# You Can't Win At The Arby's Drive-Thru **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 16, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824 "2003-10-16T18:27:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/41 "2003-10-17T14:37:11Z")
So, are you ready to try White Castle…? :evil ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Pebs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Johnny\_Pebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Pebs)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/42 "2003-10-17T15:03:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BiblioCat \* > \*\*Aw, I wanted to do that! \*\* Sorry **BiblioCat** , you can have the next obligatory movie quote. 🙂 Pebs ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/43 "2003-10-17T15:10:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \* > \*\*Yep. You gotta change YOUR behavior to change their behavior. I always check my bag while I’m at the drive through window at a couple of the worst offenders. Yeah, it’s slightly annoying, but if I’ve paid for drinks and fries, for instance, I want them. \*\* I agree. There was a recent Pit thread about people checking bags in the drive-thru, and about how long it took to unwrap all the sandwiches and sample all the drinks (the OP thought people who check should pull forward, and go in to exchange mistakes, IIRC), but I always check what I get before I pull away. You can easily check with a quick peek in the bag that you’re getting a burger (rather than nuggets) and that the drink is a Coke (rather than a Sprite). If you’re always getting the wrong thing, then you should go in to order, or check before going all the way home. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/44 "2003-10-17T15:10:52Z")
I never, ever go to drive throughs. I just don’t trust them. I always park, walk in, order “to-go” and leave with my correct order. It’s usually quicker that way too. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Fluffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/45 "2003-10-17T17:24:37Z")
I always check my order at the Arbys drive thru before driving off. I’ts usually right-the worst part is waiting in the drive thru line anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes even during slow times! The fries are usually cold… It’s the only place I ever go where I have to take a Xanax before going! Why do I continue to patronize this place? ---
**Author:** ![TaxGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@TaxGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaxGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/46 "2003-10-17T17:56:51Z")
I guess this is as good a thread as any to mention this, because it doesn’t warrant a thread all its own. I’ve come to regard the words “fast food” not as an adjective followed by a noun but as a sort of compound noun describing something all its own. You’ve got food, and you’ve got fastfood, and ne’r the twain shall meet. That’s all. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![V.bis\_and\_Baudhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85f322/32.png) [@V.bis\_and\_Baudhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/V.bis_and_Baudhead)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/47 "2003-10-17T18:10:24Z")
There used to be a place with a drive-thru like this when I was in high school…it was a Hardees, IIRC, though it may have been a Roy Rogers at some earlier point. Much like the Arby’s in the OP, it was 99% guaranteed that you would not get what you ordered, but instead of habitually leaving out items, it seemed more like they just grabbed whatever random menu items were handy and stuck them in a bag, then shook it to see if it seemed heavy enough. So a lot of the time, you would get something worth _more_ than what you had paid for, though it wasn’t what you wanted. So, being high-school students with just the right mix of cleverness and immaturity, a couple of friends and I devised a plan wherein every time we would go there, we would order the cheapest items, and see what kind of bonus we would get. I doubt we ever spent much more than about $4, and one time they actually gave us _five_ of the high end burgers. I forget what they called them, but I remember they were worth about $2-$2.50 each. I don’t think we ever actually lost money on this scheme, though occasionally we did break even. They were in business for years, and never seemed short of customers. They had a good location, and they usually got it right if you ordered inside, so I guess the inside operation was hiding most of the losses from the drive-thru. Eventually they were bulldozed when they reworked the freeway on-ramp. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/48 "2003-10-17T18:14:23Z")
