The drive-through is supposed to be a simple experience: make your order, pay your money, grab your food. Things don't always go according to plan, though, as is made clear in these real life stories of bizarre drive-through experiences. Spare a thought for the poor fast food workers who had to deal with these ridiculous situations.
Splash Zone
Working at McDonalds my sophomore year of high school, some lady went through the drive through at about 1 AM. Someone accidentally gave her a large diet coke instead of a large coke or something, so she threw the drink back through the window.
The drink landed quite heavily in the fry oil and splashed all over one of our co-workers. The girl drove away pretty fast, but the manager got her license plate number off the cameras. She was sued pretty badly. Story credit: Reddit / Rebelpride1
Dinner in Bed
Once, someone drove a truck to the window with a bed in the back. Another person got out, put the bed next to the window, and ordered their food, sitting on the bed to wait. The driver left. After receiving her food the bed woman carried the bed to a parking space, got in, and ate. Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
The Muffin Fairy
My wife worked at Tim Hortons in college, while we were dating, and she was stuck with the overnight shift. One night a couple of drunk guys came in and one of them ordered two chocolate chip muffins. The other guy was too drunk to order.
The drunker of the two ends up passing out in the doorway while waiting for the muffin guy. Muffin guy gets his order, walks over to his friend, takes the muffins out of the bag and crumbles them up, sprinkling the crumbs over his friend exclaiming "I'm the muffin fairy!" Story credit: Reddit / SabreGuy2121
Waffle Hat
I was out in the car-park taking care of bins when a big bulky family car that had just been through the drive thru started circling and revving profusely. It caught my attention because it wasn't like it was a sports car and I didn't get why he was revving.
I soon found out it was because his kid had gotten the wrong topping on his Ice cream, which he yelled through the window at me as he slammed into park right by me. His little kid threw the ice cream at me, ruining my uniform. I was pretty angry so I picked it back up and threw it back at the car.
As it was sailing it's creamy way toward the car again it suddenly dawned on me that this guy might get out and get me fired, so I froze. Luckily it landed on the roof cream side down AND the guy hadn't noticed! So he drove off with his car wearing a little waffle hat.
I wish I'd been there to see his face later on. Story credit: Reddit / Harleen--Quinzel
Do You Want Dad With That?
I worked in McDonalds before going to university to help pay for things, as my foster parents didn't really have the means to help me much. Anyway, there was this one man who came through the drivethru, late 30s, clearly a farmer from his vehicle and dog in the back.
He was always nice enough, pretty quiet and I remember a couple of times that he tried to make nice small talk. When I worked either side of New Years, he asked me how things were and said I should be out having fun my age, asked if my christmas was good and all that.
I remember thinking he always seemed real lonely or was sad when he drove through, and tried to carry conversation with me. I felt bad having to be quick with him and dart off, because he just seemed like he wanted someone to talk to.
Long story short, he drove through one day and asked if my last name was what he thought it was. After a sideways glance from my manager, I said it was. He looked real sad and took his hat off, said that he reckoned he was my dad.
My bio-mother didn't know who my dad was (she slept around as a teen, then got pregnant with me), so it was possible. My manager let me go on break. So over my dinner he explains that he slept with my mother around the time that she got pregnant, he was only 16.
He was really apologetic/kind of seemed ashamed, and said he said he was real sorry he didn't seek me out, make sure I wasn't his, that sort of thing. He was from a town about an hours drive away, so that was a part of it. And noone ever showed up to tell him he was a dad or anything.
I told him I was happy with my life, gave him my number and told him to give me a bell sometime. And yeah, that's how I met my dad. My bio-dad, I should say. After a few years when I heard from my bio-mother again, she said that yeah, he was who she thought the father was.
The other two guys she was sleeping with were black, and I ain't. We went out for coffee 3 or 4 times, but we didn't have much to talk about. He and I never really maintained contact, the last time we spoke he told me he'd been diagnosed with MS.
He had a couple of sons but I was his only daughter and he said that he was grateful we had met. He's still got my number somewhere. Story credit: Reddit / awkwardfamilyreunion
Deja Vu
Had a man and woman come thru and order. They get to the window and he falls asleep in the 60 seconds he is sitting there. The lady wakes him up and he pays. Then before we could hand his food out to him we noticed his truck started to roll.
I get to the window in time to see the truck scraping the building. He got onto the highway woke up and floored it. He came back 30 minutes later and ordered something completely different.
He didn't know that he had been by KFC already. Manager called cops and we kept him in the drive thru until they got there. Story credit: Reddit / CindyLou_Who
Thanksssss
Was working at McDonald's presenting a few weeks ago and this lady comes to pick up her milkshake and she says to me "you're doing a great job keep it up!" And proceeds to hand me a small fluffy toy snake. I closed the window and started laughing so hard. Story credit: Reddit / novanerd
Hungry Dumbo
I was working at a Tim Hortons in Newfoundland when I was 15. A guy comes up to the speaker box, orders his coffee, and then I heard a weird noise that sounded like an elephant. He approaches the window, lo and behold there is a baby elephant in the back of his pickup.
At the drive through. On an island in Canada. I was so confused, but just couldnt bring up the elephant in the room- or pickup bed I guess. Story credit: Reddit / pollettuce
Sharing is Caring
So I'm working the drive through at Mickey D's and this dude pulls up and orders an ice cream cone. I'm surprised because he's actually nice to me and I suspect that he's a bit high. I leave to get the ice cream and when I get back to the window he's holding up a 5 dollar bill.
"Duuude, look what I just found on the ground!" "That's awesome, wish I had that luck," as my shoulders sag a little closer to the ground. "Hey, how bout you take it. Ya probably work harder than I do anyway"
I'm look to see if anyone is watching me, quickly snatch the cash and discretely put it in my pocket. Story credit: Reddit / purloin_a_coin
Too Early
Once we had a lovely woman pull up at the drive through twenty minutes before open. Naturally my co-worker and I ignored her while we hurried to setup because without the headset on, we had no idea she was even there. And there was no way I was putting that thing on a minute earlier that I had to.
