• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Fast food workers, which order method is best?

Pankratous

Pankratous

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,240
Hello KFC worker!

A) Can I have 3 boneless banquet meals, one with Pepsi and BBQ dip, one with Tango and Supercharger dip, and one with Sprite and Mayo.

B) Can I have 3 boneless banquet meals, the drinks are pepsi, tango and sprite, the dips are BBQ, supercharger and mayo

C) Can I have a boneless banquet meal with Pepsi and BBQ dip?

Can I have another boneless banquet meal with tango and supercharger dip?

Can I have another boneless banquet meal with Sprite and Mayo?
 
Soda

Soda

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,856
Dunedin, New Zealand
Meals are ordered per meal. Say "I'll have a #1 with a Coke and BBQ sauce, a #2 with Diet Coke and Horsey sauce, and a #3 with Pibb Xtreme and Ranch."
 
Finale Fireworker

Finale Fireworker

Love each other or die trying.
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,710
United States
While I do not work in fast food currently, my history as a cashier and an over-the-phone order-taker tells me C is best.

All of these meals are entered separately. So if you say "can I get three #3s with the following changes" you're asking the cashier to enter three base meals and then make changes to everything they entered. This is more work for the cashier and creates more opportunity for error. It's not the end of the world either way but if the aim is to make it as easy as possible and increase accuracy that's what you'd want to do.

However if you say "can I get a number 3 with fries and a diet coke" and then say "and can I get an additional number 3 with chili and a Dr Pepper" they can enter each item completely and accurately as you order it.
 
Redcrayon

Redcrayon

Patient hunter
On Break
Oct 27, 2017
12,713
UK
Don't they usually have a script based on how it's entered into the computer?

"Hi, what would you like?"
"Zinger tower meal please"
"Side?"
"Beans"
"Drink?"
"Pepsi"
"Anything else?"
(list next meal).

If they've got an order they prefer the info in, or a script that they are reading out to everyone, I go with that. They will know what is efficient more than I will..
 
Valiant

Valiant

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,310
When I worked fast food over a decade ago C would have been best as you have to do each combo differently and as drive thru you are doing multiple things at once like filing drinks, getting orders out of the window, bagging orders, getting sauces for the bitchy person in the drive thru window, etc. So things can easily be forgotten.

Slow, patient, and one at a time is the way to go.
 
Biske

Biske

Member
Nov 11, 2017
8,255
C seems like the best way, don't make it come convoluted bullshit just:

I want a meal with this, then i want a meal with this, and then i want a meal with this.

It's been a long time since I worked at subway but one at a time was always easier than some elaborate list, cause I can only make them one at a time, just as they can only put the order in one at a time.
 
Sabercrusader

Sabercrusader

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,189
I've always done C. Seems like the most ideal to me. You can only enter one order at a time so throwing your entire order at them like in A or B is just going to cause them to either ask you about the order again, or guess and potentially be wrong.
 
Why would you do that?

Why would you do that?

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,792
New York City
Pankratous said:
It blows my mind that you order with numbers
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I only order with the numbers at a fast food place like McDonald's. At a small, mom & pop place where they hand-write the numbers on the menu, I wouldn't ever.

Edit:
Pankratous said:
Just isn't a thing here. Say the full order. I don't think our menus are even numbered.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Menus in fast food places like McDonald's look like the following here:

091312lunchmcdonalds_960x540.jpg


Everything has a number that you can just use to order a combo meal.
 
Last edited:
Indy in the Fridge

Indy in the Fridge

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
15,278
I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce Don't be frontin' son no seeds on the bun We be up in this drive thru Order for two I gots a craving for a number nine like my shoe We need some chicken up in here In this hizzle For rizzle my mizzle Extra salt on the frizzle Dr. Pepper my brother Another for your mother Double double super size And don't forget the fries.
 
DisturbedSwan

DisturbedSwan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,815
Hampshire, UK.
In the US my ex used to order everything as a 'Number x combo with a x drink' which baffled me a bit. I always order exactly what it says on the menu, for example at KFC:

'Can I get a Gravy burger box meal please?' Then they should ask if I want wings, mini fillet or piece of OG chicken and then ask me which drink (OG Chicken and Cherry Max if you're wondering). If I do the same with another box meal they'll ask me which side and drink after I say the box meal name, and I'll say Gravy and Cherry Max.
 
BennyWhatever

BennyWhatever

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,776
US
I worked in fast food for 4 years back in high school and college.

Can confirm, the "best" way to order food is to do it one meal at a time, and to use numbers if they're available. Don't worry, after 2 days a fast food employee will have all the numbers memorized. Only time you need to say the name of the actual combo is if you're ordering right around when a restaurant switches from breakfast menu to normal menu, and that's just for clarity.

One of the reasons we say to use numbers is to prevent error. Pretend a number 1 is a Cheeseburger combo and a number 2 is a double cheeseburger combo. It's very easy for something to not go through right, someone to not enunciate enough, or for the mic to cut out or something and to get those confused if you say the full name. However, it's a lot harder for that to happen if you just say "number 1" or "number 2."
 
Commedieu

Commedieu

Banned
Nov 11, 2017
15,025
DisturbedSwan said:
In the US my ex used to order everything as a 'Number x combo with a x drink' which baffled me a bit. I always order exactly what it says on the menu, for example at KFC:

'Can I get a Gravy burger box meal please?' Then they should ask if I want wings, mini fillet or piece of OG chicken and then ask me which drink (OG Chicken and Cherry Max if you're wondering). If I do the same with another box meal they'll ask me which side and drink after I say the box meal name, and I'll say Gravy and Cherry Max.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


everyone in line behind you, hates you.

I hate you too. USE THE GOD DAMNED NUMBERS & RESPECT MATH!

{Waves gravy stained US flag)
 
molnizzle

molnizzle

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,695
It's been a while, but option C. Meals are their own sovereign units. Do them one at a time unless you have two that are identical. And use the numbers ffs.

DisturbedSwan said:
In the US my ex used to order everything as a 'Number x combo with a x drink' which baffled me a bit. I always order exactly what it says on the menu, for example at KFC:

'Can I get a Gravy burger box meal please?' Then they should ask if I want wings, mini fillet or piece of OG chicken and then ask me which drink (OG Chicken and Cherry Max if you're wondering). If I do the same with another box meal they'll ask me which side and drink after I say the box meal name, and I'll say Gravy and Cherry Max.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Every drive-thru cashier you've ever ordered from hates you.

edit: ah, a European. Figures. You guys can't even speak English correctly!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.