Fast Food Employees Reveal the 10 Things Customers Do That Annoy Them the Most
You might not think much of the short interaction between you and the McDonald's server… But he or she who served you your burger and fries definitely does. While some customers' unexpected kindness can totally put a lasting smile on a server's face, one rude comment can cause the employee to call it quits—and then take the tantrum to Reddit.
To get an inside look into what the guy punching buttons on the cash register really thinks of you (and your request to hold the cheese), we scoured Reddit and found the most hilariously shocking thoughts à la fast food workers. To prevent getting on the server's last nerve—and then possibly finding a hair in your milkshake—avoid doing any of the things below just as you would steer clear of The #1 Worst Menu Option at 41 Popular Restaurants.
They Hate It When You…. Ask for Fresh Fries
When McDonald's overnight employees were asked if it bothers them when customers request a fresh batch of fries, Reddit user gunnry admitted:
"It bothers [me] when customers demand fresh fries when a fresh batch came up a minute ago, so I'll say it's really not necessary and that they just came out a moment ago and they're piping hot. Lots of people say they want no salt because then you HAVE to make fresh ones."
They Hate It When You… Order This
Reddit user Stalking_Panda shared which menu items are too much of a hassle for McDonald's overnight workers to concoct:
"Grilled/crispy chicken takes about eight minutes to make fresh, not complex but the artisan chicken sandwiches take… forever if we're out. Breakfast seems most involved, with having to break eggs and their yolk AND make meats AND pancakes. The southwest salad also has a surprising amount of things to remember as well… tortilla strips, veggie blend, cheese, chicken, a lime wedge. Drinks are pretty easy, but lemonades are the most annoying because we have to add strawberries and a lemon wedge to some, and if we forget people get very [pissed off] :/ as an add-on, special requests come in a lot… 'I want an egg muffin but sub the ham with steak and egg whites instead' or an (insert sandwich here) but with weird ingredients from other sandwiches. Those ones seem to annoy people on the grill the most."
They Hate it when You… Complain
Reddit user mountchichi and Chipotle employee spilled the beans on one customer:
"The biggest complaint I had was this woman was complaining that the steak 'looked bad,' meaning she wanted it cooked well instead of medium (the standard). We tried to explain to her that the steak comes pre-cooked and that we caramelize it and temp it properly, but she was still like 'I don't care, it looks disgusting. No wonder you guys had E.Coli!' Give us a break."
They Hate It When You…. Have a Need for Speed
Reddit user SaulKarath dished:
"I used to work fast food. I get that it's 'fast food' but please don't yell because you were running late to work and decided to stop for a meal anyway."
They Hate It When You…. Talk Loudly
In a thread about Dairy Queen employee revelations, Reddit user Spectre_04 revealed:
"There was one customer who comes to mind, on some religious day, I think it was Ash Friday or some sort, one of our managers told a customer, 'have a good day, Jesus loves you' and the customer yelled back from drive-thru loud enough for front counter and every employee to hear him and said something along the lines of, 'Maybe Jesus loves you but keep your. . . religious bull. . . to yourself' and drove off, there's a decent amount of people who will yell their orders at drive-thru, but usually after being asked 'im sorry, what was that?' or having their order taken wrong several times."
They Hate It When You… Touch the Glass
Chipotle worker mountchichi took to Reddit to rant about customer cleanliness:
"Whenever I work on the line, every now and then a customer will lean on the glass barrier to overlook all the food and point to what they want. What's even worse is they still lean on the glass when moving down the line, which leaves the glass all smeared and is quite annoying. Our store has regulars who do this Every. Single. Day."
They Hate It When You… Are Inconsistent
Reddit user mountchichi questioned a customer's allergies:
"One time I was on the line during peak making this guy's burrito, and he gets to salsa and asks it to be remade because he can't have dairy and some cheese strands fell in. I'm thinking he has some allergy or lactose problems, so I wipe down the line and remake his burrito. We get down towards salsa again, and he asks for SOUR CREAM. I look at my employees and we all have this 'What the hell?' look on our face, since we just went through all that trouble of removing any dairy from the line and he just asked for it."
They Hate It When You… Can't Get Your Order Straight
Reddit user throwawayquestion20 slash Pizza Hut server said:
"Oh my God, I swear those people who called and asked about every single special and menu item gave me a special type of anxiety…We have a website with every local deal and menu item. If you must call in your order, for the love of God look at the menu online before calling. In my three years working there, not a single person was solely dedicated to phone duty, so people who do this are setting back other people's orders."
They Hate It When You… Complain About the Temperature
Stop blaming your food's temperature on your server rather than your commute, Reddit user willdagreat1 ranted:
"If you don't eat Taco Bell within 10 minutes of me making it, you'll have a bad time. Got a really angry phone call that their drive-thru was stone cold when they got home. They live 45 miles outside of town."
They Hate It When You…. Let Your Kids Go Wild
Here's one thing that pushed Reddit user Sviodo's buttons:
"People leaving garbage all over the seats that they sit in. Someone has to clean that up people, just be a courteous person and walk the whole 5 feet to the trash can. One time I had to clean up a stall where the kids were playing 'let's slam our fists on the ketchup packets and see how far it squirts out' while the parents were sitting there watching them. Some people have absolutely no regard for other people."