Eventually she pulled up to the window with an angry, evil-looking face. We gestured, "sorry" and that we weren't open yet. Apparently she took it personally and started banging on the glass.
When we opened the window to explain that we couldn't serve her yet, she began cursing and squeezed her fat butt out of the car, and hung thru the window spewing off insults. We just stared in awe. I think we told her the cops were coming or something and she left. Story credit: Reddit / krbs77
Gotta Catch 'Em All
I worked at McDonalds for almost two years. The strangest incident would have to be the kid who attempted to pay me in pokemon cards by explaining how much each was worth on eBay.
When I explained to him that his cards could not be used as currency he became upset, accused me of being a "dirty Yu-Gi-oh fan" and drove off, leaving me confused with both his cards and his food. Story credit: Reddit / kittenrageparty
Just Believe
A friend of mine works at a Dairy Queen and was handing out an icecream cone and the customer asks "Do you believe in unicorns?"
And my friend is just standing there awkwardly and the guy puts his ice cream directly onto his forehead and yells "BELIIIEEEEVE" and drives off. Story credit: Reddit / TheRealBoogaard
Drive Through Therapy
I was once working drive - thru orders and this lady came up the speaker, I greeted her and then told her to order whenever she was ready. She said that she wasn't going to order anything and that she just needed someone to talk to.
The customer is always right so I talked with her about how my day was going and then she told me she has herpes. I was dumbstruck, this lady probably just found out she had herpes and the only one she could talk to was the drive - thru guy?
I was floored and talked to her for a few minutes and then she said that she had better go unlike the herpes she had. Never saw her face or even her car. I kinda wish I had her come to my window. Story credit: Reddit / goldfishflave
Carpool Excuse
I was working the drive through teller window at the bank one day. Then a guy pulls up with a fully clothed blow up doll in the passenger seat. "She" was all buckled up and everything.
I looked at "her", and then at him, and he creepily said "It's so I can use the carpool lanes." Story credit: Reddit / katiebug0313
BYOP
A couple years ago, I worked at a drive thru and this guy came around to pay. When he got there, he asked "hey, did I say I wanted extra pickles on that? Because I want extra pickles on that."
I informed him that his burger was already made and ready to go, but offered to have a new one fixed up with a satisfactory amount of pickles. the man paused, then had a look of realization. He looked up and said "Don't worry about it! Now that I think about it, I think I might have some extra ones right here."
This valued customer then proceeded to open up his glove compartment and pull out a giant jar of sliced pickles. It was weird. Story credit: Reddit / payperduckk
Minivan Surfing
I worked at McDonald's for two years, and the strangest thing that happened was when a bunch of teenage boys came through the drive thru in a minivan and ordered an ice cream cone.
When they pulled up to my window (it was night so we were down to one window taking money and hading out food) a guy that was laying on the top of the minivan grabbed the cone by the ice cream and they drove off.
They proceeded to come back through the drive thru and ask if one of them had left a wallet inside. Story credit: Reddit / Painting_Flowers
Thinking Ahead
I worked at taco bell for four years. One of the things that really sticks out in my mind is the group of kids that were rolling a joint in the front seat of the car... At the window.
I opened the window back up and asked them "guys... Aren't you supposed to get taco bell AFTER you do that?" They all looked at me in fear.
The other crazy story I have is the day that a drunk driver hit the building... Right outside the window I was working. Story credit: Reddit / ehardy2013
Awkward Interaction
A couple came through in a big pickup truck. I ask how their day has been, and the female responds with "I was just released from the hospital".
I say "good to hear you are all better" and she then proceeds to tell me she was in a car accident and is paralyzed from the waist down. My jaw hits the floor and I am speechless.
I hand them their drinks, wish them off, and watch as the wheel chair speeds off in the back of the truck. I'll never forget that encounter. Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Slaw Bucket
6am working the Starbucks drive thru a few 4/20s ago. 2 guys in their early 20s came by and got frappucinos. when they pulled up to the window to pay, I saw the passenger literally eating coleslaw out of a BUCKET. Story credit: Reddit / marplies
Elvis Has Left the Drive Through
We had Elvis as a regular. Well, technically an Elvis impersonator, but still. He just came through the drive through in the morning about once a week and ordered an iced coffee.
I noticed he happened to look sorta like Elvis, but didn't say anything until one time he paid with a credit card, and I saw the name Elvis on there. I asked him, and apparently he had had his name legally changed to Elvis. Even had it on his driver's license. Story credit: Reddit / Moonpaw
The Dark Knight Rises
And then there was Batman. I kid you not, he had the outfit, a black corvette (with a strobe light on top) and BATMAN as the license plate number! Know what he ordered? A single bottle of water. Then he gave me a $20 and said to use the change to pay for whoever was behind him.
He came through multiple times, and once had a girl dressed as Catwoman (comic book Catwoman, not movie Catwoman, thank god) in the passenger seat. He always did the same thing.
Once that $20 managed to cover four other cars' worth of food, and I got to tell them all that their order had been paid for by Batman. Fun times. And darn his car was cool. Story credit: Reddit / Moonpaw
Good Guy
We had a lady come by everyday and order tea with 2 lemon slices after work. I would always make sure I had fresh tea when I started my shift just for her, she was kind of my ray of light, people are not nice to fast food workers. One day she came through crying, she had got laid off that day.
I felt so bad for her, I gave her the tea for free. I continued to do so whenever she came. One day she came through and I went to give her the free tea, she gave me a box of chocolates, she had found another job and wanted to thank me for being a "good guy." Story credit: Reddit / bigfreakingnerd
Drive Through the Backstreet
Back when they mattered, Brian from the Backstreet Boys came through a Wendy's drive thru in Roswell, GA. I was an assistant manager and 19 and promptly lost my cool.
I did get an autograph and a copy of his order. His family loves the former Big Bacon classics and Spicy Chicken sandwiches. Story credit: Reddit / CherryDaBomb
Don't Drink With Grandma
I had a grandmother ordering for her children once in the drive through. When I was handing her their food she asked me; "Are you drunk?" "No, just tired."
