Traumatizing. That's the only word I can use to describe this experience.
It was earlier this evening, a Friday night. My 7-year-old had a really hard day, and I wanted to cheer him up. He asked for Taco Bell, and I said yes. I imagined we'd be home by 8:30--eating dinner, playing a video game together, just having a little time as a family before bed. Instead, we ended up having one of the worst nights I can remember.
We pulled into the Taco Bell drive-thru around 8:10 PM, expecting a quick stop--maybe 10 or 15 minutes. We were trapped in that line for an hour and 45 minutes, finally leaving at 9:56 PM.
When I say "trapped," I mean literally stuck with no way to get out. The drive-thru has one narrow lane with no exit. On the right, there's a full retaining wall. On the left, there's the menu board and curbing that wraps around the building. In addition to the menu, there's a patch of grass that might seem like an escape route at first glance. However, to use it, you'd have to drive over a large curb, across the grass, and then face a row of parked DoorDash and Uber Eats drivers on the other side. That area also has utility boxes that make maneuvering impossible. There was no path out--just a long wait with no option to leave.
While we were stuck in line, things just kept getting worse. The SUV in front of us had a broken tail light--the light still worked, but the red cover was missing, so a harsh, unfiltered white light was shining directly into our faces. From the driver's seat, I held up a book for what felt like forever just to cast a shadow over my son's face and block the glare. After being hungry and tired for over an hour and a half in the car, my 7-year-old got carsick and threw up in the back seat. I felt completely helpless.
I called my husband to vent about how awful the situation was, and he ended up calling the Taco Bell location three separate times trying to help. During the first two calls, they said they were short-staffed and overloaded with DoorDash orders. On the third call, he got a busy signal. He even thought about coming to help, but there was truly nothing he could do--we were physically stuck.
Eventually, we reached the pickup window. I thought about just driving away, but I was torn. We had already waited so long, and I didn't want it all to be for nothing. I told the employee that my son had thrown up, and they kindly gave me an empty cup for him to use, which he did. They also gave me a cup of water for him too. I was grateful in that moment, thinking we were finally at the end of it.
We ended up sitting at the pickup window for more than 20 additional minutes. During that time, my son threw up again. He was completely miserable. My 3-year-old was miserable too and fell asleep right as we finally got to the window--without eating dinner. I began waving to try to get someone's attention for more napkins, but no one noticed. I sat there crying, completely overwhelmed, while my son continued to be sick in the back seat. He never even ate the tacos he had been so excited for.
Throughout all of this, DoorDash and Uber Eats drivers continued flowing in and out of the restaurant, picking up massive orders. It was obvious those app-based orders were being prioritized over the real families physically stuck in the drive-thru. The restaurant should have paused online orders to deal with the in-person backup first. It was unacceptable to let families sit in cars for nearly two hours while people at home got their food faster.
This wasn't just a messed-up dinner. It was supposed to be a small gesture to help my son recover from a bad day. Instead, it became a night of vomiting, crying, and zero quality time together.
I will never return to this Taco Bell. From now on, I'll gladly drive further to the Taco Bell in New Haven. At least there, I don't feel like I'm being held hostage in a curb-lined maze with no exit.
Taco Bell: your drive-thru is a trap, your priorities are out of order, and the way this was handled was not just inconvenient--it was traumatic. Families deserve better. #TacoGate read more