When I worked at McD’s, the usual answer given to the irate customer who thought it was a “fast food” restaurant was, “No, no…we’re a fast _service_ restaurant.” Which means we find out what you want right away, you get it…well, sometime. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/49 "2003-10-17T18:41:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by quietman1920 \* > \*\*When a fast food place messes up, you see the manager. The manager will correct the order & give you a coupon for a free sandwich on your next visit. \*\* Err, not always. I hate McDonalds but one evening driving home late it was the only place that was open on my route. I drove through and requested two cheeseburgers, no meat. I drove up to the window and paid the guy, and there was a line so I chatted with him for a while. I’m pretty sure he put the order in right or at least understood it because he asked if I was a vegetarian. He then started to bitch and whine about how he hated his stupid job (I was a little taken aback, after all I’m a customer, not one of his workmates). I drove up to the window and said “Two cheeseburgers, no meat, right?” They say, “right”, and hand me a bag. Two blocks down, of course, it has meat. I drive back around and calmly explain my order was wrong. Drive through again. This time it’s the night manager. I say “this is my two cheeseburgers with no meat, right? I got the wrong order last time.” He nods, and hands me a bag. No longer trustful, I pull up to let the next car in and it’s a bag of french fries! Not even close! This time I go inside and said to the manager, “Look, this isn’t even close to what I ordered. This is the second time, can you get it right this time, please?” After an inordinately long time scuffling around, they finally get my order (it’s cold but I won’t know that until I open it in the car, at which point, fuck it). No free food or even an apology. I have never been back to that restaurant since and actively avoid it. ---
**Author:** ![crazy\_grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dbc845/32.png) [@crazy\_grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazy_grady)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/50 "2003-11-10T09:23:23Z")
Why in the world would you get a cheeseburger with no meat? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/51 "2003-11-10T10:50:08Z")
White Castle burgers and Little King’s Cream Ale are God’s reward for living a virtuous life. Plus, White Castle coffee is unbeatable. I wish we had White Castle in St. Petersburg. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/52 "2003-11-10T11:33:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TaxGuy \* > **Well, maybe I’m out of touch with the average American or something, but that sounds like an awful lot of fast food consumption to me.** They have fast food in America? ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/53 "2003-11-10T13:21:23Z")
Good god. 30 visits to Arby’s alone, and presumably additional meals taken at other grease pits… For the love of God, get your cholesterol checked. Soon. ---
**Author:** ![Lucki\_Chaarms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lucki\_Chaarms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucki_Chaarms)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/54 "2003-11-10T14:10:05Z")
Yeah, well once I was meeting some friends at an Arby’s, and they showed up stoned. I didn’t realize this until one of them, mid-sandwich, without warning shouted something along the lines of “Go away! Quiet! Send you to the orphanage!”. I was not expecting that. I still like them Roast Beef sandwiches. Also, if we don’t eat at Arby’s, what’s to become of Rodney Dangerfield? LC ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/55 "2003-11-10T14:29:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Thudlow Boink \* > \*\*“Lots of space in this mall.” > > [/Blues Brothers] \*\* Damn… **BiblioCat** isn’t the only one who got the obligatory movie quote taken out from under him. (That quote was exactly what I was thinking when I read **cheddersnax** ’s comment!) ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/56 "2003-11-10T14:55:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duke \* > \*\*Damn… **BiblioCat** isn’t the only one who got the obligatory movie quote taken out from under him. \*\* …from under **her**. Now you know. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/57 "2003-11-10T15:10:26Z")
Sorry about that, **Bib**. [sub]I’ve got a cold, so my “gender-dar” is off today…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/58 "2003-11-10T16:45:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lucki Chaarms \* > \*\*Yeah, well once I was meeting some friends at an Arby’s, and they showed up stoned. I didn’t realize this until one of them, mid-sandwich, without warning shouted something along the lines of “Go away! Quiet! Send you to the orphanage!”. I was not expecting that. > > I still like them Roast Beef sandwiches. Also, if we don’t eat at Arby’s, what’s to become of Rodney Dangerfield? > > LC \*\* That was the funniest thing I’ve read in a while 😃 (and if you’re talking about that dreaded fuckin’ Oven Mitt, that’s Tom Arnold). ---
**Author:** ![Capcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Capcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capcha)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/59 "2003-11-10T19:48:30Z")
I have been through drive-thru windows of a few different chains. I guess I’m lucky that they never mixed up anything… But my bf twice got pickles in his burgers at BurgerKing, which makes him want to vomit. But the staff was very nice to give him another one, with a complimentary fries. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824/60 "2003-11-10T21:57:16Z")
“I guess I’m lucky that they never mixed up anything…” Are you kidding me? If you make 4 visits to any fast food place and they get it right twice its a miracle! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-cant-win-at-the-arbys-drive-thru/207824.md?page=2)