I have a confession to make. I hate drive throughs. The thought of talking to a picture board without seeing a person and winding around a claustrophobic lane where I could lose my sense of direction by the time I get out, makes me nervous. In fact, it would seem like when I come around, they are watching their camera and trying to figure out how difficult they can make this. It’s like when a dog knows you are scared of it, it will surely snarl at you even though he’s a friendly dog.
So this is what happened most recently. . .
We ran into a problem with our tiles on our patio. It was about dinner time when I found out the installers would be working late to fix things up, so getting some food seemed like the proper thing to do. It turned out that chicken was the preferred meal, so I figured that if I call ahead, it would go faster and in the meantime I could get some cookies going for dessert.
To begin with, I can’t find Kentucky Fried Chicken in the directory! How many ways are there to spell that? Safeway is called Canada Safeway in the book, so maybe it’s Kernel Sanders ... something. Nope. I finally find it almost by fluke under KFC. Who would have thought? And to answer my question, I should just order it at the Drive Through, my order is not big enough to worry about.
I zip over there and speak to the speaker board (which offers exactly what I’m about to order):
Your order please.
I'd like to get a 10 piece meal and a 15 piece meal.
You want a 10 piece meal and what?
A 10 piece meal and a 15 piece meal.
10 piece meal and what else?
One 10 piece and one 15 piece meal! I want 25 pieces of chicken . . .
and salads. (by this time the people behind me can hear me, if she can’t)
Could you just drive up to the window and give your order please.
(I wait at the closed window)
(Finally the window opens)
It will be cheaper for you to get the 10 and 15 piece meals. (duh)
(Okay, maybe she said, the 15 piece meal and 10 pieces of chicken...)
Now that would come with 2 large and 3 medium salads (sides)
Okay, I’d like 2 large fries and 3 medium coleslaws.
Well, it only comes with 1 large fries. I can give you another one instead of the gravy.
Good. (I don’t want gravy anyways)
(I pay.)
(she leaves)
(she comes back )
I can’t do fries instead of gravy.
Okay, I’ll pay for another one, and on second thought please just make that one a potato salad.
(there’s a switch of girls for some reason)
So you want just potato salad?
No, one fries (which I paid for) and one potato salad.
Okay that will be 11 something.
I only want to pay for one potato salad now. I already paid for the fries.
(Do these girls actually take food orders all day long?)
Okay, that will be 4 something.
Finally I get my food, she confirms that everything’s there and I drive off.
I get home.
There is no coleslaw and no potato salad.
I put the chicken and fries in the oven and debate whether I should just make my own coleslaw, but there aren’t enough fries.
I drive back - not a happy camper!!!!
The bag is waiting for me and I am relieved to know I am not crazy.
Do you want Pepsi, Diet Pepsi or Sprite?
I didn’t order any drink.
Oh, it’s just for the mistake!
So this is what happened most recently. . .
We ran into a problem with our tiles on our patio. It was about dinner time when I found out the installers would be working late to fix things up, so getting some food seemed like the proper thing to do. It turned out that chicken was the preferred meal, so I figured that if I call ahead, it would go faster and in the meantime I could get some cookies going for dessert.
To begin with, I can’t find Kentucky Fried Chicken in the directory! How many ways are there to spell that? Safeway is called Canada Safeway in the book, so maybe it’s Kernel Sanders ... something. Nope. I finally find it almost by fluke under KFC. Who would have thought? And to answer my question, I should just order it at the Drive Through, my order is not big enough to worry about.
I zip over there and speak to the speaker board (which offers exactly what I’m about to order):
Your order please.
I'd like to get a 10 piece meal and a 15 piece meal.
You want a 10 piece meal and what?
A 10 piece meal and a 15 piece meal.
10 piece meal and what else?
One 10 piece and one 15 piece meal! I want 25 pieces of chicken . . .
and salads. (by this time the people behind me can hear me, if she can’t)
Could you just drive up to the window and give your order please.
