Dear Rude Customers
Hello readers, how are you doing today? As a fellow customer service worker I have to follow a couple procedures and tell you our specials on the menu, we have a no disrespectful dish which is practically free with a side of please don’t make me repeat myself because you’d rather look at your phone while I’m talking to you about what’s on the menu. Also on Tuesdays we have a special on please don’t waste my time by staring at the menu asking for samples, then walking away to another restaurant. Also here’s my personal favorite please don’t have your four year old shy child order for themselves and I can’t hear them because the cooks behind me are clanging their dishes and gossiping about other co-workers.
Also if you come to order in drive thru I have to constantly repeat the same thing for 8 hours straight or sometimes 12 hours so please don’t make me repeat it more than once here I go “Thank you for choosing a job that doesn’t value my skills, I’m counting down the days until I get my degree I’m just here to pay my bills would you like to try our unhealthy greasy concoction?” Oh you didn’t hear me? I’ll repeat myself “I know you heard me because we have a camera in drive-thru, you were just too busy blasting your Taylor swift or trap music to listen to me, would you like to try our over-priced greasy concoction my boss makes me suggest repeatedly?”
No ma’am you don’t know what to order? You ask me what’s on the menu. Well, it is in front of you, so is the price that you keep asking me to tell you how much it is. You don’t know what you want yet annoying customer ok I’ll wait although there are like five cars behind you waiting to order as well, oh you’re going to call your boyfriend and see what he wants, that’s fine I have two more hours until I get off. As I wait for the annoying customer to make a tedious selection I’m thinking my feet hurt, I wish I was home watching Netflix, I miss my bed, I have an exam due tonight, I wonder why some people can be so inconsiderate. Oh the annoying customer is ready to order ok great, would you like to add a drink with your order today? I have to ask this question my manager has a headset on micro-managing my customer service skills although their skills are lacking but let me not say that out loud because I could get fired, sometimes I question myself and ask if I really care? Oh, back to the order your total will be $17.96, I know that’s expensive for two combos but you wanted to add extra cheese, and whatever else. Please don’t complain to me about the prices I just work here and honestly you ordered it.
The customer finally comes up to the drive-thru window and I swear it’s almost the same issue every time, either they take forever digging for change to give me, they pass me a debit card that’s broken or scratched up on the barcode and they insist that it worked last time they came through to order at this store so I have to call my manager to manually dial in their 16 digit card number, the expiration date, and the 3 digit security code in the back of the card we have a procedure that crew members like myself cannot dial in a customer’s card information if we are not supervised by a manager, so if my managers is in the back of the store gossiping, on break, or taking their time to come help me the longer you have to wait for your food, sorry. Actually you should be apologizing to me bringing in a busted card and expecting me to make it work. Moving on, I pull out your receipt from the register and I pass you your card, food, and a generic smile and I say “Have a nice day.”
You snatch your food away and examine your bag thoroughly and once again you’re being inconsiderate holding up the drive-thru line and I try to plan ahead by working on bagging another customers order that’s about to come up, you knock on the drive-thru window as hard as you can and ask me for more sauce packets.
I cringe and secretly curse you out in my head and I grab you a handful, I smile and say “will that be all for you?” you take the sauce packets and ask for more. I get more, so much more your bag looks like a chubby kids trick-or-treat bag on Halloween. Are you satisfied now? The rude customer drives away and I deal with another fast food diva. What I just mentioned within this article is just a glimpse of what customer service workers go through within the food industry. I ask if you’ve ever been or plan to go to any restaurant in America you respect that worker, don’t assume they’re some low-life degenerate who barely passed high school and this is all they have going on, that may not be the case. Don’t treat them like they’re your personal butler or maid, and believe me if you ask for two sauce packets you don’t have to speak slowly and show me your two fingers like I’m illiterate. I’m not saying all customers are rude, and all fast food workers are saints, but there are more than a few privileged jerks out there who make you want to lose your religion. Please be courteous, respectful, and patient I swear it means a lot to us, and understand some of us aren’t planning to make this job our career, but if some of us are, that still gives you no right to talk down to any of us. Food service workers are human, work hard, and deserve your respect I mean think about it, these people are touching your food have some common sense. I hope the next time you visit your favorite fast-food or restaurant in your home town and you’re a rude customer you need to change your attitude, if you are an overall decent customer who values, and respects us workers thank you so much and you come back to see us.