10 Things Your McDonald's Drive-Thru Worker Really Wants You to Know
While my high school friends were lounging around our local pool as lifeguards, or answering phones in a perfectly air-conditioned office, I was running around a greasy McDonald's drive-thru. Four years of blood (ew, just kidding), sweat (not in the food, don't worry!), and tears (yes, I did cry a few times) taught me a lot about the fast food industry. So here are the 10 things your McDonald's drive-thru worker (me) really wants you to know.
1. Ordering sauces at the drive-thru window will take 10x longer. A 10-piece McNugget meal comes with two sauces for free and at some McDonald's you'll be charged for any additional sauces. So if you pull forward to the window and ask for a third barbecue sauce, I will have to take your extra money, run over to the closest register, wait for the person who's actually assigned to that register to finish with their customer, ring in your sauce, get your change, grab the sauce, and then bring them to you. This whole drawn-out process can just be avoided if you order your extra sauce at the speaker box with your meal.
2. Yes, you will be charged for the cup of water. Like extra sauces, some McDonald's locations charge for a cup of water. It's only a few cents to cover the cost of the paper cup, but your drive-thru person has to charge you. So please don't order the water at the drive-thru window in the hope that you won't be charged, 'cause dude, I just work here - I don't make the rules.
3. "Regular" is not a size. McDonald's doesn't have some fancy lingo for the sizes of its meals, like Starbucks. There's just small, medium, and large sizes for most meals. So when I ask you what size Filet-O-Fish meal you want, don't order a "regular." If you do I'll be forced to guess whether you mean small or medium, and on most occasions my guess is wrong.
4. Vegetarians: Ordering a cheeseburger with no meat is actually cheaper than ordering a McDouble with no meat. A lot of vegs will order a McDouble without meat, so they can get a warm bun with cheese, onions, mustard, and ketchup for cheap. And even though McDoubles are on the Dollar Menu, the regular cheeseburger is a few cents cheaper. You might only be saving 2 cents per order, but if you do that 55 times, that's another no-meat burger you get for free!
5. I didn't make your burger. I get it – it's super annoying to have someone mess up your lunch order, but please don't bring the sass with me. I entered your order into the computer correctly, but whoever made your burger in the kitchen (ie: not me) must have slipped up and given you no pickles when you asked for extra. I'd be happy to get you a new burger, but please don't tell me "you messed up my order," because I didn't.
6. If you come in at 9 PM, you probably can't order a Frappé. The McCafe machine is cleaned out with cleaning solution every single night. If you come in an hour before close, it's likely that the machine has already been cleaned for the night and your order won't be filled.
7. No, the food is not disgusting behind the scenes. Like any restaurant, McDonald's works under strict health codes. We are constantly cleaning on the job and "secret shoppers" come through almost weekly to judge how our restaurants are running. Rest assured, if a McDonald's worker did anything unsanitary, they'd be fired outright.
8. I'm not giving you free food. Sorry, Guy I Worked With On A Bio Project Three Years Ago, I will not give you free fries. I'm not risking my job, so you can save $2.17.
9. The greeting at the speaker box is a recording. You've probably heard this a thousand times: "Hi! Would you like to try our new [insert food item here] today? Order when ready!" Sorry to pull the curtain, but the Wizard isn't real. It's just a recording, so please don't say "what?" afterward, just order your meal, so I can get you your food ASAP.
10. We work our butts off. Working at a fast food restaurant may not seem like an important job, but don't get it twisted, it's hard work. You're constantly being timed, expected to do everything at once, and have to deal with sassy customers with a believable smile plastered to your face, even if all you want to do is cry. It's extremely stressful and most people quit after their first day. Please don't belittle my choice to make money by "flipping burgers," because this job has taught me a lot.
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