They Screw You at the Drive-Thru

The whole purpose of the drive-thru is convenience.

Be it at a bank, drug store, fast food restaurant or, in some places, even a package store, the point is providing the customer (me!) with a quick experience. No need to get out of the car if you don't have to.

For this rant, we're focusing on the fast food drive thru -- McDonald's in particular.

It's rare that I stop under the golden arches for breakfast. But, this morning was different. Junior woke up late, which threw our typical morning routine off, which meant I didn't have breakfast. So, after dropping him off, I started contemplating breakfast options.

And then it hit me. I hadn't had the world's greatest breakfast sandwich in quite a while.

I'm talking about the Sausage McMuffin with Egg.

Take that back. It's not the greatest breakfast sandwich. It's better than that. In fact, I'll go so far as call it the best fast food sandwich -- breakfast or otherwise.

So, I pull into the drive-thru lane. And then I change my mind. I never change my mind. But, today, I did.

I opted for the McGriddle. Have never had it, so figured why not give that a try. Live on the edge. Think out of the box. Push the envelope. You get the idea.

I pull up to the window, give the guy my money and take my bag (I got the hashbrown, too) and my juice (just wait until you read my rant on the unfair treatment of juice drinkers).

I get to the office, settle in, call up the local daily on the web and start to read while finishing off my hashbrown -- which, for reasons I don't really have, I always eat first.

Then, I reach in my bag and pull out a hefty sandwich in a labelled wrap that says "bacon egg and cheese bagel."

B-A-G-E-L.

You're kidding me. I didn't order a bagel. I ordered a McGriddle. I should have ordered a Sausage McMuffin with Egg, but on this day of great adventure, I go for the McGriddle.

But it's not there.

At this point it's too late and too complicated to drive back. Ugh. Another drive-thru meltdown at the hands of someone who doesn't care about customer service.

I wanted it to taste good. But it didn't. How could it? Not only was it something I didn't want. It was something I would never order. But, I was hungry. So I ate it.

And as I was eating it, I thought about checking the order at the drive-thru. But who does that? Really. Do you? I don't. But I probably will now. Doing that, though, defeats the entire purpose of the drive-thru. Fast service. Not getting your stuff and opening the bag to check it while everyone is sitting in their car behind you.

Ugh. I should have stuck with the stand by. See what happens when you try and mix it up?

What else? I got nothin'.