c/fast-food-fails

11

paige_robinson24•7h ago

Rant: That $12 extra for guac at Chipotle was the worst choice

Honestly, I went to the Chipotle on Main Street yesterday and decided to add guac to my bowl for the first time in a while. Tbh, it was this tiny scoop of brownish, watery stuff that tasted like nothing. Ngl, I felt so burned paying almost double for a bowl that was just sad. Has anyone else gotten really bad guac from them lately, or was I just unlucky?

25

harperp24•16h ago

My local drive-thru went from a total mess to actually decent in about 3 months

They got a new manager who actually checks the orders before handing them out. Has anyone else seen a spot make a real turnaround like that?

3

blair_chen81•1d ago

Got the same burger from two different locations and it was like night and day

Honestly, I grabbed a double cheeseburger from the Burger Barn on Oak Street last Tuesday and it was perfect. Then on Friday, I got the exact same order from their spot over on 5th Avenue. Tbh, the 5th Ave one was a total fail. The patties were thin and burnt, the cheese wasn't melted, and they forgot the pickles. Ngl, it's wild how different the same meal can be from places just a few miles apart. Has anyone else had this happen with a specific chain where one location is always good and another is just a mess?

17

simonk98•2d ago

Just got a burger from the drive-thru in Austin that was still frozen in the middle

Picked up a double cheeseburger last Thursday, took one bite and hit a solid ice chunk. The patty was completely raw and cold inside, like they just threw it on the grill for 10 seconds. Has anyone else had this happen recently, or did I just get the world's worst lunch rush?

14

lucasw84•3d ago

The Burger King in Westgate Mall gave me a drink cup full of pickle juice

I went through the drive-thru last Friday and ordered a large Coke. When I took a sip, it was straight up PICKLE JUICE, like they filled the cup from the pickle bucket. I drove back around and the manager said 'oh, the soda line must be hooked up wrong' like it was no big deal. They gave me a new drink but no apology or anything. Who even checks that stuff before opening? Has anyone else gotten a mystery fluid instead of their soda?

21

stellat46•4d ago

I actually liked the weird 'secret menu' burger I got at that new spot on Elm Street, even though everyone online says it's a mess.

The cashier in Portland looked at me like I was crazy when I ordered it, but the mix of peanut butter, bacon, and pickles on a double patty was surprisingly good, so why does everyone act like these off-menu items are always a fail?

7

adam_baker•6d ago

Hot take: The drive-thru at the Burger Barn on Elm Street actually saved my week

I know everyone complains about them, but last Thursday I was running late for a vet appointment with my dog and they got my double cheeseburger order perfect in under two minutes. The manager, Carl, even threw in an extra order of fries when he saw how stressed I looked. Has anyone else had a surprisingly smooth fast food moment when they really needed it?

22

sean_barnes24•6d ago

The Great Burger Shrinkage at my local Wendy's

I swear the Dave's Single I got last week was noticeably smaller than the one I had back in March. The patty looked thinner and the bun felt less substantial, but the price on the menu board was still $6.79. Has anyone else noticed their go-to fast food items getting smaller over the last few months, or is it just my imagination?

20

eva_moore•8d ago

Hit 50 drive-thru orders in a row without a single mistake at my local Burger Barn

I know everyone complains about messed up orders, but I've been tracking mine for six months and just hit 50 perfect pickups. I think it's because I go at 2pm on weekdays when it's slow, and I always check the bag before I pull away. Has anyone else found a specific time that seems to get things right more often?

3

brian_taylor15•10d ago

Ordered a 'secret menu' burger and it was a total disaster

Heard about a special burger online, the 'Animal Style Double Double' from In-N-Out. Tried it at the one off the 5 freeway. Got a burger that was basically soup in a wrapper. Mustard grilled patties, extra spread, grilled onions, pickles. Could not pick it up. Learned that some things are secret for a reason. Anyone have a good 'secret' item that actually works?

10

wren_mitchell•11d ago

My friend insisted the 'secret menu' burger at that one chain was amazing

So my buddy Jake kept going on about this 'animal style' burger he got from a place in Riverside, saying it was the best thing ever. He gave me the exact order to say, like a whole paragraph of modifications. I finally tried it yesterday, and it was a total disaster. The patty was burnt on the edges but somehow still cold in the middle, and they drowned it in so much sauce the bun turned to mush before I even got to my car. I paid over $14 for a soggy, lukewarm mess. Jake swore by it, but honestly, it tasted like regret. Has anyone else had a 'secret menu' recommendation completely backfire on them?

28

olivert78•12d ago

Just realized the 'no salt' fries trick actually works

I always thought asking for fries with no salt was just a weird customer thing to get fresh ones. Figured they'd just scrape the salt off or something. But last month at a drive-thru in Tacoma, I asked for no salt on my order and watched them drop a whole new basket. Got a piping hot batch that was way better than the lukewarm ones sitting under the heat lamp. It took an extra three minutes, but it was worth it. Anyone else tried this and had it actually pay off?

4

brooke_taylor•17d ago

Overheard a dad at the drive-thru tell his kid something that got me thinking...