"You want to be?" I was fourteen. Story credit: Reddit / FourtE2
Inspirational Moment
I had dude driving without arms come through my line at Taco Bell, driving a modified Gran Prix with his feet.. It appeared to be a defect he was born with, he was even able to count out change and hand it to me with his toes!!
I was 18 at the time, and it taught me that the only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves. Inspiring. Story credit: Reddit / BigFish_TX
Night of the Living Banana
I was a manager at little Caesar's in high school and had to work on Halloween which turns out to be one of our busiest days. After a long day it is about 10-11pm and we are gettin ready to start closing so me and another guy go out to smoke a cigarette when a cop pulls up.
I looked pretty young to be smoking but I was 18 and thought the cop was going to do an ID check on me. When he gets out he comes over to us and asked if we have seen a a banana running around the shopping center.
Confused me and my coworker kind of look at each other and say no, and he proceeds to tell us some guy is running around dressed as a banana flashing people. He told us if we saw him that we should rough em up a little bit before calling cause apparently he was targeting kids. Story credit: Reddit / Psychic_Jester
The Human Tables
When I was working the drive thru at Popeyes, we would always tend to get this one couple who would come by. Sure, we had plenty of regulars, but every employee knew of the Human Tables.
There was always the four of them, the dad, mom, sister, and brother, and they always rolled up to the window with AT LEAST 3 big bags of food from other fast food places. Not bags of trash, but bags of uneaten food.
We would call them the Human Tables because they all had their seats all the way back and would use their stomachs as tables. The smell was pretty horrid as well. Didn't seem like they were doing too good a job of disposing their trash from 3 meals a day of fast food. Story credit: Reddit / Maxissama
Bartering Doesn't Work
This was years ago, but after a night out, a buddy and I decided to grab some late night food from Jack in the Box. This buddy of mine orders for all of us and, for some reason right at the end, says he doesn't have any cash and that he'll trade beers for tacos.
I was thinking the Drive-Thru guy was going to tell us to get lost, but he just doesn't say anything for about thirty seconds then, "Make it three beers for six tacos..."
We pull up, hand the man his three Coors Lights and get our nasty tacos and go. Story credit: Reddit / TwiceAgainThrice
Possibly the Hamburglar
One time, about fifteen minutes to close, we get a guy drive up and ask for 30 mama burgers (Canadian A&W, for those who don't know it's basically a regular hamburger).
I cringe at the amount of extra work we're about to have to do, but whatever man, we're still open, so we gotta do it. I ask him if he wants cheese on the burgers and his response is "I don't even care".
My supervisor, the only other dude up front with me, decides that now would be a good time to run and hide in the back go help the back-staff with making burgers, leaving me all alone to deal with what is no doubt sure to be a very unpleasant individual.
But what actually happened is not what I would have expected at all. I take the guy's money and try and hide around the milkshake machine out of sight, just enough room for me to watch him as he starts BEATING THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF HIS OWN CAR. I'm not kidding.
He was throwing punches to the windshield as hard as he could. Then I heard him start throwing stuff out of his window and onto the ground.
Obviously I wasn't getting close enough to see what it was he was throwing out, but after he got his food and drove off, we looked outside to see that it was car parts that he had smashed that were littering the road. The handle on his shifter, vents, a volume knob, and various other bits and pieces.
I get so confused just thinking about it. The dude had to have been on drugs. That is the only way I can reconcile car-smashing and buying 30 hamburgers in one short period of time. Story credit: Reddit / ddrluna
Bring Your Own Beef
My first job was at McDonald's in a really small hick town in Canada. It was pretty normal during hunting season to see a pick up truck roll through with a dead deer or moose on the back. One time some guy actually drove through with a dead cow. Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Genius Employee
My close friend (we'll call him 'Genius') works at a McDonalds and was training a new girl on the drive-thru, who was somewhat lacking in the height department. Genius had upturned a chip pan vat and had her stand on that so she was able to reach customers and take payment.
After an hour or two, she needed her toilet break, so Genius decided he wanted to try this new found height system for himself. His first customer was a very elderly lady. Her car gingerly made its way round the corner to the window and her order for a coffee was barely audible.
However Genius remembered his customer service teachings and after a few attempts successfully asked for payment.
Just as trainee girl was making her way back to the booth, she watched as Genius reached out to take the coins offered, the vat skid out from underneath his foot and her superior end up bent backwards like a paperclip between granny's car and his cash till, where only his feet remained.
Genius had to clamber down and make his way back through the customer entrance, much to the surprise of his manager who thought he was still stationed in Window 1.
I hope that my close friend holds the title as the only employee to ever fall out of a McDonald's window. Genius. Story credit: Reddit / DanglyDan
Temper Tantrum
The guy starts with "you will wait until I am ready!" He then polls his family of four and each take their dear sweet time customizing every meal. He paid with an equal deliberateness.
At the pick up window, he decided he had changed his mind and wanted something else. The manager did a good job of recalculating his order quickly on the fly and informed him it would an additional few dollars. The guy became outraged.
The manager made a few attempts to go over it but at this point, this one family had managed to back them up horribly. He politely asked the man to pull forward and he'll straighten it out. The man refused.
Exacerbated and starting to get people coming in complaining about the wait, he told the man he couldn't serve him and tried to give him a full refund. Try is the operable word because the man refused to accept his money back.
He sat in the drive-thru with his arms folded across his chest. Finally, now completely frustrated, the manager drops the money in his lap and tells him he'll call the police if he doesn't move.
The guy comes in the restaurant accusing the manager of throwing the money in his face and claiming it was assault. Further, he insisted the entire exchange was solely due to his being black. A few days later, we get a lawsuit. Story credit: Reddit / Rmanager
Robot Monkey
I saw a customer with a pet monkey. A pet monkey in the drive-thru of a North Texas McDonald's. That's not even the weird part, I asked the woman if it was real. Her reply? "It's a robot." She drove up to the next window while my mind was all kinds of messed with. Story credit: Reddit / Spiraticus
Nightshift is Weird
My first real job in high school was at a very loosely managed Taco Bell where one of the supervisors had been fired recently. While I was working the overnight shift, he came through the drive through, pointed a gun at me, and robbed me for all of my Cinnamon Twists.
