fast food condiments

[mireaux]

whats the big deal in recent times with some fast food establishments and their apparent greed regarding of issuing out condiments via your drive-thru food purchase???

example: everytime i roll thru mickey D's for breakfast, this always happens. every mcdonalds, any state or town. i order the deluxe breakfast (the one that comes with pancakes, sausage patty, hash browns, eggs, biscuit)

all i get is a plastic wrapped package that has a fork, knife and jelly in it.

wtf?

i need picante to eat my eggs with. everyone knows that ketchup is a natural staple condiment for hash browns. as far as the jelly goes, your stuck with whatever flavor happens to be wrapped with the knive and fork package they gave you. so if you got grape and want strawberry, you gotta ask for it.

the whole time youre getting a weird look from the employee because to them youre needlessly backing up their drive thru lane with waiting customers behind you.

on the reverse token, taco bell gets the all out applause for excellency. they are fast and they are generous when it comes to condiment handouts. they usually ask you what flavor of sauce you want right as your paying for your order at the first window. then they hook you up with like 17 packets of sauce.

sometimes if youre lucky they will give you like 8 or 9 packets of each flavor of sauce. i think just about everyone i know has a taco bell sauce stach in their kitchen. mine is inside my butter drawer in the fridge in case you ever want to come over and chill out sometime.

sonic is getting better with their condiment handouts. they are nowhere near as greedy as mickey D's is. some sonic restaurants will have a carhop that will go car-to-car asking if you need any extra condiments while you are scarfing down your food inside your ride.

youre probably wondering if i eat a lot of fast food? uhm, just about the same amount as every other overweight american like yourself. so its all cool. i really dont care much for it, but ya know, sometimes time constraints can be a real pain.

[jstanthrnme]

I share your frustrations..

A few years back there was an event, a hurricane I think or it could've been the salmonela thing too, that obliterated the tomato crop. At about this time, I remember Taco Bell doing away with tomatos on their basic tacos. Seems like since then, everywhere has been stingy with any tomato based product..

[kevinpate]

I've pretty much given up on appropriate levels of condiments. I've been trained to simply be happy if the food order is actually prepared correctly AND it all gets into the packaging handed to me.

Sadly, I just don't get to experience being happy all that often.

FYI, as I refuse to pull up and over to the little signed trouble maker spots, if you're line ain't moving, my little quirk of wanting all the food I paid for may be what is slowing you down. Sorry ... well, sorta.

[fuzzytoad]

If, based on experience(or just plain common sense), you know that your order is going to cause an issue or be non-traditional in such a way as to hold up the line for everyone else at the drive-thru; why wouldn't you just park and walk inside? Not only would you be able to clearly explain your order face-to-face, but you wouldn't be inconveniencing the rest of the world.

In my world, it would be 100% legal to shoot in the face people who order a week's worth of groceries for their family of 10 at the McDonald's drive-thru. Or to decapitate the moron who has to stare at the drive-thru menu there for more than a few seconds before ordering.

Oh, and if you're in front of me at the drive-thru and I heard you place the world's most asininely complicated order to the non-english-speaking chick on the other end of the speaker *AND* you refuse to move to the trouble-maker spot, I'm slashing your tires.

[mireaux]

I share your frustrations..

A few years back there was an event, a hurricane I think or it could've been the salmonela thing too, that obliterated the tomato crop. At about this time, I remember Taco Bell doing away with tomatos on their basic tacos. Seems like since then, everywhere has been stingy with any tomato based product..

that was actually last summer i believe. i think it had to do with florida and some other affected gulf coast states having their tomato crops being wiped out completely from either hurricane gustav or ivan. that i can understand, so i was cool with it. the grocery stores all had the same issue

[mireaux]

In my world, it would be 100% legal to shoot in the face people who order a week's worth or groceries for their family of 10 at the McDonald's drive-thru. .

dont get me started on that. ..yeah, your right behind the idiot waiting for like 10 minutes thinking the employee is just a slow retard who didnt understand their order. then low and behold, the employee is handing out 4 full bags of food, one right after the other.

i pissed already. i grabbing a rolling rock from the fridge.

the worst episode of i ever experienced of "another drive-thru customer's ignorance" was about 3 months ago.

