Drive-thru Etiquette

Don't be inane. The odds are, if somebody in a drive thru line is asking you if you want this, they are doing their job. McDonalds at least tells you when you go in to do drive thru that you MUST suggestive sell other items. Often, it's because there may be something you might have forgotten to order. Or might want to try. Don't take my head off if I ask you if you'd like some dessert with your meal. I'm doing my job. Just smile, politely say no, and tell them that will be all.

It would be nice if the people taking my order knew english.

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His story was that some kids came in and jumped up and knocked it down

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I've worked at McD's for 2 years. There's some people who need to learn how to go thru a drive-thru and not be so rude. Its for quick and simple meals for people on the go. Employees are timed and have to get orders out under 120 second for each person. Managers change that number often to as low as 90 or 85. Its very stressful, especially with customers who like to take their time digging out change or long orders. So here are a few Dos and Don'ts for the drive-thru.

- Don't order a huge meal. I see too many soccer moms ordering for the whole team. It slows down the drive thru times and the more food ordered the more likely there could be a mistake. Please just go inside.

-Keep it simple. I have seen people go into details on exactly how they want their burger. It drives the order taker insane, its hard enough to just hear the order sometimes, then when you have to relay back to grill eactly what this guy wants cause the computer has no button for it, things get even more confusing. I've seen orders being made over 3 or 4 times before grill really gets it right. And the customer will even get pissed off. Please just take it inside or write it down!

-Calm down. You go thru drive-thru, you order just a meal. Lets say a big and tasty with cheese but no mayo and mustard instead. You get the sandwich and they have forgotten the cheese AGAIN! OMG! don't have a cow. This is the most messed up sandwich ever. Its all because there is a separate button for cheese on a B & T. and it is the most overlooked on a grill paper when someone orders it. Don't throw a fit, or for any other messed up order. Employees are trying their best most the time, and are constantly yelled at to serve off the order to keep those times down. Mistakes happen, it doesn't help if you go crazy, its not like we won't fix it. And if you say "well they screw up a lot" then you get too much fast food

-Smile and say "thank you". Its not much, but it helps a lot. They feel a bit better when serving you if you are polite. And don't feel bad if they don't smile back, after hours of trying to smile and say "thankyou" that smile tends to fade on its own.

-Sorry, we just don't have it. If the restraunt doesn't have it, please don't get pissed off. Its not their fault. Don't wave a sauce from a different place in their face and say "but Burger King has it!"

-Wear clothes. Yes i am serious.

-No Thx. Please don't be handing out business cards in Drive-thru Its just not polite.

-Be Ready. The most common reason for drive-thru times to be high or your long wait in line is caused by people who are not ready. They sit there and decide on what to get, or they are digging around for money. Don't be mad at the employees, its most likely the people in front of you causing the wait.

-Speak loud and clear. Some of those headsets are just pure evil. The speaker seems to be aimed directly at the engine on the car, cause thats all i hear along with some mumbling. Once in a while i can make out what they say or take a guess. If you have a loud car or truck, its best to turn the engine off while giving your order. Else make sure its loud and clear so your order will be correct.

-Don't you remember me? Drive-thru isn't social time with friends. I don't care how good of a friend you are or if you are a relative. I don't have time to chat, i need you in and out the same as all the other customers. And don't be upset if you go in and out and i don't even say hi. When you get into the working trance, all faces are the same. And if i havn't seen you in a while or something, i might overlook you. Nothing personal, i just turned off the outside world to ignore the frustration and stress of work.

-Turn off your windshield wipers! I really hate trying to serve poeple while getting splashed by water when it rains. I have seen people completly ignore it and watch me get smacked in the face with water. Its rude and annoying. And might earn you some spit hehe

-Please just pull forward. If your food has to cook don't be an ass. The people behind you can still get their food and go. Don't sit there and say no, it doesn't make your food cook any faster. It just drives the times up. And it makes you look really bad.

-I don't know. Don't ask me what is in your bag after i hand it to you. Chances are i have forgotten already or didn't have time to check. I depend on the other guy to give it to me correctly. If i stop to check every order i get yelled at. Its much easier and faster to just check it yourself. Its in your hand.