He took the whole pan of Cinnamon Twists. Right through his car window. We cooked a new batch. Didn't even call the cops. Nightshift is weird. Story credit: Reddit / southseattle77
Friendship is Magic
Was working the late night shift at a McDonald's once, and some guys wearing horse masks and "gangster" bandanas drove through at roughly 4 am, and asked specifically for multiple my little pony toys (not meals, only the toys). Quit later that week. Story credit: Reddit / NateJay1415
Cute Dog
I went through a Dairy Queen drive through and the people behind the counter were clearly intoxicated. The guy at the window was… He was having his mind blown by how cute he thought my dog was.
He was going on and on about my dog and how he had never seen such a cute dog and how he just could not believe my dog existed. Then he gave the dog free ice cream. The dog is cute but not enough that I can't mentally comprehend it or am physically incapable of going on with my day. Story credit: Reddit / SaltyBabe
Impatient Customer
Today, a couple came up to the drive-thru window. The female passenger was very polite, but distracted by the male passenger. She kept looking back at him while I was taking her payment. He seemed to be talking to someone on his cellphone, but I wasn't too sure.
After I handed the driver her drink, the male passenger screamed, and I mean SCREAMED, "GIVE ME MY MONEY YOU IDIOT". Naturally, I freaked out and backed away from the window. However, I looked closer and realized he was on the phone for sure.
After that, the female driver took a look at me (with an unusually straight face, almost as if nothing happened) and drove away from the window. Story credit: Reddit / haleshales
Don't Call Saul
I was in high school a zillion years ago. I liked driving, so when the drama cast or my social group wanted a food run, I'd often offer to do it. One time, a friend, Saul, came with me. Saul was... excitable.
And for some reason, on that trip in my old car with its manual drive, he decided it was great fun to try and pretend to change gears while I was driving, and maybe actually do it! Mmmmmm, no. He thought the game of "keep your hand off my gearshift" was great fun, but he eventually calmed down.
We got to the Hardees drive through, and throughout the entire time I was trying to give them our laundry list of an order, I was also fending off Saul as he hit every knob on the dash, messed with the emergency break... And actually shifted gears. While I was sitting there.
Trying to cram the car into second or third. I should mention my car had an unusual gearshift setup, so normal gear shifting did not work. He was breaking my car, and I was trying to stop him while the girl on the other end of the microphone was trying to get my order.
Finally, we got it, and when the drive through girl said "Thanks, pull forward," I said "Thank you," turned to Saul--facing away from the speaker--and said, "Just buzz off!"
Saul started to laugh hysterically, and I didn't know why. He almost couldn't breathe for a moment. As we inched forward in line, he finally got out, "I... I used to work here. They hear everything through those speakers, everything, and you were loud! They think you just told them to fuck off!"
I wasn't sure if I should believe him until I got to the window and was met by the manager, leaning on folded arms, one of our bags of food dangling from his hand, five faces with Hardees caps above them peering around them. All he had to say was, "Is there something you'd like to say to me, miss?"
I apologized profusely and explained what had happened, and that the cashier would've probably heard me telling Saul to stop messing with the gearshift during the order, and that I had yelled it at him, for trying to break my car, and not at the poor cashier.
Luckily, Saul was in such hysterics and laughed so hard at that part, and I was so exasperated and frustrated, that the manager believed me. It was still years before I could stand to show my face there again.
And everyone heard about it, Saul never rode with me again, and I'm pretty sure he never got shotgun again. Story credit: Reddit / VAPossum
Thirsty Work
I got yelled at by a customer for taking a sip of water once. I had a bottle of water near my register because it was hot out, but I was trying to only drink from it when there wasn't a car at the window.
One woman happened to pull up before I was done and concluded that since I was drinking from my own personal bottle, that I was probably drinking from all of the customers' fountain drinks too.
She tried pretty hard to get me written up/ fired, but only succeeded in getting banned from the store. Story credit: Reddit / flj7
Strong to the Finish
When I was working at Popeyes one summer, this lady came through the drive through right before we closed and ordered a ton of food. She then proceeded to try and pay with a $50 bill. We had signs everywhere that you could not miss saying we don't take anything larger than a 20.
So she tells me to make her food and have it ready for her while she gets change. I decided that she was clearly gonna come back and get the food so I bagged everything up for her. About 2 mins after I finished bagging it, she walked in to pay.
She got super mad that I didn't leave it under the heat lamp and demanded I make her more food. She then tried to beat me up because it was taking too long. I was so scared! It was just me and the cook who didn't speak english. That was the day I learned some people get crazy when it comes to their food. Story credit: Reddit / bowlnspoon
Reversal Order
When I was working at a McDonald's in high school and apparently a fad went around where people would go through and order a drink and then throw it back into the window. Well one time some one tried it but forgot to take the lid off.
When he threw it at me I instinctively volleyball spiked back towards his car. The cup hit the window and opened up and spilled all over this guy's car I'm talking his lap his seat all of his stuff was soaked. He looked down and lots back and me and goes darn……..
You got me good, you got me real good. And then drove off. Story credit: Reddit / kingwombat12
Fountain Drink
One time a drunk driver plowed into our outdoor menu sign and totalled it. He also hit a sprinker head, so there was a jet of water shooting into the air. He drove off and called the store begging us not to call the cops.
When the manager said he was reporting it to the cops, the guy started giving him threats - so he reported those to the cops too. They caught the guy two blocks away in a parking lot. Story credit: Reddit / DangerousPuhson
Any Day Now
I worked at McDonald's for a year in high school, usually the Saturday/Sunday morning shifts. One Sunday, at about noon or one, this woman comes through the drive through, orders her food, and pulls up to the window to pay.
She fumbles around with change for about a minute, and as she finally hands me the money, she starts talking about how she's "poor in money but rich in The Lord Jesus Christ", or something like that. She asks me if I go to church often; I say yes (lying, I didn't want to be proselytized).
