Not their Finest Moment

Last week I was on a short lunch break and I decided to swing by a local fast food establishment and order their chicken sandwich special that they were advertising. I went inside and ordered the sandwich and a small fry from a person over their speaker system. I waited patiently as I watched other people come in the store and order lunch. After a while I noticed people who came in way after me were getting their food but I was still waiting. I don't want to rip on this establishment since they usually offer good service, but I will tell you they have car hops on roller skates who deliver your order and the chain has the same name as a hedgehog.

It didn't really look like they were short staffed but the girls who were delivering the food were very stressed out. I'm a nice guy and I can't stand people who are quick to complain about service so I kept waiting past the 15 minute mark. I finally told myself they obviously lost my order so I tried to notify someone but the employees were running around in such a frantic fashion that I could not get their attention. The only way to speak with someone would be to walk back to where they prepare the food which I am sure would not go over well .

Just as I was about to get more assertive and be a jerk I saw one girl burst into tears when she went to pick up her next order because a manager was yelling something at her. The only person I could see who seemed to be in charge appeared to be lethargic and uninterested with what was happening. I was going to leave and go somewhere else but I figured it would take even longer if I had to go get in a line somewhere else and my lunch time was far spent.

I was getting ready to say "this is Sparta" and kick someone in the stomach when I was finally able to stop someone at the 25 minute mark and tell them I ordered nearly half an hour ago and had not gotten my food. She apologized and brought me my order exactly 30 minutes after I originally ordered it. I was hoping for some kind of acknowledgement or apology like a coupon for a free sandwich or comping the fries, but my order was delivered by the same girl who was previously crying a few minutes earlier and I didn't want to make her crappy day at work worse by complaining to a manager.

I decided it wasn't the fault of the girls who were car hopping but rather whoever was managing and taking orders at the time. It was very slow and unorganized during the lunch rush. This isn't the norm for this establishment and the sandwich was actually quite good when I finally got it, but it wasn't worth a half hour wait for fast food. Then I went home and lived happily ever after.