Is it unethical for me to stay at drive through window if asked to get out of line for people behind me?

WelshBloke said:

A friend of mine got served on a horse going through the drive in lane!
That was in Warwickshire though, they are pretty horsey there!

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Well, my reasoning was they wouldn't let me take the bike inside, and I really couldn't be bothered faffing about finding a place to lock it up. And I assume the same would apply to horses - probably they'd object to a horseist riding the creature into the shop to join the normal queue, so same logic applies, I think.

The audience wants to know, did you order a gallon of margarita at the drive through window?

Just pull forward a little bit and once they get a fresh batch of fries done, they will have your food out to you.

Fast food workers already work very hard for minimum, or near minimum wages, and they are trying to make the process as fast as possible. Being sand in the cogs will not make the deep frier fry your French-fries faster.

This is a great way to make sure you receive floor food, or worse. Do NOT fuck with people serving your food. You should know this by the third grade, or your parents have failed you.

It's annoying, but my local McDonald's now has a third window for waiting, as well as 3 pull-in spaces for waiting for drive-through orders during peak busy times. The reality is that it just takes different amounts of time to cook your food depending on both the que & what you ordered. Like, I know I'll have to wait if I order a box of cookies from McDonald's because they have to cook that many fresh.

Part of the reason is because they have a massive array of data analytics going on for the corporate overlords, which lets them yell at the store & employees & withhold perks due to designed "low performance", which is super scummy. The drive-through has sensors that time how quickly people get through the line. Sometimes the employees do a manual reset to help fudge the times:


If you create an unrealistic set of parameters, then you can always keep the local franchises in a negative light for bonuses & performance & whatnot:


There are plenty of drive-through detection systems available. The newer ones have cameras with AI-style features:


The systems are both good & bad. The good is that they help do things like identify bottlenecks, alert staff for forgotten customers who are waiting for their food, etc. The bad is that everyone is aiming for the best bottom line, so they understaff stores in order to make more money & they put these digital punishment systems in, which is stupid. The only place around where I live that does a good job is Chick-Fil-A. At my particular location:

1. They have a functional dual-lane system
2. They have people waiting outside with tablets to take your order (typically at least 2 people, one per lane, and sometime 3 or 4 on busy days). This means that no matter how long the line is, the order-taking process is improved because they can walk all the way down the line & get your order started in the restaurant so that it's actually ready when you get there, which sounds obvious, but is amazing!
3. They take your name to ensure that you are getting the correct order, rather than by doing it based on who shows up next, which can get confusing in a dual-lane system when people skip ahead.
4. They have a tent mid-point with a worker in it to take the money, which they confirm with your name & order items, and also saves time because you don't have to pay at the window, which is similar to a dual-window drive-through, except the worker in the tent can walk up & down the line to collect payment while everyone is waiting.
5. At the window, they confirm with your name & order items and then hand you the food, so their ONLY job is to make sure they have the right order & then hand it to you, which means you can leave as soon as the food is ready

As of a few years ago, the average Chick-fil-a franchise owner (called "operators") make $200k a year, so it's not a bad gig!


Plenty of drive-through metrics are available now:






They're already using AI for order-taking:


Most chains are being VERY careful about facial recognition, but they also know consumers will give up privacy for convenience, hence the coupon-generator for AI Hangover Face Detector at BK haha:


You can pay with your face & get personalized orders at different places now:


McDonald's has even experimented with license-plate detection for expediting recurring orders, auto-triggering mobile orders, etc:




Anyway, you're not wrong to be upset, especially because it can take so long & sometimes the workers forget about you. There have been times when I've had to either call the store, walk into the store to get my order, or go through the drive-through again to get my food. However:

1. Staying in line when asked to move is holding up other people from getting their food, which is ready, when your order has not finished cooking yet, so now their hot food is getting cold & their cold food is melting
2. The workers & the store are the ones who end up getting punished because of the timing detection systems, which again, is scummy, but is also the reality that they have to live with

VirtualLarry said:

But, but... showing a caring side to others... gosh, that's how socialism takes root! FYGM!

There's like this guy.... historical, mostly,... used to talk about a rule, a golden rule.

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Golden Rule? sounds expensive- this country needs to start taking care of it's own, not purchasing Golden rules from the Jews...

ksheets said:

Golden Rule? sounds expensive

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He who has the Gold makes the Rules!

Man, I hope you never go to culvers. Get this, after you pay, they give you a number, and you have to pull forward and wait till they bring you your order. Depending on the culvers, there can be anywhere from 8-10 cars waiting on orders at any time.

is it unethical to stay in the mcdonald's bathroom until someone comes in and wipes me?

If you are toilet paper, that is your destiny.

There oughta be a law. No food, no pay. When you go in to a sit down restaurant, when do you pay? Before you get the food, or after you get it (and eat it)? When you go to a grocery store, when do you pay? When you walk in, or after you've got the stuff in your possession?


Same way for drive ups. You order, they give you the food, you make sure you got what you ordered, you pay.

Lost_in_the_HTTP said:

There oughta be a law. No food, no pay. When you go in to a sit down restaurant, when do you pay? Before you get the food, or after you get it (and eat it)? When you go to a grocery store, when do you pay? When you walk in, or after you've got the stuff in your possession?


Same way for drive ups. You order, they give you the food, you make sure you got what you ordered, you pay.

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You know you are not forced to use the drive through right?

You know I haven't used a drive thru in over 20 years, don't you?

But in support of state's rights, local rights and consumer rights, there oughta be a law against McRights.

Lost_in_the_HTTP said:

You know I haven't used a drive thru in over 20 years, don't you?

But in support of state's rights, local rights and consumer rights, there oughta be a law against McRights.

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Then you already solved your issue, no need for the government to step in.