Libertine: On the Prowl

Vidi, vici, veni -- I saw, I conquered, I came. _______________________________________________________________

More Fast Food Woes

01:57, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted in rants .. 13 comments .. Link

When I get off work, it's usually rather late at night. Most of the time I'm hungry, but I'm in no mood for driving out of my way, then walking through the supermarket. Nor am I often in a mood where I want to wait for something to cook.

And on the times I do stop in at the market, I'm not the type who loads up the cart as if I'm stocking up for an Arctic expedition. I usually only get a few things that are necessary such as cat food, toilet paper, and so on. Because I've never had much interest in "real" cooking and never got around to learning much, what I get is largely limited to what doesn't need cooking or what can be nuked in the microwave. And even if I was into cooking, it's not something I'd be keen on doing in the middle of the night, anyway.

So, more often than not, if I'm hungry when I 'm on the way home from work, I'll get something from a fast-food drive-through. I'm fortunate to live on the north end of town, where most of the fast food joints and other types of restaurants are clustered.

My son would be happy to go nowhere but McDonald's, but I have to vary it, as I get sick of the same ol' thing all the time. Last night, I thought I'd go by Arby's and pick up something; maybe a club sandwich. This is a fast food place, but I consider it a cut above the fare at McD's and Burger King. I pulled into their drive-through about fifteen minutes before they were to close, but no sooner than I'd done so, than a message popped up on their screen advising me that they were closed for the night. Fifteen minutes early. And this isn't the first time these slackers have pulled this shit on me.

Pissed off, but knowing there wasn't anything I could do about it, I backed out of their drive-through and sped off to my second choice, Wendy's. Wanting to avoid the mayo miasma soggy bun nightmare, I decided to get one of their turkey frescata sandwiches on ciabatta bread. I like the ciabatta, as it does better at avoiding the sogginess factor than do kaiser rolls.

But when I ordered, I was informed that they were "out" of ciabatta rolls and would I like that on a kaiser roll? No, I don't want a fucking kaiser roll -- I ordered this particular sandwich precisely to avoid nasty soggy kaiser shit.

What really pisses me off is that they're ALWAYS out of ciabatta bread -- at least the last five times I've been there over the space of a month or two. What the hell is up with that? What's the point in offering a sandwich, then never stocking the key ingredient that makes it unique? I've ordered this sandwich at the other Wendy's locations in town and they're always "out" of ciabatta, too. As far as I'm concerned, if they're not prepared to make me the sandwich as advertised, then they ought to take a damned thing off the menu. Being out of it once I can understand, but they've been "out" of it for months now.

Disgusted now, having been thwarted twice on my quest for a midnight meal, I told them what I thought of their constantly being out of ciabatta, then roared off. I ended up having to drive all the way to the interstate and getting a burger from Hardee's. We've only got two of those in town, one way down on the southern side of town and totally out of my way, and the other on the north end by the interstate. That one involved overshooting the turn to go home, but it was closer than doubling back to the other one. They had what I wanted, and I finally got to go home, satisfied at last.

I just came straight home from work tonight -- there was food in the pantry and I wasn't all that hungry to begin with.

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02:35, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by tommyfusco
. And this isn't the first time these slackers have pulled this shit on me.

ok that part made me laugh out loud.
lol
nice.

couldnt stop reading this entry
bravo

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03:45, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by LauriesAsylum
I love Arby's, love them! The closest and only one I know of is in the next town, so I don't go there very often. I usually get the regular roast beef and put gobs of horseradish sauce on it. It's probably a good thing that there isn't one close. lol

What I hate the most about any fast food drive-thru, is going home and finding they left something out or they gave me the wrong thing. Gaaaaa, this happens all the time!

Lol

06:06, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by pd

Such a passionate guy...

:)

You would be surprised

08:20, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by Patty
what a phone call to their headquarters will do. Ask Melissa. Ours, like McDonald's, here in this town, means check the bag before you pull away from the window. Chances are they will have forgotten something in the order, no matter how small. I always check before I pull away. Nothing more frustrating then to get home and find something is missing. Same for KFC, when you order livers and get gizzards.

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10:09, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by thebigp
I know exactly what you mean. When I get out of school, it's usually closer to 11 pm. There is an army of fast food joints on my way home and I try and hit different ones to vary the routine.

...

01:34, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by jeremy
At least you have plenty of choice; in our town we have a McDonalds and I'm pretty sure that's all, there is a Pizza Hut, but I'm not sure that even counts as fast food.

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07:05, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by pd

I'm actually addicted to my campus cafeteria's food.

So wrong.

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08:16, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by littleMissConfused
After working at a Dairy Queen brazer for a while, I vowed never to eat at any fast food restaurant near their closing time. Some of the things I saw go on in the kitchen to save time at closing made my stomach turn. Like...cooking hamburgers hours before closing and letting them sit in warm grease just so they could clean the grill early. Cooking fries and then re-heating them in the microwave so the fryers could be cleaned early.

The one I worked at was always out of mint topping. It wasn't a popular item but we had to have it on the menu because it was a franchise thing. our manager was too cheap to buy the gallon container it came in (and then throwing most of it out). So if a customer ever asked for it we had to tell them we were out.

I hear ya

09:33, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by DeeJay
I seldom go to fast food places anymore, but when I did having them mess up orders drove me crazy!

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10:16, 2007-Oct-20 .. Posted by LauriesAsylum
Ok, LMC, that makes me sick just thinking about it!

Fast Food

07:10, 2007-Oct-21 .. Posted by oldmanlincoln
I got addicted to the free cigarettes the government gave us in our C-rations food. But I never got addicted to C-rations or any of the countless ways the cooks tried to disguise it. Powdered eggs, potatoes and milk still taste like powdered eggs, milk and potatoes and they are not-addictive. I put most fast food restaurants into the C-ration category. It will keep you alive a little longer, but tastes bad and while it should be free. What price free?

I would certainly write or send the company headquarters your complaint.

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09:38, 2007-Oct-21 .. Posted by Rubicon
Hey man!

Learn to cook, and be a good one like me and "E". Or...get over the mayo thing, uggh.I can't.Stop going to McDonalds, it'll make you fat, Wendy's will too. Next thing ya know you'll be showin' us yer fat pictures.

And whoever said Arby's, oh yeah, love it, but way too expensive! Otherwise I'd be there every other night.

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12:34, 2007-Oct-21 .. Posted by ben
There is so much shit that goes on in the fast food industry that would turn our stomachs (and sometimes they do literally) I have a hard time eating at them at all. Beyond the crappy food it is the incompetence of the workers that pisses me off the most. The last time I went to McD's (about three years ago) I ordered nuggets and a diet coke, I got a big mac, fries and a root beer.