As I go to hand her the receipt, she grabs my hand and looks into my eyes and says "Jesus loves you, and he's coming to see you soon. He'll be here any day now." And then she drives off to the next window while I just stand there like what just happened. Story credit: Reddit / charlieraybc
How to Save a Life
Had a guy pound on the window after we closed, as I went to tell him we were closed he grasped his chest and collapsed in the drive-thru lane. We called 911, ambulance came and got him, turns out he had a heart attack and we probably saved his life by calling 911 immediately.
He came in a week later and thanked us with pizza and gift cards to best buy ($20x3). Story credit: Reddit / kahnwolf
Precise Count
A bunch of stoners came through the drive through and only managed to order exactly $4.20 worth of food, paid with a $20, and left without their change. Every aspect of the interaction blew my mind. Story credit: Reddit / frankrizzo24
Hotline Bling
One night when I was working a man came through in his bathrobe. I didn't really think too much about it. When I was getting the man sauces I kept hearing moans coming from the car.
Apparently the man was on the phone with a dirty phone hotline and he had the phone hooked up through his car so it was really loud. I handed him his food while a women was talking dirty to him. He seemed so relaxed and acted like this was very normal thing to do. Story credit: Reddit / YoYoFart
Helping Hands
We were selling these Helping Hand things where you pay a dollar to charity and put your name on a hand shaped flyer and we hang them on the wall inside.
I asked this old man what name to put on it, and he said "Just put our lord and saviour Jesus Christ". Being non-religious I thought he was joking and laughed in his face… whoops. I ended up just writing 'John' as the name. Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Coming Through Backwards
A car came through backwards. As in, reversing through the drive-thru, and the passenger did the talking. Story credit: Reddit / KingGumboot
Merry Christmas
On Christmas Eve we closed at 10pm (drive-thru is normally 24/7), put up signs and turned the outside lights off and everything. Those of us that were working stayed until midnight, cleaning the whole place and whatnot, and for the entire 2 hours there were still cars coming up and waiting to be served.
The screens weren't even on or anything, although we had left the speakers on so we could talk to them. Eventually we stopped telling people we were closed and let them figure it out themselves. At midnight when we all left there was still a queue of cars waiting. Story credit: Reddit / KingGumboot
Who?
Middle aged woman and two teenage girls a bit younger than me (I was 17 at the time) pull up, all barely containing fits of giggles. The woman says to me, "Someone told me you sound like an owl". I reply, "An owl?".
All three of their faces drop and one of the girls says "Oh. You were supposed to say 'who.'" Story credit: Reddit / KingGumboot
Water Fight
I was a shift manager at Taco Bell in high school. My most memorable moment was when I was working the drive thru window. Some guys ordered some tacos or whatever, and when they pulled up, I noticed they were a few feet back from the window (they didn't pull far enough forward.)
I opened the window to say something, and immediately get drenched in windshield wiper fluid. These jackals rotated their nozzles for this and ensured they were properly lined up. They were.
I was angry, and threw a large pop at them as they were peeling out, which landed inside the window. I think I won. Story credit: Reddit / TheNightOwl
Sleepy
I had a guy pass out while waiting for his food. We cooked burgers to order so it wasn't a speedy drive thru. Cops came after we tried to wake him up with no success.
Cop shook him awake eventually. "There's no problem here officer." "Actually, ya. Ya there is. Step out of the car please, sir." Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Spitting Quarters
I work at Dairy Queen. One time, this old guy pulled up. His total was like $7.50. He handed me $7 in cash. He then spit out two quarters that were just CAKED in saliva, and handed them to me. It wasn't some Vine prank or YouTube stunt.
This was some 60-year-old dude by himself, and it seemed completely normal to him. Story credit: Reddit / BreakingHoff
That's Lit
I work for McDonald's and the first day they put me in drive-thru, a car with a teenager in it order 5 Mcchickens. No big thing due to the McDonald's being across the street from a high school.
We were falling behind on grill so the drive-thru line was waiting for about 5 min. When the teenager pulled up to the window, there was a fog in his car. He open the window and it looked like there was a fire coming from the inside of the car.
I then saw his items on the passenger seat, and the smell of illicit substances was so strong the manger thought i was smoking in the back. Story credit: Reddit / Splitcoin
Sailing the Brick Seas
Working at a McD's drive thru one day and I was at the end window, helping to take orders. This guy tried to use the drive thru whilst he was towing a rather large boat. Not a dingy, an actual boat.
He made his order at the speaker, and got about another 3 metres in before all I heard was horrible, horrible screeching and scraping sounds. He had taken about half the paint of one side of the boat on the brick wall. I laughed. A lot. Story credit: Reddit / CaptainTittysprinkle
Classic Deano
I was working a Taco John's in high school. It's Halloween night. Beeper goes off letting me know there's a car out there. I press the button, "Welcome to Taco John's, can I take your order please?" I hear some muffled swearing and panicked sounds. Then nothing. I can't see the menu board from where I am.
So, I walk to the back of the store, open the back door and what do I see? A car on top of the menu board. A guy frantically trying to rip his license plates off, and a woman, yelling at him. The guy takes off, leaving his girlfriend there. We call the cops.
The cops see the car and the chick and say, "oh yah, Deano. We know where to pick him up. Sorry about the menu board. I guess your drive thru is closed for the night." Story credit: Reddit / Ratscallion
Monkey Business
I used to wear a full gorilla suit and mask, go through drive-thrus and ask for banana milkshakes. No restaurant ever had them. I'd proceed to ask for slices of banana on a hamburger. They wouldn't have that either.
I'd proceed to ask "Well, do you have ANYTHING with banana?" They'd apologize and say no, but sometimes they'd have apples or something. I'd begrudgingly order whatever was closest to fruit on the menu.
You could tell the person on the other end was confused until I pulled up to the window. Got a lot of laughs. Story credit: Reddit / CeruleanAugust
Smokin'!
