Joe Kelly’s Bizarre Drive-Thru Experience

So, this was weird. Really weird.

Recently, I went to the drive-thru of a South Jersey national-chain fast food restaurant.

I'm not going to identify the restaurant or where it's located. No sense in bashing a business because of the actions of one or two rogue employees.

Drive-Thru madness

Here's what happened.

I pulled up to the speaker and placed my order. It was literally a Diet Coke and their version of a burger. I ordered it straight off the menu, no special requests. A burger and a drink. A mid-afternoon snack on a day I kinda forgot to eat lunch

I pulled up and paid, then pulled up to the next window.

The worker - I'm guessing he was a teenager, immediately handed me my drink.

Up to this point everything is normal. Just sitting there waiting for my regular, straight-off-the-menu burger.

I waited. And I waited. I was thumbing thru some emails while I waited, and then I realized I had been waiting three or four minutes. Highly unusual at this restaurant, because it's usually pretty quick.

I thought that maybe they were cleaning the grill, or there was a shift change or something.

Finally the worker stuck his head out and asked me if I could pull up.

"Pull over where?"

"Right over there", he said as he pointed.

I was going to say, "For a simple burger?" But, I didn't, I should have.

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The waiting continues

I pulled up and waited. And waited some more.

At this point, I realized two cars behind me had received their orders. Another car was guided to pull up and park near me.

Again, I'm just waiting on a burger. Straight off the menu, a pretty standard and simple order.

Finally, the same worker comes out and hands me a bag with my food. I say "Thanks" and he turns and starts walking away.

Immediately, I felt the weight of the bag and yelled out "Wait!"

I looked in the bag, and it was obviously not my order - there were several items in the bag and I only ordered one.

"This isn't my order!"

He took the bag and gave it to the other waiting car - and, they took it! (I would have refused it, since someone else already had handled the bag. Maybe that's just me.)

So, after he drops off the bag, he comes back and asks me, "So what did you order?"

The most impressive part here is that, at this point, I'm just calm, cool, and collected.

"One burger."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

So, the waiting continues.

The delivery is finally made

One minute goes by, and the worker emerges, with a burger in his hand.

in his hand!

No bag, no box, no wrappings, no napkins, he's holding a naked burger in his hand!

What the heck????

(Oh, I'm still - surprisingly - very calm.)

Finally, I parked my car, walked in with the naked burger now in my hand, and asked to see the manager.

I told him the story, he apologized several times, and made it right. I laughed and thanked him.  It was the kid's first day. Let's hope his second day goes better....