Customer Etiquette ~The Flip Side~

Etiquette is something all good people want to have, because respect and image are both highly valued in all situations. Whether it's in conversations with friends, a professional e-mail, or shopping for donuts, everything has a set of standards that seem rude if they're broken.

And that includes fast food restarants.

It's known that customer service is a big section of the workplace. If a worker mistreats a customer, that may result in a loss of business for the company. Management now teaches workers to bend over backwards, and if in an arguement, the customer is always right.

And let me tell you, from personal experience, we try our best. But there are just some cases where we flat out cannot handle it anymore.

Most people don't see the flip side. They think that when they go to fast food, the word "fast" allows them to throw all rules out the window and become gods.

This piece is for everyone in hopes that next time you enter a fast food joint, you'll be prepared.

~Fast Food Etiquette~

First off, this applies to fast food restarants. I work at a Wendy's, but I know for a fact that these rules apply EVERYWHERE.

-----PART 1------

~The Cashier~

Our job is first and foremost, to take your order and serve it to you at top speed. To help us do that, please follow these guidelines:

1) When you arrive at the counter, please already know what you want to order. Our systems time each order (and I realize that it may seem rude to want you to hurry, but it's "fast food" for a reason) and if our times are too high, we could end up losing our jobs. Plus, if there's a line, you are also delaying other customers.

2) When you arrive at the counter, please already know your order. Last week, a group of five kids came in. They came to order, but obviously didn't know what they wanted. This is how the conversation went:

"We'll take 1 cheeseburger."
"OH! I want nuggets!"
"An order of nuggets..."
"TWO orders."
"Add one for me as well."
"Three orders of nugg-"
"I want two of those sandwhiches!"
"And a fry!"
"Get me a fry too!"
"A large fr-"
"For me too!"
"-TWO large fries"
"And a nugget!"
"Another order of-"
"Did you know that this kid eats toothpaste?" -he points to the youngest in the group- "It's bad, isn't it?"
"I want a chili!"
"And the chicken!"

Obviously, this was a rapid-fire secession that tested my capability to hear. They finally finished the order, and I started to get the items together. Then...

"Did you get my Stack Attack?"
"...no. Can we get another Stack Attack? Actually, make that three."
"And a nugget."
"We already have so-"
"You forgot me!"

These customers ended up having over five different orders, and then they realized no one had ordered drinks. By the time I was done with them, I literally was losing my voice. That night lowered my overall perception of humanity.

3) When you come to the counter, please know what you want. There's something else besides the time that we need to keep down: Voids. For those of us in the FF industry, we know void as a bad word. When someone orders, say a 5 piece nugget, then decides they want chili instead, we have to void the nuggets, or take it off. It's easy to do, but we have to ask the manager. And if we rack up too many voids, we could also get fired (that's a BAD thing).

4) When you order a drink, please don't just say "And one small drink." That tells the cashier nothing besides the fact that you are thirsty. Please add the actual beverage you'd like. (I.E. Pepsi, Coke, Lemonade.) And when you order combos, please do the same.


5) When you say, "I want a Number (x)", you are ordering a COMBO. That means you will receive the main item (Burger, Chicken Sandwich, Nuggets, etc), FRIES, and A DRINK. If you only want the sandwich, just say, "I want the ------ burger, by itself." It's much appriciated.

6) If a worker accidentally forgets part of your order, just calmly say, "I think I'm missing (fill in item here)." We most likely forgot something because we are tired and have had a long day, so yelling "HEY! YOU FORGOT MY ------" isn't going to make us rush to get it for you. Politeness will get you very far.

7) When you approach the counter, the Cashier may not always be ready for you. They may be filling someone else's order. (Example: At work, I can only fill two at a time. Anymore, and I confuse orders. That means some people may have to wait before I can get to them.) If they aren't ready, just wait (and double check your order if you get bored). We are really trying to get to you as fast as we can. Bear with us.