Way back when they used to have an actual person take the order in a seperate booth through drive thru, I was taking the cars order and they were all sitting there giggling next thing i know as they drove off they threw a few of those ping pong ball smoke bombs into the booth and smoked me out of it. Story credit: Reddit / BEAUnerLICOUS
Fore!
I had a guy come through who thought he recognized me from a local party(I had no idea who he was), He remembered me being a pretty cool dude so he gave me the 9th hole flag from the local golf course through the drive thru window. Story credit: Reddit / BEAUnerLICOUS
Nippy
A bunch of topless chicks came through to pick up their meal, I'd like to say I had something witty to say about the weather being "nippy" but I was like 16-17 at the time, I just took in the view and went about the rest of my shift. Story credit: Reddit / BEAUnerLICOUS
Mario Kart
Me and my friends had just gone out to dinner and while at dinner they had a guy going around making balloon animals for the kids. How could you pass up an opportunity like that?
So my friend got a mario guy and after dinner we decided it'd be hilarious to drive around playing the mario theme song and having mario "drive." We pulled up to a McDonalds blaring the mario theme song and ordered something small.
When we pulled up to the window my friend (who was driving) goes "Its a me mario!" The guy busts out laughing so hard he had to have another woman take us. As he's walking away I hear "so thats what the music was from it all makes sense" Story credit: Reddit / MoneyMiller
Bye Bye Bye
Working closing shift at McDonalds I've had a couple funny incidents. Best one yet was when this car of 5 girls drive up to the window I'm at with their windows down, blasting nsync. They all throw their hands out the window and start singing to me at the top of their lungs.
We all shared a good laugh and one of them gave me her number when I handed them their food. So there was that. Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Failure
One time I was working drive through at mcdonalds and at the time we were selling the mighty wings, which are only sold for a limited time with a special habanero sauce. A man drives up and asks for the wings, but we sold out, so I tell him to try the nuggets instead.
He gets the nuggets and wants habanero sauce, which was also out of stock . He get mad and says "fine, I'll just get barbecue then". As he pulls up to the pay window, he looked me straight in the eyes and said "You are a failure".
I know that it wasn't my fault that we ran outta stuff, but it still hurt pretty bad. Story credit: Reddit / ChinkJap
Ninja Reflexes
I started working at a coffee house literally not more than a month ago my first job I'm 16 and I had some guy come through the drive thru and order a small iced coffee or something no big deal I get the drink and get the total.
The jerk payed for it and everything. So I hand the drink out to him and tell him have good day come back again and he says thanks loser and proceeded to throw the coffee at me. This all happened in slow motion and I managed to catch it without it spilling everywhere.
The guy sat there and watched me do it too. I looked up and he had the most scared look on his face I've ever seen. He sped off but I managed to get his numbers. Me and my co-workers joke about it all the time now. Story credit: Reddit / JakeLrm
Reparations
In high school my friends and I once took a real living rooster through the Chick Fil A drive-thru with us and demanded reparations on his behalf.
We also used to do a lot of dumb stuff like going through in reverse, etc. Some of the workers found this sort of thing hilarious, some of them took it as some sort of insult and would absolutely flip out at us about it. Story credit: Reddit / Hands
This Won't End Well
I had a guy order a whole bunch of food and pulled around to pay. As i was ringing him out he asked me where he was. I told him small town. He asked me where that was. I replied about 20 minutes south of larger town.
He said he still didnt know where that is. "I'm so drunk i have no idea where I am". Then he showed us the beer he was drinking that was in his cup holder. I wanted to call the police but my manager wouldn't let me. He got his food and got back on the highway. Story credit: Reddit / StarlessExistance
Drive-Throughs Do Not Work This Way
I work at McDonalds. Some lady this morning was drunk and kept ramming the lady in front of her so she would get her food faster. The drunk denied the accident to the person, but then admitted it to me. We then had to call the cops. Story credit: Reddit / Blurredpixel
Student Film
I wrote the screenplay for my roommate's student film, and we had my best friend star in it. Without getting into too much of the details of the plot, I wrote a scene where the protagonist drives up to a McDonald's Drive-thru speaker late at night and confess to the worker that he has cancer, then cancel the order and drive off.
The plan for filming it was to drive close to the speaker, but not close enough to activate the scale that would turn on the speaker and let the workers know that there was someone at the speaker.
Unfortunately, my friend drove too close and so when he had to go through his part of the dialogue, there was a McDonald's employee on the other side listening. Not only that, but my roommate wanted to get this scene from multiple angles, so he had to do this two or three times. Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Hi Ho Silver
I rode my horse through a drive-up. The woman was surprised but served me anyway. Story credit: Reddit / dcrouse
Confused
Some foreign guy skipped the ordering box, came right up to the payment window, shouted "HAMBURGER!" at me, and drove off. Then he made a complete lap around the parking lot only to return to the takeout window, where we explained to him he had to pay at the previous window.
Messed up our system of order-pay-receive pretty good. Story credit: Reddit / Rhazior
Now in 3D
I ate mushrooms before my night shift at taco bell once. Im sure the encounter was weird for the customers. I just thought I was making lots of friends.
I told a girl her jeep looked really real and that she was 3 dimensional. That's when my my boss found the bean and mushroom burrito in my pocket. Story credit: Reddit / poopdrops
Need for Speed
I had some guy go through the drivethrough without his car. So he walked up to the speaker and placed his order and then walked up to the window. His reasoning was it was a lot faster to take this route. Story credit: Reddit / merrderber
Who is Driving that McDonalds?
Just after high school I was working third shift at McDonalds at the end of our city's busy bar area, so strange encounters were not uncommon. One night sticks out in my mind vividly though. I was working the last window, where you are handed your food.
It was around 2:30-3 am when an older man, I'd say in his 50's or so pulled in. He drove up and ordered at the speaker like normal, paid for his food (I think) then pulls away from that window and drives straight into mine. Not up to, into.
He crashed his mid 90's red jeep cherokee directly into the window at an angle, so it was head on nor a sideswipe but that happy 45 degree medium. He hit it hard enough that I seen part of the wall buckle and light shine through briefly. I popped the window open and asked if we was alright.
