⟢ MCDONALDS DRIVE THRU TUTORIAL ⟢
how to order correctly in the mcdonalds drive thru: for dumbasses
PART I: driving up to the screens
When pulling up the the drive thru, do not park in between or in front of the lanes so you can save
your spot while you think, this makes it hard for order takers to do anything else as they have to sit and
wait for you to drive ahead at any moment, and obviously frustrates people behind you in line who want to order.
Instead, make sure to understand what you'd like before approaching the speaker,
and if youre not sure yet, just say you need a moment.
if the screens are black, as they do once an hour to refresh, do not drive ahead,
and just wait for the order-taker to greet you.
Always give the order-taker a moment to respond as they are not always solely dedicated to taking orders
and may be busy with other things, for example: the order-taker for a lane can often be making drinks and ice cream
while taking orders simultaneously. Especially in hot months this can be a full time task on its own.
no need to worry, your order WILL be taken, just be patient.
if the order taker says they need a moment, do NOT drive ahead or repeatedly say hello. they will get to you when they can.
ordering at the first window will slow the drive thru down for everybody and will most often result in you also
getting parked and waiting for food, so try to avoid ordering at the first window as much as possible.
here is an example of a good start to an order:
heres an example of what NOT to do and how NOT to start an order:
Be sure to speak loudly and clearly facing towards the screen with your window down or at least below your mouth.
do not let people from the back seat or passenger seat order for themselves as it is near impossible to hear most of the time,
and again. SPEAK LOUDLY. FACING THE SCREEN. WITH YOUR WINDOW DOWN. this is a huge problem in drive thru of people not speaking
loud enough to take their order.
if you have other people in the car, make sure only one person orders at the same time and if they are talking, keep their
conversation at an acceptable level.
the headsets in drive thru are very sensitive to high end frequencies, if a policecar/firetruck/ambulance is passing on the
road nearby it will be impossible to hear your order, and same goes for dogs barking, kids crying, very loud engines, music,
etc.
do not try to be funny, every order-taker has heard all of them before, so save yourself the embarassment and wasted time.
(this is mostly directed at teenage boys who wear virginity rocks hoodies and gym shorts in winter to seem cool)
PART II: ordering your food
when you and the order-taker are both ready, you can finally start your order.
the number one thing is to clarify what size, flavor, and any other information needed of the
items youd like to order, as this can often cause confusion and TONS of wasted time.
here is an example of a very common interaction that can be solved and avoided with this added information:
>hi can i get 3 coffees.
>yep what sizes? all medium?
>uh, no. one large 2 smalls. *starts driving ahead*
>sorry wait WAIT any cream or sugar?
>ONE CREAM THREE SUGAR IN THE LARGE. AND BOTH SMALLS ARE DOUBLE DOUBLE.
*drives away angrily*
here is this same interaction with the needed information:
>hi can i get 3 coffees, 1 large 2 smalls.
>yep any cream or sugar?
>1 cream 3 sugar in the large,
and the smalls are both double doubles
>yep was that everything?
>yes thank you
As you can see, this saves a huge amount of time and frustration on both ends,
and can avoid numerous issues, for example, some order-takers may just punch in medium drinks automatically
if you dont clarify the size, so if youd like a large, you'll either need to stand your asshole ground and
hold up the whole line while you wait for them to make a new large,
or settle for the medium and listen when people ask you questions next time
this rule goes for anything that has options on the menu, i.e.
happy meals (side, drink, toy/book, sauce) mcflurry flavors and sizes, drinks + sizes,
sides for meals, sauces for nuggets.
When ordering, especially if you are taking long pauses between items to text someone or read off a list,
always tell the order taker "one moment please" (please is optional depends whether you're a douche or not).
This avoids confusion of whether you are done or not, if their headseat is broken because you are not responding, etc.
after you are done ordering, ESPECIALLY if you are taking long gaps between items,
do not drive off directly after ordering.
taking long pauses and driving off before the order-taker has finished taking your order fully,
leads to interactions like this:
>hi, what can i get for you?
>3 big macs
>yep anything else?
>...
>anything else?
>GIVE ME A SECOND.
>...
>2 medium cokes.
>yep.
>...
>...
>... ... ...
>was that everything?
>NO!!
>ok im sorry.
>... one medium fries.
>yep.
>......... *drives ahead*
This then requires the first window to confirm your whole order with you, whether youd like a bag etc.
this also often results in orders being wrong or you forgetting to mention something that you think
you ordered for some reason.
If youre a mega-asshole-superspaz you can also insist you ordered it when it's not in your bag at the second window,
and hold up the whole line until they make it for you and give it for free.