-I still don't know. Don't ask me if the fries are fresh. The truth is, i have no idea. The best i can do is ask the fry dude. And hes gunna say yes everytime. Just taste one if you are that concerned.

-Don't obsess over the toy. I see people that act worse than thier bratty kids over the stupid McD's toy. Just take what we gave you. Its a cheap little toy. And if you get the same one then read the last line of "Calm down."

-Be polite to other customers. If you are the type to drive over the median or take a short cut in drive-thru at least make sure you arn't cutting anyone off. Its not fair to those following the rules. And it can be dangerous going in the wrong way at times.


these are all the Dos and Don'ts i can think of for now. I might some more later or some general rules.

this is not of just speculation i have walked more than a mile in your shoes and experanced the same hardsships if not more it going to be expected but i asked you how manny tips have you recived for working at mc donalds because thats a true sign that the workers are preforming more than what is requred.

and for those who like to mess with peoples food such as spitting and dropping on the floor
food tampering is a felony punishable by four years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Making decisions and putting your neck on the line everyday is hard work. It would be so nice to just go home at the end of the day.

The worst tend to be the ones born into wealth, because their sense of entitlement cripples them from anything like self-sufficiency. If I had money and children, I would strand the kids on a desert island in Borneo until they learned to take care of themselves. Let them practice their "do you know who I am?" routines on the orangutans.

Don't be inane. The odds are, if somebody in a drive thru line is asking you if you want this, they are doing their job. McDonalds at least tells you when you go in to do drive thru that you MUST suggestive sell other items. Often, it's because there may be something you might have forgotten to order. Or might want to try. Don't take my head off if I ask you if you'd like some dessert with your meal. I'm doing my job. Just smile, politely say no, and tell them that will be all.

If you don't like it, get another job

I suspect most of the people in the low-paying service industry sector would do just that if they could. But apart from teen short-timers trying to earn a little extra spending cash, these aren't people with expansive opportunities awaiting them in other fields. Until you've experienced the soul-numbing bone-weary despair of trying to eke out a living on a minimum wage, you can't appreciate exactly how difficult it is to climb out of that pit.

A little empathy, patience, maybe even a smile and a "thank you" makes the day a little bit less of a drudge... on both sides of the window. I forget that sometimes. We all do. Try to be better.

If I ordered a sammich with no pickles or onions it's because THAT"S WHAT I WANT AND GIVING ME WHAT I WANT IS WHAT YOUR EMPLOYER PAYS YOU FOR. If you don't like it, get another job where actually giving paying customers what they paid for doesn't matter.

Try making decisions every few seconds on your feet all day in an environment where one misstep on a greasy floor could put you elbow-deep in boiling fat.

I was ecstatic to leave that all behind and move into an office environment. Now I train everybody from entry level grads to vice presidents. And while there are a handful of VPs that still put in an honest day's work for their paycheck (due to a rare sense of commitment and personal responsibility), most of them have zero stress because they immediately delegate responsibility for anything significant to smarter and more competent underlings. Consequently, some of them lack anything more than the most rudimentary understanding of the tools that they are supposedly using every day to do their alleged jobs.

The worst tend to be the ones born into wealth, because their sense of entitlement cripples them from anything like self-sufficiency. If I had money and children, I would strand the kids on a desert island in Borneo until they learned to take care of themselves. Let them practice their "do you know who I am?" routines on the orangutans.

I would not force them to work at McDonalds, because in my experience, that's much crueler than living off grubs for a few months.

I am a little unsure why you quoted me in your post. What I said is not in contradiction to what you said.

Comeon, the "get another job" advice actually isn't so harsh or bad. There's PLENTY of other jobs out there if you really can't stand food service. The wages you're getting paid at a McD's or BK aren't exactly hard to find. I could name dozens of alternatives simply in the retail industry alone that are just as good or better... maybe even some alternatives within the food retail industry too. Mainly smaller or slower paced types of places like family businesses or a Borders cafe or something. Be creative in your job hunting and look for smaller, rare, specialty, or other types of places that get your interest.

Went throught the drive through at Popeye's and thought about this thread. Being the geek that I am, I whipped out my cell phone and took a picture. No, the picture isn't backwards we drive on the the right side of the road here.

Maybe I'll go get a picture of the McD's drive thru, for posterity