Stone cold serious the man says "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Then starts going on about calling the cops and I better not leave. We go back and forth and the police show up (they frequented this location). Jump to the end of the ordeal, the man filed a police report that I had crashed into him.
Yup, told the cops I hit him with Mcdonalds; and they had to follow up as if I did in fact drive the building into him. Turns out he was on some heavy sleeping pills, not sure if my store manager went after the guy for anything though.
To top it all off the store manager doc'd me for driving Mcdonalds into a customers vehicle, and informed me if it happened again I'd be fired; obviously was a joke, he was a pretty cool guy. Story credit: Reddit / reloaded05
Casino Royale
Once, A lady came through and handed me all $1 coins. Upon inspection, I found that these coins were not legal US currency. They said "Good for One Dollar" on them. No "E pluribus unum" or anything. They literally looked like tokens you would get a game room.
We had received this type of coin before and I had been instructed not to take them. So I told her that they were not US currency and that I could not accept them as payment and did she have anything else.
She proceeded to tell me she got them from the bank (she clearly did not) and refused to pay in any other currency. After a few more calm replies from me, she screamed at me an asked for a manager who told her the same thing. Sorry lady. Go back to the "bank" and get some real money. Thank you. Story credit: Reddit / EsperEspeon
Food for Forks
There was this guy who would come through and always order 8 nuggets, a cup of pickles, two packs of hot sauce, and a fork. We had to get it exactly right every time or he would come back through, irate, telling us what we did wrong. Story credit: Reddit / EsperEspeon
Fair Trade
The person at the widow asked, "Can I have some mayo?". To which my coworker replied, "I'll trade you some mayo for that box of Lucky Charms on your seat." And then the customer actually traded the Lucky Charms for the mayo.
This same coworker, during the time he worked at my store, received multiple food items from customers through the window including but not limited to produce, pizza, cookies, candy, and pickles. All of which he consumed at one point or another. Story credit: Reddit / EsperEspeon
Meet the Parents
I had one guy that said he loved me because I was heavy handed with the sauce packets, he even no joke brought his mother through the drive through and introduced us… Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Patient
My first job was at a McDonalds and a car full of super high dudes pulled up to the Drive Thru at about 9:50am and ordered burgers, when we said that we cant make them until breakfast was over they replies "okay we'll wait."
And tried to sit in their car in the drive through for 40 minutes until we brought them burgers. In retrospect a good way to either get burgers early or have your car towed with you inside. Story credit: Reddit / tatiri
Hot Summer
Was working at a sonic in the middle of the summer on a 100+ degree day. This man ordered a single ice cream cone, when I brought it out to him he was essentially driving his car laying down with a huge hairy skin tag full stomach.
Once I handed him the cone he spilled on his stomach and started using his hands to eat it while paying me with change…told him it was on the house. Story credit: Reddit / Purplevibration
Senior Discount
One old guy would order a senior coffee everyday. Once he realized I was working the booth at his regular time, he wouldn't even say what he wanted. This was lunch rush too. He would also grab the window and open it just to throw his change at me. I started locking it.
I wouldn't even open it to answer him, so he'd go up thinking he was getting free coffee, just for my manager to explain how drive thru works. After a week, he stopped showing up. Story credit: Reddit / delainerae
Minivan Little Pony
While working at DQ, a mini-van came by… I got their money and when I turned to give them their drinks I swore I saw a pony. I told myself I was crazy, but when I handed them their food, two ponies had pushed their heads forward to stare at me.
Turns out, the couple had taken their ponies to the Vet. They said it was easier this way then a trailer. For a split second, I thought I had lost my mind. Story credit: Reddit / Luna_L
Lawnmower Man
One day on my way to work, I saw some kid riding one of those zero lawnmowers (they have somewhat of a flat base with a chair on top, stick looking things as steering, hunk of metal basically)…just down the streets like a normal car.
I get to work and a few minutes later this kid comes through the drive thru requesting a cone. Story credit: Reddit / Luna_L
Underdog
I was working the window at my Starbucks, and this clueless blonde with a map dog pulls up. She's ignoring me while yapping on her cell, and her dog makes a flying leap of faith right through my window. I catch the pup before it hits the tile floor and fractures its little legs.
I immediately push it back through the window and drop it back in her lap. She didn't even seem to notice. Story credit: Reddit / Venti_PCP_Latte
Glass Half Empty
I worked at McD's one very quiet evening, a car pulls up to the pickup window and enquires why there is a load of glass all over the lane, no idea. A couple of drinks were left on the counter, so I asked if these were theirs and they weren't.
On review of the CCTV footage, the car previous had picked up their food, but forgotten their drinks. The girl serving them had left the drinks on the side in case they came back for them and wandered off. The car indeed came back, reversing like a banshee up the lane.
One thing to note is the window hangs out, with a sharp corner at around rear window height. You guessed it, rear window, right in the sweet spot, exploding glass everywhere!
The car sat there for a few short seconds, before hightailing it away, presumably rather embarrassed at the lack of driving ability on show. Story credit: Reddit / bloodycyclist
Passing the Time
I worked at McD's when I was younger and it was late one night and a young couple came through the drive through and ordered some food. Their food wasn't ready so we pulled them into a parking spot while their chicken cooked.
Admittedly, they were parked for a 5-10mins but I finally walked out to their car to bring them their food and the back window rolled down and the girl was straddling him in the back seat and they were being intimate.
Without shame, they didn't stop and the guy just said "What do you expect, we got bored of waiting." I didn't know what to say so I just gave them their food and walked back in. They were there for a few more minutes and then pulled away! Story credit: Reddit / rplounge
Hearse Ride
Back in highschool I worked for McDonald's in the drive through. Weirdest encounter was a hearse full of naked guys that used to come through once or twice a week at around 2 am.
They would order ten plain double cheese burgers three waters, and would always pay me with change, usually a huge bag of pennies \ nickels. Story credit: Reddit / pedobearstare
Hit and Don't Run
While working at mcdonalds, a truck was coming through drive through, stopped, a kid jumped out the back and started smashing our equipment and loaded up 3 signs.