In conclusion, the most important thing when ordering is to just listen to what the order-taker asks, and clarify sizes.
this makes everything much much easier but is a struggle for every person in canada above the age of 35.
here is an example of someone who is not listening to anything they're asked while ordering:
>hi are you collecting points?
>yeah
>yep whats your code?
>what.
>the code for the app.
>i dont have a the app.
>ok... what can i get for you?
>number 1.
>yep big mac did you want that as a meal?.
>apple pie.
>alright... and what was the drink for the meal?
>what?
>you ordered a number one like... a big mac meal.
>no i dont WANT A MEAL!
>okay... was that everything?
>*drives away*
this is a very VERY common occurance in drive through, like minimum 10 times a shift,
and once again, almost always requires the first window to go over the order, and waste loads of time for everyone.
here is the same order with this same customer listening:
>hi are you collecting points?
>no
>alright what can i get for you?
>big mac and an apple pie
>yep was that everything?
>yep
>and would you like a bag?
>no thanks.
>alright itll be at your first window thank you.
this turns a once 3-4 minute long painful confusing order, into an order that takes less than a minute
and gets everyone through the drive thru and stuffing your face with your shitty fast food faster.
PART III: paying for everything
Assuming you have the money for your 50$ order and the card wont decline thirty times until you say you'll come back for it
and never do, you've finally made it to the payment part of the drive thru experience! Time to hand over your hard earned cash
to the corrupt resturaunt owner and the multi billion dollar company who owns his nuts. A fraction of which goes to the hard
working minimum wage workers holding the place together and dealing with your nonsence in drive-thru. but thats why you're here,
to become a drive thru expert and make the lives of everyone around you including yourself better!
This window is called the "first window" or "the hole", and this is where you pay for your order. when you pull up, the window
will open and you will often be asked a question about your order to clarify they are charging for the correct one.
This is often a distiguishing feature about your order, and is NOT them reciting your entire order back to you.
For example, in this order, which distinguishing feature
do you think would be questioned to clarify your order at the first window?
Obviously it's the 450 cheeseburgers, this is an extreme example but if you pulled up to the first window and they ask if
you have the 450 cheese burger order, you can assume thats yours. You don't need to be this person:
>hi, you have the 450 cheese burgers right?
>yep and the 2 coffes?
>yep it'll be 871.50$
>and the 2 apple pies?
>yep.
>and it also had the oreo mcflurry?
>yes it'll be 871.50$
>i ordered 3 medium fries did you get that too.
>YES PLEASE PAY.
This question is asked at the first window to make sure its the right order and save time from charging wrong orders,
not to read back everything you got, basically defeating the time saving tactic.
this transitions into the next topic, wrong payments.
After they have clarified your order, you will be told the price, and pay for the food. if you didnt pay attention
when asked if it was the correct order, then this is where to pay attention.
If you ordered 1 cookie and the total is 14,000 dollars, then PLEASE PLEASE
DO NOT PAY FOR IT. Tell the cashier that it's not the right
order and they will charge you for the correct one. I cannot stress this enough, because this wastes more time than
ANYTHING in drive-thru. DO. NOT. PAY. for an order you don't think is yours.
If you fail to do this you will be charged for the wrong order and will either need a refund, realize you got the wrong
order when you get your food or drive home and realize you got someone else's order.
Here is a very common example of a drive-thru wrong payment that happenes 1-2 times a shift on average:
>hi, you have the 450 cheese burgers right?
>yep
>alright, it'll be 850$
>*taps card*
>thank you
>wait why did it cost so much?
>sorry?
>i ordered 2 cookies why was it 850$
>i asked if you had the cheeseburgers and told you the total why would you still pay for it...
>I WANT A REFUND!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another very common occurance in the drive thru is the card not tapping correctly, or declining.
Always wait until the cashier says "thank you" or directs you to the next window before driving forward.
here is an example of what happens when you are not listening to anything you're being told at the payment window:
2 beeps means it didnt read it correctly. the machine should beep once then there is a 90% chance it will
accept and go through, this 1 beep means it read the card sucessfully. the only problem past there is if the card declines.
if you have been having card troubles recently or know you are low on money, simply wait at the first window after the beep
to be sure it accepts the payment fully. in any other circumstance, it is okay to drive ahead after the 1 beep goes through.
If you are paying with cash, hand the bills first then the change, do not stack them or drop a handful into the cashiers hand.
here is a diagram displaying how to take change when receiving it from the cashier:
The bad examples above almost always cause change or bills to go flying or fall to the ground, and you to either have to leave
them there, or get out of your car and get them, holding up the line. On rare chances demanding new change and blaming it
on the cashier.
