June 2, 200917 yr I don't usually have problems, but I do know that Arby's in Burlington must kill the cow in the restaraunt, they are SLLLLOOOOW. The one in Bellevue is very slow too.
June 2, 200917 yr I ran a fast food restaurant for a few years so I will offer steps to help improve the order accuracy you receive. Most issues arise from communication, either they didn't hear you correctly, they weren't paying attention, or just maybe you forgot to order it. To fix this A. Speak clearly and into the speaker. If you turn your head away while speaking they may not hear you. B. Don't mumble or speak considerably fast, especially if you have a thick accent C. Use the menu names. Calling items by names other then what they are often results in mistakes, because many items are similar in many respects and you don't want the cashier to decide which one you meant. D. Always Always Always have your order repeated back to you and don't drive up until you are certain they said everything that you ordered, this requires you remembering what you ordered. I'm not saying that the particular restaurant shouldn't be doing better but by taking those steps you help yourself on your end. Factors that cause mistakes 1. Large orders: The larger your order the higher probability for a mistake. It is much easier to handle 10 small orders than one order serving 10 people. 2. Special orders: Communication again is a very big key in this issue. Something to keep in mind is that everything you say to one person(cashier) then has to get communicated to another person (cook) either by hardwired computer or by voice. It is a lot like playing the telephone game where things get twisted around as they go. Another factor with special orders is that they often require more attention and in the process of making your well done double cheese with bacon, onion, pickles, 1/2 the normal amount of mustard, and mayo they may lose some focus on your other regular items like fries. 3. If they are really busy. Personally I NEVER go to a fastfood restaurant if I see they are busy. To many people to people transactions going on at such a fast pace is bound to create mistakes. The more you combine any of those 3 circumstances the higher probability that something will go wrong. The more large orders with special items the higher likelihood something will be wrong. The last thing that you can do to help prevent yourself from getting messed up orders is to check your order before you leave. If something is still wrong, remember honey attracts more flies than vinegar. Using the biggest smile possible say "I'm sorry I think you forgot my ______." Or "My order is slightly incorrect you you mind fixing it for me" be nice cheerful and friendly with your request and you will almost never have any issues with getting your order repaired. However going in with clinched teeth, furrowed brow, and an angry disposition will in most cases make whoever your going to yell at feel defensive and probably fight with you. Again I'm not defending bad service, of which there is a great amount out there. I'm simply offering the most effective things you can do to limit problems. And something else to consider is if "everyone" always messes up your order, just maybe "everyone" isn't really the problem... So....what can you offer me? I order the Biggie Fry, probably more emphatically than anything else....They repeat it back to me....it appears on the screen that I see at the window....and I pay for it....it's on my receipt..... Obviously, check before I leave the window. But, I've worked DT before...and I simply don't think that it's an unreasonable expectation that my biggie fry be in the bag at least SOME of the time that I order it.
June 2, 200917 yr I ran a fast food restaurant for a few years so I will offer steps to help improve the order accuracy you receive. Most issues arise from communication, either they didn't hear you correctly, they weren't paying attention, or just maybe you forgot to order it. To fix this A. Speak clearly and into the speaker. If you turn your head away while speaking they may not hear you. B. Don't mumble or speak considerably fast, especially if you have a thick accent C. Use the menu names. Calling items by names other then what they are often results in mistakes, because many items are similar in many respects and you don't want the cashier to decide which one you meant. D. Always Always Always have your order repeated back to you and don't drive up until you are certain they said everything that you ordered, this requires you remembering what you ordered. I'm not saying that the particular restaurant shouldn't be doing better but by taking those steps you help yourself on your end. Factors that cause mistakes 1. Large orders: The larger your order the higher probability for a mistake. It is much easier to handle 10 small orders than one order serving 10 people. 2. Special orders: Communication again is a very big key in this issue. Something to keep in mind is that everything you say to one person(cashier) then has to get communicated to another person (cook) either by hardwired computer or by voice. It is a lot like playing the telephone game where things get twisted around as they go. Another factor with special orders is that they often require more attention and in the process of making your well done double cheese with bacon, onion, pickles, 1/2 the normal amount of mustard, and mayo they may lose some focus on your other regular items like fries. 3. If they are really busy. Personally I NEVER go to a fastfood restaurant if I see they are busy. To many people to people transactions going on at such a fast pace is bound to create mistakes. The more you combine any of those 3 circumstances the higher probability that something will go wrong. The more large orders with special items the higher likelihood something will be wrong. The last thing that you can do to help prevent yourself from getting messed up orders is to check your order before you leave. If something is still wrong, remember honey attracts more flies than vinegar. Using the biggest smile possible say "I'm sorry I think you forgot my ______." Or "My order is slightly incorrect you you mind fixing it for me" be nice cheerful and friendly with your request and you will almost never have any issues with getting your order repaired. However going in with clinched teeth, furrowed brow, and an angry disposition will in most cases make whoever your going to yell at feel defensive and probably fight with you. Again I'm not defending bad service, of which there is a great amount out there. I'm simply offering the most effective things you can do to limit problems. And something else to consider is if "everyone" always messes up your order, just maybe "everyone" isn't really the problem... Cop Out! Get in right! B. Don't mumble or speak considerably fast, especially if you have a thick accent Love this one since you can rarely understand anything that is said through a drive through window speaker!
