fool who thinks a person who takes 30 seconds to read a menu is autistic. Chill the fuck out, dude! Thirty seconds is not a lifetime! The both of you want an hour to read the menu but won’t take a minute to read what I wrote? If you look back, I’m with the OP on the “three minutes is too long” point. I backed that up when I re-posted his First Commandment. Nowhere in any of my posts did I even mention 30 seconds nor did I agree with anyone that did. I demand retractions from both of you. You have… thirty seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/92 "2005-08-11T20:39:00Z")
**Random** - read posts 61 and 66. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/93 "2005-08-11T20:40:32Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > Then, for you, the rule is very simple. **Go the hell inside!** What **Left Hand** said. And if **Left Hand** is a vegetarian, s/he will have to peruse the average fast food menu board a bit more closely. And I can’t think of a valid reason s/he shouldn’t be afforded the same convenience to do it from the comfort of her car as anyone else would. I’ll post it again – if you really can’t wait for a line of a half-dozen or more cars, don’t harp that everyone in line needs to hurry up. I suggest that _you_ get out of the car and order inside. You usually _will_ get your food faster than if you had waited in that long drive-thru line. Not posting that to be a dick … just giving a helpful suggestion I’ve implemented myself many times. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/94 "2005-08-11T20:40:39Z")
> [@Happy Scrappy Hero Pup](#): > > You do realize that your authority over him is just as valid as his over you, right? Sure, but: 1. If I break his rule and don’t go inside, everything continues hunky-dory. 2. If he breaks my rule and refuses to wait his fucking turn (e.g., tries to break in line in the drive-through), I guaranfuckingtee that pandemonium will break loose. Like I said, the rule for him is a real rule. > [@](#): > > The both of you want an hour to read the menu but won’t take a minute to read what I wrote? > If you look back, I’m with the OP on the “three minutes is too long” point. Well, nowhere did I disagree that three minutes is too long, so suck it! 🙂 Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/95 "2005-08-11T20:41:15Z")
It seems that a lot of people here are upset, more than should be reasonable IMO, about reading menus. I’d like to hear each and every one of you complain just as loud about order takers who try to up-sell or push the trendy McItem of the month. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/96 "2005-08-11T20:41:51Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > You are incorrect; that “rule” exists only in your fevered imagination. I’m rubber, you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you! :wally ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/97 "2005-08-11T20:45:25Z")
Clearly, **uncle** , any car you’re driving will have a minimum of one screaming brat in it. Are the others screaming to get out? But I invite you to try breaking the rule I suggest for you; after all, I break your rule whenever I go through a drive-through, and breaking your rule improves my life. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/98 "2005-08-11T20:47:30Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > I’m rubber, you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you! :wally Yippee … you still gotta wait :wally **Uncle** , I’ve got a two-year-old myself, and I can feel you to an extent. But someone taking their time ordering at a drive-thru is pretty damn trivial in the grand scheme of things. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/99 "2005-08-11T20:49:12Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I’ll post it again – if you really can’t wait for a line of a half-dozen or more cars, don’t harp that everyone in line needs to hurry up. I suggest that _you_ get out of the car and order inside. You usually _will_ get your food faster than if you had waited in that long drive-thru line. Not posting that to be a dick … just giving a helpful suggestion I’ve implemented myself many times. I agree that this is a valid strategy and I have implemented it many times. The thing that gets my knickers in a twist it the guy that manages to swing in just before I get to the speaker and then proceeds to launch into an extended meandering discourse with the order-taker, repeatedly changing his mind, whipping out the old cellphone to call the old-lady to see what she wants, and arguing with the kids about what to order. If I had a 105mm howitzer on the front of my truck … ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607/100 "2005-08-11T20:50:57Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > **Uncle** , I’ve got a two-year-old myself, and I can feel you to an extent. But someone taking their time ordering at a drive-thru is pretty damn trivial in the grand scheme of things. Yeah, I know. So is arguing about it on a message board. But you gotta do something at work to make the time go faster. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ten-commandments-of-drive-thru-etiquette/316607.md?page=6)