Millions of Americans eat fast-food each day. Though fast-food joints are popular among consumers, the people who work there might feel differently. Fast-food workers often work long hours, and have to deal with grievances like poor working conditions and rude customers. You could be contributing to the latter without even realizing it. So often, we get so wrapped up in our own lives that we dismiss the strangers around us. Fast-food employees often take the brunt of this. According to fast-food workers holding discussions on Reddit threads and subreddits, they put up with a lot, and they mostly just want basic human decency. Here’s what not to do when you eat out at Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and other fast-food chains.
Pressuring Workers to Hurry Because You’re Running Late
If you’re already running late, stopping for a bite to eat probably isn’t the best idea. Still, if you decide to stop anyway, remember that the employees are going as fast as they can. It’s called fast-food, not instant food. They can’t put in a rush order or give special treatment for one customer just because you’re behind schedule. Leave earlier to account for things like long lines, but if you get impatient, it doesn’t give you permission to mistreat the workers.
Making Too Many Substitutions
No tomato on your cheeseburger? No problem. Dressing on the side instead of on top? No big deal. A couple of small modifications are to be expected, but drastically changing an item so it’s unrecognizable could be taking it too far. This gets confusing for the person taking your order and the cook who prepares it, since they’ve likely memorized each menu item as-is. Consider trying something else instead, and keep substitutions to a reasonable amount.
Talking on the Phone While Ordering
Multitasking is mostly a myth. It’s not always possible to perform two tasks at once, such as talking on the phone and placing your fast-food order. Not only is it impolite to have loud phone calls in public, it’s rude to the employee whose job it is to take orders. Finish your call before approaching the ordering window, so your attention isn’t split and you don’t accidentally forget to mention something important (then ask them to remake it later when you misspoke).
Not Using Chain Lingo
You don’t need to learn a whole new language with every food or drink spot you frequent, but it can help to familiarize yourself with the chain’s lingo, if they have any. Not every place will use common terms like small, medium, and large. Starbucks is a prime example, with terms for sizing like tall, grande, and venti. Baristas know what you mean when you say “small” instead of “tall,” but if you go to the same coffee shop often, you might as well get the lingo down.
Get Upset When Something Is Out of Stock
Fast-food restaurants are usually pretty good about ordering enough inventory to meet customer demand, but every now and then, they’re bound to run out of something. Whether your favorite menu item has been discontinued, or the establishment simply ran out that day, you shouldn’t take your frustration out on the employees. It’s not like they’ve schemed in the back or ate up all the stock themselves. They’re just the bearer of bad news.
Asking for Off-Menu Items
Some fast-food joints have “secret” or off-menu items, and it’s part of the chain’s lore. For example, In-N-Out, which has a notoriously simple menu, has a no-so-secret menu consisting of items like 4×4 cheeseburgers and animal-style fries. Other places may not have secret menus, so if you see a secret menu hack online and attempt to try it out in person, you might just confuse the workers.
Fiddling With Coins to Pay With Exact Change
Paying with exact change sounds like it would make every cashier’s life easier, but it could actually hold up the line. It’s one thing to have exact change in hand and ready to go, and another to search for coins at the bottom of your purse or deep in your pockets. It’s actually faster to pay with bills and let the cashier give you your change. After all, the register does the calculations for them, and the inside drawer is neatly organized for efficiency.
Offering Change After the Register Has Closed
Speaking of change, your time to add a quarter to the transaction ends when the register slams shut. If the total is $9.25 and you paid with $10, your change is $0.75. But if you include a quarter at the last minute, you’ll get back a nice $1 bill. Simple enough right? This may seem like easy math, but cashiers are often overstimulated and don’t have the time to do mental calculations. The register does the calculating for them. Offering up a quarter to get back a solid bill is innocent enough, but include the quarter before the register closes. You don’t want to overwhelm the cashier and need them to call over a manager to open the cash register again.
Making Disparaging Remarks
According to some Redditors, it’s not uncommon for customers to ask fast-food workers if they dislike their job and can’t wait to move on. Some emboldened customers even used the employees as an example for their children of what not to do with their lives. While working in the food service industry is difficult at times, you shouldn’t assume someone dislikes their job just because you don’t fancy it. As long as you frequent fast-food restaurants, there are going to be hard-working people there making them run smoothly, and assuming they hate working at the place you chose to eat at is rude.
Reaching Behind the Counter to Grab Something
Some things are kept behind the counter, such as fountain drink cups and extra sauces. They’re there for the employees to hand out, but some people still reach over and help themselves. If you need something that’s kept behind the counter, just as an employee. But why spend the extra ten seconds to flag down an employee when you could quickly grab it yourself? It’s behind the counter for a reason—it’s probably restaurant policy. And it’s simply the polite thing to do, especially if the items in question are food-related, which could be out of reach for sanitary reasons.
Leaving Garbage at the Tables
You don’t have to bus your own table at every food spot, but when everything is disposable, it’s common courtesy to throw away your trash and return your tray. Eating can be messy—from spilled fountain drinks to discarded food wrappers, the eating surfaces aren’t the cleanest in the world. But you can do your part by piling your garbage on your tray, dumping it in a trash can nearby, and returning your tray to the designated holder. Then an employee can quickly wipe down the table for the next party, but they shouldn’t have to pick up after you.
Paying With Large Bills
At most establishments, you can make your payment with cash, credit card, or even your smartphone. But to those who prefer to pay with cash: Stick to smaller bills. You might want to break a $100 bill, but a fast-food joint isn’t the place to do it. Depending on the location, the register may not even have enough cash to break those large bills. Employees may be required to use a counterfeit pen and call over a manager for approval, and if you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you may know the manager’s attention is already split in a dozen different directions.
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