Recently, I wrote a post sharing little things customers did that fast food workers found annoying. At the end of the post, I gave fast food workers (and workers of other professions) the opportunity to share pieces of advice they could share anonymously that they wish customers would know. They're all so small and easy, we need to do these things ASAP.
1. "Put you cups closer to the drink dispenser. I know this seems dumb, but when you get a drink and hold it far away from the nozzle, it causes drink splatters, and then we have to clean it up. Don't even get me started on how often they spill tea."
2. "If you are in the drive-thru, please don’t have the passenger order. We can hardly hear them. It’s frustrating to keep asking you to repeat yourself."
3. "Please ask for everything you want when you order. This includes all condiments and free glasses of ice water. We have buttons for those, and then, we can have everything ready for you at the window. Anything added at the window takes extra time at the window, and we are being timed, and higher times mean unhappy management."
4. "We have two drive-thru lanes and only one order taker, so when you pull up and the other car is ordering, please understand we will help you after we help them, not during because it is not possible."
5. "I work at a Wendy's, and most of the sandwiches have a 'default' like the cheeseburger defaults to a double. If you want a single or triple, tell me that BEFORE I put it in! Otherwise, I have to get a manager to change it, which can take several minutes!"
6. "Do your due diligence, and make sure your 'secret menu' drink actually has a way to order it. I have no idea how to make your 'Mermaid Refresher.' Also, make sure the drink you're trying to order is a REAL thing we can make. If it looks fake on TikTok ('Under the Sea Refresher' and 'Rainbow Frappuccino'), it probably is."
7. "When going through the drive-thru when it's raining, for the love of Thor, turn off your wipers at the windows! Nobody wants to get soaked with a face-full of dirty windshield water!"
8. "Pizza place worker here: When you call us to place an order and, before I can get a name or anything, start barking your order at me the second I pick up the phone. I have to put in your name, select if it’s for pickup or delivery, and do a bunch of other things before I can even put your order in. Also, a 'hello' would be nice to be honest. ... I am still a human."
9. "I am sick and tired of people shoving their phones in my face for Apple Pay and app-paying. It is not only rude, but incredibly infuriating. You're holding out your phone? Great. Are you a delivery order, using your app, or paying with your phone? I'm not a freaking mind reader. All it takes is: 'I'll be using Apple Pay today!'"
10. "For the love of all that is holy, if you have coupons, PLEASE USE THEM AT THE SPEAKER, NOT THE WINDOW! It takes less time to input them while ordering than it does to go back into your order and redo your total, especially if you make changes to the items in question."
11. "If you go to Taco Bell and want anything grilled, please order those items first. It takes a few more seconds than usual to make those items."
12. "When something is wrong with your order, tell us the problem instead of just saying, 'I need to see a manager,' because 75% of the time, we can handle it without bothering the manager."
13. "As a fast food checkout person, please have your money or card ready when you get to my window, especially if you've had several minutes to do so. That's the reason we tell you the total at the speaker. Don't wait until you get to the window to start looking for your card and money, unless it's not busy and you pull right up. Even then, you knew it was going to cost money. Get it ready before hitting the drive-thru lane."
14. "If you are going through the drive-thru, put out your cigarettes before getting to the window. You might not realize it, but your secondhand smoke just blows right in. I've had two coworkers have me finish out orders just because they couldn't breathe due to smoke at the window."
15. "People toss their keys at me so that I can search for my store's loyalty store tag amongst multiple store loyalty store tags. It is rude and degrading."
16. "Why do y'all get to the speaker, 'hello' us to DEATH, then ask US to hold on while you look at the menu?! STOP doing that. That is so annoying. If we haven't greeted you in the first FIVE seconds of you pulling up, we're most likely busy! Your order will be taken."
17. "DO NOT REACH BEHIND THE MOTHERF***ING COUNTER. DO NOT CROSS THE DIFFERENT COLORED TILE. Ask for what you need."
18. "DO NOT repeat your entire order when all I ask is to repeat the last item you said!"
19. "If you visit a Sonic when it’s raining/freezing, park in the stalls closet to the building. Otherwise, the carhop has to walk in the rain/icy parking lot to deliver your food. It’s really inconsiderate especially when there’s not a lot of customers due to the weather."
20. "Ordering through the mobile app or using curbside pickup doesn't mean your order is made first or faster. It's goes into the grill queue when it's received. You have to wait just like the people in line."
21. "Please, please, please, please, PLEASE. Do NOT come through the drive-thru and make a huge order during lunch time. We're on a timer, and most customers should not be in the line for more than 90 seconds. When you get sent on the impromptu company lunch run, or ordering for your van full of kids, PLEASE come inside and get it to go. Big orders will ALWAYS slow us down, and we get in trouble for having high/slow drive-thru times."
22. Finally, "Know your order before you get to the drive-thru. Your car is timed from the moment you reach the speaker, and if you sit there for three minutes deciding what everyone in the car wants, that reflects badly on not just the employee taking your order, but on the entire crew working that shift."
Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.