First of all, after leaving the dealership, I went through the drive-thru with my three kids. I…read moreplaced my order at the speaker, but then everything went completely silent. I heard the same employee take two orders from the lane next to me while I sat there waiting. I finally said, "Hello, am I good to go, or what's going on?" No response. By that point, two cars had already gone ahead of me, so I proceeded to the window.
When I got to the window, they repeated an incorrect order back to me. I told them that wasn't my order, and they asked what I wanted. Honestly, I felt like they should have already had my order. Another employee then came over and asked me to repeat everything. I explained what had happened at the speaker, and instead of offering a simple apology, she basically brushed me off by saying they were training someone.
Let me be clear: I have absolutely no issue with a new employee being trained. Everyone has to learn somewhere, and I have nothing against the new girl. The problem was the way the employee handling the situation treated me.
A simple, "We apologize for the delay. We're currently training someone, so thank you for your patience," would have been more than enough. I would have completely understood. Instead, the employee got unnecessarily close to the window, and when I asked if we could please move forward with my order, she became visibly irritated, made a dismissive gesture with her hand, said she was getting her manager, and literally slammed the window shut in my face.
That was completely uncalled for. I understand that working in fast food can be stressful, but that does not give anyone the right to treat paying customers with disrespect.
When the manager came over, she essentially repeated the same explanation instead of addressing the actual issue: the employee's attitude and the way I was being treated. Meanwhile, the employee stood behind her rolling her eyes. At that point, I was even more frustrated. The manager then told me there was no need to make comments like that to her employees, but I felt she was completely overlooking the behavior that had led to the situation in the first place. The interaction eventually escalated, and I admit that I became upset and used inappropriate language myself. However, that does not change the fact that the situation could have been handled much more professionally from the beginning.
What made this experience even worse was feeling like I was being laughed at rather than taken seriously. I expect a manager to de-escalate situations, listen to customer concerns, and attempt to find a reasonable solution--not make an already frustrating experience worse.
And let's not forget that I had my three kids with me. We were hungry, we wanted our food, and we wanted to get on with our day. I should not have had to deal with this level of unnecessary drama just to place a fast-food order.
I also want to point out that the issue was not the trainee. The responsibility falls on the person training her. If an employee is being trained to take orders, the trainer should be paying attention, wearing a headset, and monitoring the process to make sure everything is being handled correctly. Instead, I felt that the employee responsible for training was not paying attention to the situation at the speaker and then took her frustration out on me when the order went wrong.
At the end of the day, customers are paying for their food and deserve basic courtesy and respect. No, customers are not automatically right in every situation, but that does not mean employees should be rude, dismissive, or disrespectful. Professionalism goes both ways, and management should know how to handle complaints without making customers feel belittled.
I would much rather drive to the locations in Azusa or Baldwin Park, which is exactly what I ended up doing, than spend my money at this location again. I will not be returning.
I sincerely hope the store manager sees this review and takes it seriously. The way this situation was handled reflects poorly on both the employees involved and the management team. Proper training, accountability, and basic customer-service skills are clearly needed.
To the new employee who was being trained, I genuinely have nothing against you. You were learning, and that was never my complaint. My issue was with the employee responsible for training you and the manager who failed to address the situation professionally.
This experience was completely unacceptable, and I hope management takes the necessary steps to prevent other customers from being treated the same way. I came in looking to buy food, not to be disrespected.