The driver of the truck started taking off quickly as the kids in the back double flipped everyone off, except the driver stopped at the drive through window and just stays there.
The look on the kids face in the back was priceless. He finally bailed, and that's when the driver finally rolled down his window and said "I actually wanted food, I don't know what he was thinking." Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Ghost Customer
Worked at Burger King. It was around lunch shift, and it was surprisingly dead, when this lady comes through the drive thru. Asks for a whopper combo, small root beer, and I tell her to drive to the second window (first window was frozen shut).
She does, pays, and sits there while I turn around to make her drink. Turn back around, and she's gone. Now she wasn't driving a small vehicle, it was rather loud and large, and she was just GONE.
You can see the road going both directions very clear from the building and her vehicle just wasn't there. Creeped me out. Story credit: Reddit / FuttBuckingUgly
Family Danger Drive
I was working a window at an ice cream parlor a few years back, and this dude pulls up in a mini van. It was about 10 a.m., and he had a cigarette in his hand. No big deal. Then I look, and see that he has a beer in between his legs.
Eh, 10 am dude wants a beer okay okay moderate day drinking can be okay. Driving though? You're a grown man- do your thing. Well- I hear a, "daddy I want this" I look through the back of the van and there were like four kids who all looked to be around ten.
It was heart breaking. So I took down the plate numbers, and called the cops. I have no idea what happened after that. Story credit: Reddit / mothershipq
Business Hub
I was in the drive thru line at a McDonalds in Baltimore when a hustler walked up to the car in front of me. They negotiated. He handed her cash in plain view. Then she got in the car and waited while he picked up his meal. Then they drive off.
And this isn't the first time I've seen that. Story credit: Reddit / Rickst75
Does Not Compute
I had a weird conversation in the drive thru as a customer. I ordered a burger menu and the girl/woman asks through the speaker: DT: "What drink would you like with your menu?"
Me: "I'd like some orange juice, please." DT: "Pardon me?" Me: "Some orange juice, please." DT: "Some what?" Me: "Orange juice." DT: "..." Me: "Orange juice. Juice. OJ. Jus d'orange."
Looooong silence.... DT in completely neutral voice tone: "What drink would you like with your menu, sir?" I swear I could almost hear the zap-fizzz as she reset before that sentence. Restart program. I ordered a coke and left. Story credit: Reddit / sentient_salami
Chunks Ahoy
We had a mini van pull up to the speaker one time and it was an older lady driving. She started to order and I heard something that sounded like a person vomiting. I checked the camera and a younger guy was puking out of the sliding door on this van. Story credit: Reddit / Faps_With_Fury
Messy
My friend works at Mcdonalds and there was a string of people ordering ice creams, grabbing the ice cream with their hand and driving away leaving a confused worker with just a cone. Story credit: Reddit / Serazael
Burn Baby, Burn
I burnt my forearm pretty badly when I was in HS and working fast food. I ran to the drive thru window and threw my hand out into the cold wintry breeze while my co-workers were trying to find a clean bucket to put cold water in for me.
Ended up using a bucket that had some re-hydrated pickles floating in it. A customer pulled around to the window- I'm heaving and sweating, hanging out the window and shaking my arm around in the snowflakes- and stuffs a bunch of cash into my hand. A normal looking lady in a van with a ponytail.
I was worried it would blow away so I started to cry and tried to give it back to her, she started shouting at me and ended up going into the lobby to pay/get her food. Poor thing. Story credit: Reddit / bluebearypancake
Pajama Biker
I was on a motorcycle road trip. It was late, I was crossing the boring middle of the country that day and had planned on getting a hotel and pizza delivery that night so I could make miles. I got to a hotel late, showered, put on my pajamas complete with fuzzy slippers, and tried to locate pizza.
Nothing was still open that delivered. All there was was a fast food place across the parking lot, but the inside was closed so I needed to get back on the bike and ride through the drive through. I didn't feel like getting dressed. I didn't know what the local helmet laws were, so that was the only thing I grabbed.
I went through a fast food drive through on a muddy KLR with out of state plates wearing powder blue pajamas with clouds on them, fuzzy slippers, and a helmet. I ordered a milkshake, which I tucked into my shirt for the return putter across the parking lot. Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Cleaning Them Out
I worked in the kitchen at a McDonalds when I was in high school. For those who don't know, all leftover food at the end of the night is counted up and thrown out. So it is about 12:15 or 12:30 (which is 15-30 mins after close), and these two guys drive up to the drive thru.
We inform them we are closed and all of the friers and grills have been turned off. The guys ask if there is absolutely any food left and we tell them there is a bunch of old food about to go in the garbage (old meaning 15-30 mins over the time it should have ben thrown out, ie. closing time).
The guy says he will buy it all, and my manager is hesitant, but happy there will be no food waste so she obliges. We prepared it all and the total ended up coming to like $200 or something outrageous like that (it was honestly a bad food waste night).
The guys roll up to the window and are intoxicated and giggling and I just couldn't believe these two guys just bought $200 of stale/old McDonalds. Story credit: Reddit / [deleted]
Pirate Radio
Brother and I pulled into a Taco Bell late one night back in the late 80's when CB radios were still popular. Found out the CB was transmitting over the internal Taco Bell PA system due to crosstalk. My brother started saying things like, "Hey, where's my taco!?", "Where's the beef?" and silly things like that.
Some of the employees inside were laughing so hard their faces were red. Manager finally came out and told us to knock it off. Story credit: Reddit / damatas
Comfy Chair
Was coming into work one morning at 3am to get the store ready to open. Doors and drive thru open at 5am. Well this truck full of kids drive up to the window and is making a bunch of noise. Another worker goes to the window and tells them to come back in 2 hours when we're ready.
They're all yelling and just being jerks. They finally leave and we open. Skip to about 6am. Drive thru is busy and we're short handed. So its stressful already. Here comes the truck again.
With a couch in the back. They pull all the way up to the first window and push it into the drive thru then drive off. Story credit: Reddit / ScreamingTaco