June 2, 200917 yr Author Cop Out! Get in right! B. Don't mumble or speak considerably fast, especially if you have a thick accent Love this one since you can rarely understand anything that is said through a drive through window speaker! Just about every one of them sounds like they took diction lessons from Charlie Brown's teacher.
June 2, 200917 yr So....what can you offer me? I order the Biggie Fry, probably more emphatically than anything else....They repeat it back to me....it appears on the screen that I see at the window....and I pay for it....it's on my receipt..... Obviously, check before I leave the window. But, I've worked DT before...and I simply don't think that it's an unreasonable expectation that my biggie fry be in the bag at least SOME of the time that I order it. I find it hard to believe that your Biggie Fry is never in the bag. Check your bag when they hand it to you & go through the bag before you leave. If it's not in there, wait until they return. It'll maybe cost ya an extra minute.
June 2, 200917 yr Cop Out! Get in right! B. Don't mumble or speak considerably fast, especially if you have a thick accent Love this one since you can rarely understand anything that is said through a drive through window speaker! Actually, I think that's a very accurate (and informative) post. Although I've never worked at a fast food restaurant, I try to follow a lot of the same things that RRR spoke of. I very, very rarely have any problems at fast food restaurants. He's absolutely right that it all boils down to communication & specificity. And by specificity, I don't mean "2 onions, 1/2 tomato, etc. etc." I mean ordering the sandwich (or whatever else it may be) by the proper, listed name.
June 3, 200917 yr McDonald's in Maysville is the worst!!!!!!:isurrender::isurrender::isurrender: I've have a problem with Wendy's, never got my order right an forgets to give napkins and extra salt and ketchup packets. I like Hardee's at breakfest. Might start going there for lunch to.
June 3, 200917 yr Actually, I think that's a very accurate (and informative) post. Although I've never worked at a fast food restaurant, I try to follow a lot of the same things that RRR spoke of. I very, very rarely have any problems at fast food restaurants. He's absolutely right that it all boils down to communication & specificity. And by specificity, I don't mean "2 onions, 1/2 tomato, etc. etc." I mean ordering the sandwich (or whatever else it may be) by the proper, listed name. Although those are nice steps they don't always work. If you notice, a lot of fast food workers are either; a.) high school students, b.) College students, c.) older people So realistically it's not hard to imagine that they do not get an order right. I always go by menu names, speak clearly and even speak loudly. I get my order and it shows on the receipt but sometimes it's wrong. The Taco Bell in Morehead is horrible for getting orders wrong. I have a long story for this but I will pass on telling the whole thing but fact of the matter was that we dined in and had to go back and forth getting the order fixed 4 times and had to wait forever in the process. The order was simple but yet they kept messing it up. The other day at Burger King i ordered a double whopper and there was only one patty on it. I checked the receipt and it showed that I had ordered and paid for a double whopper. I took it back and told them and that was the end of it. Some restaurants are worse than others but from my experiences most of it has to do with the people that work there instead of the customers.
June 3, 200917 yr Author I've have a problem with Wendy's, never got my order right an forgets to give napkins and extra salt and ketchup packets. I like Hardee's at breakfest. Might start going there for lunch to. The Hardee's in Maysville has generally done a great business at breakfast. After that, the place seems pretty much deserted.
June 4, 200917 yr McDonalds in Grayson. I have never gotten one order that had everything. Usually minus a fry... everything on a burger that I ordered plain... none of the sauces I ordered. The only time that it was correct was when the employees of the Olive Hill McDonald's came over and worked during a Christmas party. :ohbrother:(True Story)
June 4, 200917 yr :laugh::laugh: McDonalds in Grayson. I have never gotten one order that had everything. Usually minus a fry... everything on a burger that I ordered plain... none of the sauces I ordered. The only time that it was correct was when the employees of the Olive Hill McDonald's came over and worked during a Christmas party. :ohbrother:(True Story)
June 4, 200917 yr So....what can you offer me? I order the Biggie Fry, probably more emphatically than anything else....They repeat it back to me....it appears on the screen that I see at the window....and I pay for it....it's on my receipt..... Obviously, check before I leave the window. But, I've worked DT before...and I simply don't think that it's an unreasonable expectation that my biggie fry be in the bag at least SOME of the time that I order it. I didn't say it was unreasonable to expect good service, I said there were things you could do to help yourself, I never said your particular place wasn't horrible. If it is horrible you should stop going there. Wendy's reliably has the worst order accuracy in the industry, however they also have the fastest speed in the industry (the two are most likely related)
June 4, 200917 yr I didn't say it was unreasonable to expect good service, I said there were things you could do to help yourself, I never said your particular place wasn't horrible. If it is horrible you should stop going there. Wendy's reliably has the worst order accuracy in the industry, however they also have the fastest speed in the industry (the two are most likely related) Good points.
June 4, 200917 yr I find it hard to believe that your Biggie Fry is never in the bag. Check your bag when they hand it to you & go through the bag before you leave. If it's not in there, wait until they return. It'll maybe cost ya an extra minute. I guess you'll just have to not believe me, but it's true. And I guess you missed the part where I admitted that it was my own fault. I do realize mistakes happen. On the other hand, I do think that I should be able to have a reasonable expectation that MOST of the time I would find it in my bag whether I checked or not.
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.