Working in a fast food industry is always a pain. You get paid minimum wage to overexert yourself, deal with all assortments and levels of pricks (and I use this word as a non vulgar synonym for a**hole, not the European slang for penis), and smell terrible at the end of your shift. But out of all the three things that suck about your food industry job, the worst is dealing with the non ideal customer.
In short, what is the ideal customer: someone who knows what they want, how to order it, and has their money ready. They get bonus points for being polite and speaking the same language. What do these "bonus" points earn you? Well, they guarantee that the employee won't curse you out when their back is turned getting your food. And besides, everyone should know the golden rule with dealing with any food industry: DON'T F*CK WITH PEOPLE WHO HANDLE YOUR FOOD. If you have to ask why, then I'm sorry to inform you- but you're an idiot.
So, let's go through a list of the things customers in a fast food industry should and should not do:
1.) Don't be on the phone. It's rude. You went to the store because your wanted to ingest something. The employees are trying to service you and here you are on the phone. It takes less than a minute to order what you want. If you don't want to call someone back, simply tell the person to "hold on a minute". Then you cover the phone with your hand and order your food and drink. DO NOT WHISPER your order. It may sound nice and quiet on your side of the counter but on the other side, where there are hard working employees, there exist MANY LOUD MACHINES. These loud machines make it difficult to hear whispered orders. So speak up unless you want to be charged the wrong thing. Also, DO NOT MOUTH your order. Fast food industry employees do not moonlight as government mouth readers, nor are they psychic. They don't know what you want. Use your voice and tell them what it is you want and then be on your way.
2.) Don't stand on line if you're not ready to order. Do not waste anyone's time by standing in front of the register staring up at the menus trying to figure out what you want. Stand back, look, and figure it out- then proceed to the register.
3.) Don't stand on line if you are not ordering. If you are simply there with a friend, DO NOT STAND ON LINE. Great. Cool. You're an awesome friend. You came with them to order food and keep them company. You deserve an award. If you want to waste space and insist on being with your friend every step of the way to the register, then stand BESIDE them, NOT BEHIND. Standing behind your friend signals to the employees that you want to order something as well, so they will focus on you. If you are not ordering something, don't make them waste their precious seconds on you. Remember: BESIDE, NOT BEHIND.
4.) Pay attention! Whether you be on your phone, with a friend or friends, or just daydreaming, while waiting on line- PAY ATTENTION. Too often have customers zoned out while they where waiting on line and created an even longer line because they failed to notice they were in fact next to order. ALSO, PAY ATTENTION TO THE ORDER YOU ARE PICKING UP. Make sure it is in fact what you ordered and not what you assume is yours. Because, you didn't pay attention and took the wrong order you single-handedly have disrupted the flow of service and wasted time, effort, and resources. If you have done so: Congratulations, you are a d*ck.
5.) Please have your form of payment ready. By the time you get to the register you should have your wallet out, ready to purchase your items. If you don't, you have failed at multi-tasking and proceeded to waste precious seconds and even minutes of several people's lives. It takes time to get the correct amount of cash out of your wallet. It takes time for the employee to count it. Please, don't waste anyone's time and have your payments ready.
6.) Don't throw or put your payment on the counter. First off, it's f*cking rude as hell if you just throw the form of payment. Second, if you put the payment on the counter, it's a hassle to pick back up. Employees will extend their arm out to you and accept the payment. Put it in their hand. Employees are courteous and hand your change back to you by placing it in your hand. How would you feel if they just chucked the card or change onto the counter at you? Yeah, not great. You would think they had an attitude problem. Well, that's exactly how they think of you when you toss your sh*t onto the counter.
7.) Don't get mad if you don't speak the language. I get it. You're a tourist and you don't speak the language. That's fine. That is ok. Take your time and try to explain what it is you want. But, do not get upset with the employees because you are having communication issues. They will take the time to understand what it is you want, so long as you take the time to explain and understand to the fullest what it is you want. But once you get mad, that's when all the patience of the employee disappears, because if anyone should be mad- it should be the employee. You are the foreigner that came to their country without speaking the language (not a smart move). So if anyone is at fault- it is you.
8.) Don't have an attitude. I don't care how bad your day was. I don't care if someone in your family died or you caught your spouse cheating or whatever else. It is not the fault of the employee of the fast food industry that you JUST walked into. This employee, who probably was up at 5am in morning and is working a double shift, has been on their feet for hours, walking back and forth, talking nonstop to get other customers' orders, and doing more things than they are rightly getting paid for. Basically, they are working harder than you. Yeah, I said it. They are not sitting in a central aired cubicle unit in spiffy clothes that will probably still smell good at the end of the day. They are not sitting on their ass for their entire shift. These fast food industry employees literally have to sweat for their money. And, before you came along with your attitude, they probably already had their sixth b*tch of the day come in and cause trouble. They don't need you and your insecurities with yourself and life to further ruin theirs. So, do yourself a favor and take a breather before you barrel into the place and demand your orders because one of these days, an employee might just snap and poison you.
9.) Don't throw a fit if your order is wrong. Sh*t happens. People make mistakes. The employees taking and making your orders are humans and even if they aren't (machines make mistakes, too) there is no reason to cause a scene like a drama queen. Just calmly go back to the counter and inform the employee that there has been a mistake and your order is wrong. They will, of course and without a doubt, fix it. Problem solved.
So, there you have it. Follow these rules and you are basically the golden customer. Don't follow them and well, I can only hope that you do get poisoned to teach you a lesson.
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