I was at taco bell at the actual menu board (the one with the intercom system attached, not the pre-order i-still-dont-know-what-the-hell-i-wanna-order menu board)

so there i was just about to place my order with the employee and suddenly out of nowhere this stupid driver behind me starts shouting out to me at the top of her lungs "THEY WILL F*** YOUR ORDER UP ON PURPOSE JUST LIKE THEY DID MINE"

I stopped and turned me head back at her and told her to stfu and that she was effing up my order at that very moment. needless to say she was right behind me the whole time, obviously. from the time i placed my order, paid for it and recieved my food. the whole time i felt like anthony hopkins was planning my demise as she couldve been taking down my license plate info, etc.

it was a freaky experience.

[RealJimbo]

gosh and I thought ten ketchup packets or a dozen salt packets were just soooo extreme. Pardon my little complaint in the light of all this very important venting of legitimate concerns...

[gmwise]

Come on folks

COOK AT HOME, EAT AT HOME, HAVE A NIGHT AT HOME...that way I can get to places I wanna go..lol

[Matt]

I have a cooler in my backseat which I keep stocked with various condiments at all times for situations just like this. Ketchup, mustard, mayo (AND Miracle Whip, thank you very much), relish, salsa, honey, butter, maple syrup, gravy, barbeque sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Heinz 57, A-1, and several different jams and jellies. You name it, I've got it.

I know what you're all probably thinking--"that seems a little excessive, Matt"--but I bet you wish you had a similar setup the next time the pimply-faced teen in the drive-thru window at Arby's stiffs you out of Horsey Sauce.

[fuzzytoad]

I have a cooler in my backseat which I keep stocked with various condiments at all times for situations just like this. Ketchup, mustard, mayo (AND Miracle Whip, thank you very much), relish, salsa, honey, butter, maple syrup, gravy, barbeque sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Heinz 57, A-1, and several different jams and jellies. You name it, I've got it.

I know what you're all probably thinking--"that seems a little excessive, Matt"--but I bet you wish you had a similar setup the next time the pimply-faced teen in the drive-thru window at Arby's stiffs you out of Horsey Sauce.

duck sauce?

also, I hope you keep that cooler strapped down or something.. You get in a wreck and that thing slams into a window and splatters condiment juice everywhere... They'll spend hours looking for the other body..

[kevinpate]

If, based on experience(or just plain common sense), you know that your order is going to cause an issue or be non-traditional in such a way as to hold up the line for everyone else at the drive-thru; why wouldn't you just park and walk inside? Not only would you be able to clearly explain your order face-to-face, but you wouldn't be inconveniencing the rest of the world.

In my world, it would be 100% legal to shoot in the face people who order a week's worth of groceries for their family of 10 at the McDonald's drive-thru. Or to decapitate the moron who has to stare at the drive-thru menu there for more than a few seconds before ordering.

Oh, and if you're in front of me at the drive-thru and I heard you place the world's most asininely complicated order to the non-english-speaking chick on the other end of the speaker *AND* you refuse to move to the trouble-maker spot, I'm slashing your tires.

Certainly an intense amount of hostility toward a simple 'No onions' request. No wonder you're both fuzzy and toadish. Perhaps a wee more swimming and a wee less lily pad belching may be in order for you.

If I wanted onions, I'd order a numero whatevero, but I don't, so I don't. Deal, or suffer one of life's lil' disappointments I suppose, but mess with da tires at your own risk ... cause frog legs, they be yummy as well
.

[gmwise]

I have a cooler in my backseat which I keep stocked with various condiments at all times for situations just like this. Ketchup, mustard, mayo (AND Miracle Whip, thank you very much), relish, salsa, honey, butter, maple syrup, gravy, barbeque sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Heinz 57, A-1, and several different jams and jellies. You name it, I've got it.

