# Wendy's, I WANT to give you my money. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 28, 2005, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267 "2005-02-28T07:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267/21 "2005-02-28T20:52:09Z")
I’m not so sure it is about liability and more about making customers come into the restaurant, when it is open, if they are on foot. I can see how during the business hours that wouldbe clearly prefereable so as not to clog up the drive-thru. I suppose they could change the policy after the restaurant opens, but it is probably better to keep the policy onsistent all the time. Why would liability be a concern in the drive-thru versus, say, the parking lot? ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267/22 "2005-02-28T21:11:11Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > A few clarifications: > > - There were no other cars around, literally. The Wendy’s was in the middle of a strip mall-type shopping center, and it could clearly be seen and heard that there were no vehicles in the vicinity besides the employees’ cars in the parking lot. Again, this is just an educated guess, but failure to consistenty enforce a policy would mitigate the policy’s effectiveness in reducing the company’s culpability. They probably don’t allow low-level employees to make judgment calls, because that would blow up in their face if they had to defend a lawsuit. So in the interest of consistency, they’re going to instruct the employees to _never_ serve walk-up customers. So from the company’s point of view, how many cars were around isn’t really relevant. Besides, what guarantee is there that a car _won’t_ drive up? Just because there isn’t one there right now doesn’t mean one couldn’t drive up at any time. > [@](#): > > - I can understand the safety concern, except that one of the doors into the restaurant was two feet to the right. One would think that they would want paying customers to enter through said door, which would involve said paying customers crossing the drive-through strip. … _Crossing_, and _standing there_ are two different things. And I’d be willing to bet that they have some sort of marked crosswalk, and most likely a sign to alert motorists that pedestrians are crossing. Now, I know what you’re going to say, “Well they could put a sign saying people might be standing at the window.” They could, but they probably figure it’s less risky and easier to just not allow them. Sometimes it’s just not possible to design a restaurant so that customers can get in without crossing the path of cars, but they probably would if they could. The local Jack-In-the-Box here actually has a steel rail in front that makes it impossible to enter from the drive-thru side. > [@](#): > > - The really frustrating thing is that – well, they’re open! I want to buy food from them! That’s their business! I feel I should reiterate that this location is two blocks away from a college campus. It seems as if it would be a good business decision to allow pedestrian customers. And dammit, I really wanted fries! Yeah, you’d think. I’m guessing that the security risk from leaving the doors unlocked all night outweighs the potential profit from late night walk-in customers. That must be the case, because it’s very rare for fast-food places to leave the dining room open all night. I agree that it’s frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267/23 "2005-02-28T22:20:24Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > - The really frustrating thing is that – well, they’re open! I want to buy food from them! That’s their business! I feel I should reiterate that this location is two blocks away from a college campus. It seems as if it would be a good business decision to allow pedestrian customers. And dammit, I really wanted fries! For one thing, even here in little ol’ Grand Forks some of the fast food joints have walk-up windows. With regards to what happened to you, keep in mind that because there were no cars when you went, doesn’t mean there won’t be ever. Can you imagine 11pm with car, truck, 4 drunk college kids, car, 3 smart-ass HS kids trying to be contrarian/cool, van, car, 4 drunk college kids? And more important, consider this. Once a pedestrian is served at the Drive-Thru, you’ve set the precedent that you serve pedestrians at the DT. Imagine people in the summer wanting lunch at Wendy’s but not wanting to go inside the store? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267/24 "2005-02-28T22:35:04Z")
I work at a restaurant where the drive-thru is open all night, and more than once we’ve had inebriated foot traffic almost run over in the drive-thru. Furthermore, another store in our district was robbed not long ago by a pedestrian who climbed through the open drive-thru window. The rule makes sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267/25 "2005-02-28T22:54:27Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I work at a restaurant where the drive-thru is open all night, and more than once we’ve had inebriated foot traffic almost run over in the drive-thru. > > Furthermore, another store in our district was robbed not long ago by a pedestrian who climbed through the open drive-thru window. > > The rule makes sense to me. That reminds me - I actually got rear-ended in a drive-thru once, and the person was at a dead stop only a few feet behind me before she did it. She just pressed on the accellerator and drove right into me when I was right there in my car right in front of her. And a car is a hell of a lot easier to see than a pedestrian. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267/26 "2005-03-01T01:45:07Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > I’m sure it’s a liability thing. If restaurants allowed people to walk up to the drive-thru window, and someone got hit by a car, they’d be in serious doo-doo. It’s a safety thing, their little signs affixed to the drive-up windows even say so. But otherwise, a pox on idiots that can’t provide APPLICABLE and CRUCIAL information, such as a simple "but that’s only our drive up, dining in closes at X O’Clock. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267/27 "2005-03-01T08:53:23Z")
[QUOTE=CanvasShoes] It’s a safety thing, their little signs affixed to the drive-up windows even say so. [/quoe] Some do, some don’t. But anyway, we’re talking about the same thing. “Safety” - “Liability” - tomato, tomahto. > [@](#): > > But otherwise, a pox on idiots that can’t provide APPLICABLE and CRUCIAL information, such as a simple "but that’s only our drive up, dining in closes at X O’Clock. Yep - that’s what happens when you pay minimum wage. ---
**Author:** ![Pammipoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/87869e/32.png) [@Pammipoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pammipoo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267/28 "2005-03-01T11:30:17Z")
> [@MRirian](#): > > Eh, I’ll buy that. Still, it’s not like you would make any kind of mess just walking in and ordering something to go. Although, it would be kind of senseless to make a rule saying “you can come in and order your food, but you can’t sit at a table.” Security-wise, I can sort of see how they’d be more likely to be robbed at midnight than at noon. > > How many people walk to Wendy’s that late anyway? \ We actually get a lot of walkup orders, because we’re right next to a hotel, and there’s not a lot around for restaurants. It sucks saying no, but it does come down to liability and the safety of the employees. And if we say yes to one guy while it’s slow, we can’t say no to the next guy while we’re getting our butts kicked with orders on the clock. And letting people in just to order would not only mess up the floors (there’s actually a very detailed cleaning procedure for the floors), it’d put the store more at risk for robbery. We’re not allowed to let anyone in the restaurant after 10 pm. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267/29 "2005-03-01T11:53:40Z")
> [@Lockz](#): > > This way they can have people take orders and cook, and send everyone home right at 12 **(or however long it takes to clean the cooking equipment).** But they wouldn’t have to clean tables. Cite? 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wendys-i-want-to-give-you-my-money/292267.md?page=1)