The last thing goes for any place of buisness. Dont be the asshole who pays for something over a dollar in cost with all
nickels and dimes. it wastes everyones time counting it all and 90% of the time is never enough to cover it.
I can't beleive this even needs to be said either but don't hand bags of money to the cashier to count themselves.
final thing before leaving, try to avoid sitting at the first window after paying. this allows the cashier to do other things
they need to do, such as making muffins or getting food from the fryers, and on some occasions if the cars are small, take
payment on the car after you.
PART IV: getting the food + parking
Congratulations you've sucessfully completed the most simple thing on earth that 75% of canadians cannot do correctly.
most of this has been common sense and basic manners, so as long as you have one or both of those, most of these should have
been no brainers. Now its finally time to get your food, you drive to the second window and stop your car.
Now if your food is ready, they will hand you the drinks first most often, then the food. If you need to make sure it's all
there just open the bag quickly and look inside. DO NOT open the bag and take everything out one by one and ask for sauces
and utensils before you find them in the bag, they are often in the bottom and demanding them to the server to then just find
them is only embarassing yourself and wasting everyone's time.
if the order in the bag is not yours simply tell the server and they will switch it out for yours. do not drive away if you
know it's not yours, this will just mean everything in the order needs to be made again.
now you have your food and you can go on your merry way and leave the depressed underpaid overworked teenagers alone!
But if your food ISNT ready, then you will need to park. Most mcdonalds locations have parking spots acessible at the end of
the drive-thru for orders that have waits, this will often happen if:
you have a very large order, you order at the first window or in some cases the second, if you order breakfast past 11,
if something is broken and needs to be fixed, you order everything fresh,
or if its simply busy and they don't have enough food for your order.
there's nothing divorced men in their 40s or 60 year old women hate more than being parked, here is the most common excuses
as to why they don't need to be parked and the usual response to these complaints.
>there's nobody behind me.
>we just have timers in the drive thru
and need to keep them above a certain time. (this is true)
>im in a hurry
>we dont have what you ordered ready so we can't give it to you but we'll run it out as soon as possible.
>i'll just wait here.
>sorry we need to get other people with orders we have ready through the drive-thru.
>every time i park tons of other cars go through the drive-thru before i get my food.
>thats why we park you, otherwise you would be able to wait here, we have the orders ready for the other cars.
>well why isnt mine ready?
>because you ordered *insert thing we dont have or a large amount of one thing*
>you park me every time i come through
>then order something else idk what to tell you.
you can find a stories about me attempting to park people in the customer interactions sections of the text page. these people
are usually the cockiest, douchiest, and rudest to deal with.
if you are waiting a very long time for your food after being parked, come inside or call the resturaunt if youre too fat to
get out of your car and walk a bit, and tell them youre still waiting. sometimes new workers can mess up or serve off held
orders by accident, and sometimes hand out orders to wrong cars.
this is why you are asked what your order was when parks are handed out. not because they forget why youre here;
so no need to
"WHATS MY ORDER? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. IM DONE I DONT EVEN WANT IT ANYMORE."
this is also why you should always listen if a newly hired worker says "is your order *blank*" instead of asking what it is.
this has caused dozens of incorrect orders to be handed out because people never listen to anything anyone says because they
see fast food employees as modern day slaves.
after your food is handed out to you,
CONGRATS! YOU HAVE FINISHED THE MCDONALDS DRIVE THRU!
that wasnt so hard was it? now with this tutorial you know exactly what NOT to do in the drive thru, and now with your skills
you can be a drive-thru king and get through at light speed and make people in your town loathe you.
here is a step by step recap of the best way to get through drive-thru:
HOW TO ORDER IN DRIVE THRU (simplified)
1.DECIDE YOUR ORDER BEFORE YOU ORDER
2.LISTEN TO THE QUESTIONS YOU ARE ASKED
3.RESPOND TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT TANGENTS
4.SPEAK LOUD AND CLEARLY
5.SPECIFY NUMBER OF ITEMS AND SIDES
6.LISTEN TO SEE YOU'RE PAYING FOR
YOUR ORDER
7.TAP YOUR CARD AND WAIT FOR ONE BEEP
8.DRIVE TO THE NEXT WINDOW AND GET FOOD
9.DON'T WASTE TIME TRYING TO NOT GET PARKED
10.LEAVE WITHOUT EMPTYING WHOLE BAG
now go out there and raise your waist size! thanks for reading.
written and illustrated by leet mok