(I wait at the closed window)
(Finally the window opens)
It will be cheaper for you to get the 10 and 15 piece meals. (duh)
(Okay, maybe she said, the 15 piece meal and 10 pieces of chicken...)
Now that would come with 2 large and 3 medium salads (sides)
Okay, I’d like 2 large fries and 3 medium coleslaws.
Well, it only comes with 1 large fries. I can give you another one instead of the gravy.
Good. (I don’t want gravy anyways)
(I pay.)
(she leaves)
(she comes back )
I can’t do fries instead of gravy.
Okay, I’ll pay for another one, and on second thought please just make that one a potato salad.
(there’s a switch of girls for some reason)
So you want just potato salad?
No, one fries (which I paid for) and one potato salad.
Okay that will be 11 something.
I only want to pay for one potato salad now. I already paid for the fries.
(Do these girls actually take food orders all day long?)
Okay, that will be 4 something.
Finally I get my food, she confirms that everything’s there and I drive off.
I get home.
There is no coleslaw and no potato salad.
I put the chicken and fries in the oven and debate whether I should just make my own coleslaw, but there aren’t enough fries.
I drive back - not a happy camper!!!!
The bag is waiting for me and I am relieved to know I am not crazy.
Do you want Pepsi, Diet Pepsi or Sprite?
I didn’t order any drink.
Oh, it’s just for the mistake!
(no apology?)
I drive home again. Get everything ready to serve, mix the cookies and bake them while the men eat. By the time they finish dinner, the cookies are warm on a platter and fresh coffee is brewing.
And they never found out about my nightmare.
I drive home again. Get everything ready to serve, mix the cookies and bake them while the men eat. By the time they finish dinner, the cookies are warm on a platter and fresh coffee is brewing.
And they never found out about my nightmare.
11 comments:
I wonder how many times this nightmare is replayed...drive thru staff must be the same everywhere!! Oh Anneliese I chuckled my way through this 'conversation'..this has happened to us many times. Sometimes I've wondered if we spoke the same language! The joys of drive thru!!
I'm glad it all worked out in the end.
Oh...this all sounds so familiar! I just did the whole same thing...couldn't find Kentucky Fried Chicken in the phone book and found it in the restaurant section of the yellow pages listed as KFC.
Our European friends can't handle our drive-through's at all...they get a headache even trying.
Haaaa!!! You get just about the same level of service at DQ. Try to order a birthday cake there. Good times.
Oh Mom, thanks for the good laugh! I can just picture you sitting in your car so frustrated!!!
My daughter the nurse points out that if she gets an order wrong she 1. could kill someone and 2. will get fired. And why should the yahoos at the drive through not have the same consequences applied to their error?
On the other hand, a trip to the KFC for fried chicken to go with Sunday waffles made at home sure beats having to both fry chicken and make waffles.
Of course you'd have to live in the Deep South to understand what THAT is all about...
Word verification: spatudas
A new kitchen tool???
OH Anneliese. . .I can so relate. . .seriously ..
I sometimes make a game out of the ordering procedure at Timmy's. .to see if maybe once just once. .they won't ask extra questions..
So ..I get to the front of saying HI. . I say ..this is for here. . and pat myself on the back for getting that question out of the way. .
lol......sounds like you just need to practice more and go through more drive-thru's and learn the lingo....i just had to chuckle and i understand the frustration totally....
A coffee shop drive thru near my work is so consistent in mixing up my order that I am tempted to pull up and say, "I'll just take whatever you decide...I never get what I order anyway!" But I think it's probably best to let patience have her perfect work...
What a laugh! And I thought these kind of issues only came up in a foreign country!
I am just sitting here giggling!! I think KFC wins the prize for most confused people working in their Drive Thru!!
HA....funny post. I so agree....and the older I get the less I can hear on those stupid speakers. Funny though...the teenagers can hear over the radio, six conversations AND sitting in the back seat....does this mean I am getting old?! Where oh where are the DRIVE-INS instead of DRIVE THRUs!!!!
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