I was in line at a Burger King in Toledo last Tuesday, and the guy in the car ahead was getting his order. They gave him a drink with no lid and a burger that was just... wrong. He told his son, 'It's not about the mess-up, it's about how they fix it.' They just handed him a new drink and walked off. He drove away shaking his head. Made me realize I've been too quick to just accept a bad fix. Has anyone else had a place just give a half-hearted fix and act like it's enough?

24

harris.andrew•17d ago

Vent: Ordered a burger in Chicago and got a bun with nothing inside

The cashier just shrugged and said 'the kitchen is busy', so I had to ask for the manager to get a real one. Has anyone else gotten a completely empty sandwich before?

26

wendy32•19d ago

Hit 50 fast food receipts in my glove box and it's a horror show

I cleaned out my car yesterday and found 51 receipts from the same burger place near my work. I counted them. Every single one was for a plain cheeseburger, no fries, no drink. The weird part? 37 of those orders were wrong. They put pickles on it 22 times even though I always say no pickles. I don't even hate pickles that much, it's just the principle. How does a place mess up the same simple order so many times? Has anyone else had a place get your 'usual' wrong more often than they get it right?

10

lee18•21d ago

Serious question, I used to think complaining about a messed-up order was just being a Karen.

But my friend Jake, who worked a drive-thru for 3 years, told me 'if you don't say something, they'll keep sending out that same wrong burger to the next five cars' and that hit different, so now I politely speak up, but has anyone else had a moment that changed how they handle a fast food fail?

16

tessaperry•23d ago

Ordered a 'spicy' chicken sandwich that was basically a ghost pepper bomb

So last Friday, I was at a drive-thru and saw they had a new 'Nashville Hot' chicken sandwich. I like spicy food, so I figured why not. What I got was a whole different story. The first bite was fine, but by the third, my mouth was on fire in a way that wasn't fun at all. It felt like they just dumped a bottle of pure capsaicin extract on it. I had to pull over and drink like half my water bottle. The heat was so intense it made my eyes water, and I couldn't even taste the chicken. I learned that 'spicy' on a fast food menu can sometimes mean 'chemical weapon.' Has anyone else had a sandwich that was just punishingly hot for no good reason?

22

singh.elizabeth•26d ago

Got a burger with no burger patty at the drive-thru

Went to a Burger King on Route 9 last Tuesday, ordered a Whopper meal. Got home, opened the box, and it was just a bun with all the toppings. No meat. Drove back, showed them, and they said they'd make a new one. I sat in the parking lot for 25 minutes before they brought it out. Has a place ever just forgotten the main part of your order?

21

wells.christopher•26d ago

Warning: The $15 'secret menu' burger at the Burger Barn on 5th Street is a scam

I spent $15 on their 'Barnyard Buster' after seeing it hyped online. It was just a regular double cheeseburger with a sad onion ring and some cold barbecue sauce dumped on top. The cashier looked at me like I was crazy when I ordered it. Has anyone else fallen for a 'secret menu' item that was just a lazy mess?

28

karenbailey•27d ago

I used to think a cold burger was just bad luck, but after my last trip to the drive-thru, I'm convinced they're doing it on purpose.

I waited 15 minutes in line at the Burger Barn on Elm Street yesterday, only to get a completely cold, congealed cheeseburger that had clearly been sitting under a heat lamp since lunchtime, so what's the weirdest or most obviously neglected food you've been handed recently?

4

the_parker•29d ago

Appreciation post: The time I asked for extra pickles at the drive-thru and got a whole different sandwich

I was at a burger place in Springfield last Tuesday and ordered my usual, just asking for extra pickles on it. When I got home and opened the box, it was a completely different burger, one with bacon and a different sauce that I didn't order. I guess the lesson is to always check your bag before you drive off, but has anyone else had an order get swapped that badly?

19

nathan_palmer•1mo ago

I just realized I've been ordering my burgers wrong at the drive-thru for years

Yesterday at the Burger Barn on Maple Street, I asked for 'no pickles' like I always do, but they still gave me pickles. The cashier said, 'You know, if you say 'plain' instead, the kitchen actually sees it as a special request and pays more attention.' I've been getting pickles on my burger about half the time for the last five years. Has anyone else found a magic phrase that actually gets your order right?

2

reed.jana•1mo ago

Got a burger with no patty at the drive-thru yesterday

I went through the Burger Barn on Oak Street and got a double cheeseburger combo. When I opened it at home, there were two buns, cheese, pickles, and sauce, but zero meat patties. It was just a sad, empty sandwich. Has anyone else had a fast food place forget the main part of the meal like that?

22

stella_black33•1mo ago

My burger was just lettuce and sauce last Tuesday

I ordered a double cheeseburger at the drive-thru on Maple Street, paid $8.50, and drove home. When I opened the box, there was no patty, just two buns with lettuce, pickles, and ketchup. I called and the manager said 'sometimes the meat falls off the grill,' which made zero sense. Has anyone else gotten a completely empty burger before?

36

gracethomas•1mo ago

Rant: My burger from the drive-thru in Springfield had the wrapper still stuck to the cheese slice.

I had to peel it off like a weird sticker, and now I'm wondering if I should have just gone back through the line to complain.