I know what you're all probably thinking--"that seems a little excessive, Matt"--but I bet you wish you had a similar setup the next time the pimply-faced teen in the drive-thru window at Arby's stiffs you out of Horsey Sauce.

you're a hoarder..

[kevinpate]

> ... gravy ....

Oh, I'm gonna regret asking, I just know it, but where are you getting a packaged up gravy that (a) keeps and (b) matters that it keeps

[jstanthrnme]

I'm just going to put this out there...

Whataburger has the best ketchup ever and that it comes in the little cups instead of the packets is a bonus.

[rcjunkie]

I'm just going to put this out there...

Whataburger has the best ketchup ever and that it comes in the little cups instead of the packets is a bonus.

Just another reason to like Whataburger

[JIMBO]

Matt
You've forgotten duck sause,sweet & sour sause, and horseradish sause.

[fuzzytoad]

I'm just going to put this out there...

Whataburger has the best ketchup ever and that it comes in the little cups instead of the packets is a bonus.

1000% agree, and afaik, they're the only place that has those hot lemon pies.

[mireaux]

I'm just going to put this out there...

Whataburger has the best ketchup ever and that it comes in the little cups instead of the packets is a bonus.

yeah, if you dont mind idling in the drive thru while they kill the cow in the back of their kitchen to make your burger fresh.

only braums has a worse waiting time for a burger.

i hate places like that. i dont mind having a heat lamped burger thats been sitting a few hours. id rather have that than to idle and waste gasoline for 10 minutes in the drive thru just for a fresh from scratch burger.

[rcjunkie]

yeah, if you dont mind idling in the drive thru while they kill the cow in the back of their kitchen to make your burger fresh.

only braums has a worse waiting time for a burger.

i hate places like that. i dont mind having a heat lamped burger thats been sitting a few hours. id rather have that than to idle and waste gasoline for 10 minutes in the drive thru just for a fresh from scratch burger.

I guess you think leaving a heat lamp doesn't waste fuel/electricity.

If you turn that little metal key in the opposite way you you did to start your car, it will turn the engine off, and not waste any fuel., or, you could park your car, walk inside, place order, grab the bag, walk back to car.

There's always options.

[metro]

one word: PROFIT , you know how much condiments are needlessly wasted each day?

[kevinpate]

yeah, if you dont mind idling in the drive thru while they kill the cow in the back of their kitchen to make your burger fresh. ...

Ahhhh, I was wondering where Long John Silver employees go once they are invited to seek new and exciting opportunities in employment elsewhere.

[gmwise]

one word: PROFIT , you know how much condiments are needlessly wasted each day?

Yea I think to prevent that... increase the cost say 3 cents for each item, and tell the person ordering how much, either wont asked for any or will be damn sure there's not going to be any wasted.

[alan]

one word: PROFIT , you know how much condiments are needlessly wasted each day?

yup. those chains are running on a very narrow profit margin already. they depend on sheer volume.

also, have you noticed that the prices on big chain food haven't gone up that much in about 10 years?

how do you think they've done that?

- part of it is from watching every penny. napkins, forks, condiments, packaging. (remember a few years ago when they tested charging for napkins somewhere on the east coast? that was a nightmare for them!)
- part of it is a slow erosion of food quality. also food sizes has incrementally shrunk, while drink sizes have grown.
- cheaper labor. enough said.

[t3h_wookiee]

I prefer them being so stingy with the condiments instead of how it used to be, with enough ketchup packets to last a decade, and enough napkins to wallpaper my house.

[Hawk405359]

I used to work at a fast food place with a ketchup pump when I was in high school. You'd have to refill it several times a day and clean off all the trays with an extra three cups of ketchup glopped on them (and that's if it didn't get onto the tables and floors). And those same customers happened to take a handful or two of ketchup packets already.

As such, I had no problem being stingy with the stuff myself. I do not believe people can be trusted when left to their own devices.