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Á la carte, (long and pointless.)

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  • Á la carte, (long and pointless.)

    I don't know, I've just been annoyed by everything my customers say lately. It's my problem, really, but a even a perfectly innocent question seems to bother me like, "Now, do fries come with that?" No, it's á la carte. Like it says on the menu. Á la carte. It's the fast food standard. It just feels like it's the same person asking over and over again. They also ask, "Now, is there some sort of, basket or combo meal I could get?" No. It's á la carte. Sometimes I say, "Well, I can add fries and drink for three dollars," (price of soda: $1.50, price of fries: $1.50,) and then they'll say, "That's not much of a deal." And if I forget to ask, "Would you like fries with that," when their number comes up they say, "I thought this came with fries." And then I have to make fries for them, half the time they want them for free, because, "If you're going to charge that much for a bacon cheeseburger than it better come with fries."

    Occasionally they ask, "What does á la carte mean?"

    Another perfectly understandable, reasonable question that bothers me for some reason, "Where's my cup?" After the order is done, the customer waits around a little bit while I put on my gloves, and eventually says, "You didn't give me my cup." I tell them the cups are next to the machine. In a big stack. If they don't order a soda then they ask, "Can I use these cups for water?" Yes. You can. You can use the same cups for soda as you can water. They won't melt. A perfectly reasonable question. Lots of restaurants are real obsessive about their soda fountains. We aren't.

    And then there are the perfectly reasonable and understandable requests and special orders, but I suspect that my customers are a bit pickier than most. The burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayonnaise. It's a rare order that doesn't omit at least one of these. Almost a third of our orders want the burger completely plain. And they really stress this point, they say, "I want a plain cheeseburger, just meat and cheese. Nothing else. Totally plain." As if I would never have heard anything like that before. And nobody wants pickles or onions. (W.T.F.? Those are the best part. If I could I'd have have pickled onions on my burger. And onioned pickles.)

    And then there's something that people do almost automatically, tack small or large onto their order. We've only one size soda. What's the point of having more than one size if you have free refills? A small soda is a large soda with more walking. We have only one size fries and one size shake because we don't want to have to keep track of all that crap. When I give them their shake they will invariably say, "I wanted a small," or, "I thought I ordered a large." Or they'll look at the stack of cups by the machine and say, "Where are your large soda cups? I ordered a large." And then I have to spend my valuable burger-flipping time assuring them that whereas they ordered a large, I charged them for just a fountain drink, as we have only one size, and no, they are not being gypped.* If you want more soda then get a refill. They're free.

    I should probably just lighten up.

    *Use of this term is racist against Gypsies. But I use it anyway.
    You're not doing me a favor by eating here. I'm doing you a favor by feeding you.

  • #2
    "*Use of this term is racist against Gypsies. But I use it anyway."

    Technically, use of the term "Gypsies" is racist against gypsies. But I use it anyway. Mainly because if you say "Rromani", nobody knows what the hell you're talking about.

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    • #3
      Quoth RecoveringKinkoid View Post
      Mainly because if you say "Rromani", nobody knows what the hell you're talking about.
      I do. Aren't those the noodle bricks that come in the plastic bags? In 37 delicious flavors? That, when dry in your bowl, require a hammer and chisel to remove?

      Yummmmmmmy!
      Age and wisdom don't necessarily go together. Some people just become stupid with more authority.

      "Who put the goat in there? The yellow goat I ate."

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      • #4
        No, those are called "Romanian noodles."

        Comment


        • #5
          Quoth RecoveringKinkoid View Post
          No, those are called "Romanian noodles."
          You don't even want to know about the "Romanian lettuce", "chicken peas" and "towel papers" ( ) that we have at my store.
          Unseen but seeing
          oh dear, now they're masquerading as sane-KiaKat
          There isn't enough interpretive dance in the workplace these days-Irv
          3rd shift needs love, too
          RIP, mo bhrionglóid

          Comment


          • #6
            Don't waste your time hitting on those women, they're lebanese.
            Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed.

            Comment


            • #7
              I thought they were Ramen noodles... did I miss a joke?
              GK/Kara/Jester fangirl.

              Comment


              • #8
                Quoth tollbaby View Post
                I thought they were Ramen noodles... did I miss a joke?
                That is what they're called, but it looks like this thread is turning into a serious of jokes about mispronounced terms and brand names.

                Quoth BeckySunshine View Post
                You don't even want to know about the "Romanian lettuce", "chicken peas" and "towel papers" ( ) that we have at my store.
                Romaine lettuce, chick peas, and paper towels.

                Quoth HYHYBT View Post
                Don't waste your time hitting on those women, they're lebanese.
                lesbians.
                Last edited by MadMike; 01-31-2007, 08:36 PM. Reason: Because it's my post, and I'll do what I want with it, dammit! :p
                Sometimes life is altered.
                Break from the ropes your hands are tied.
                Uneasy with confrontation.
                Won't turn out right. Can't turn out right

                Comment


                • #9
                  Not to hijack this thread back to what it was originally about, but..

                  I've never heard a fast food restaurant use the term "a la carte". I know what it means, but I rarely see it on menus anymore. I was in a pub this weekend that sold all their sandwiches that way, but they didn't say "a la carte" -- they just said grilled cheese sandwich $3, burger $5, souvlaki $4.50, and add $1.50 for fries or salad with any of them.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth MadMike View Post
                    That is what they're called, but it looks like this thread is turning into a serious of jokes about mispronounced terms and brand names.
                    Well, now I feel about about taking it off topic.

                    I must point out, though, that I was only confused the first couple of times I heard those, because they were said to me by an Albanian lady who was repeating them from a Chinese lady. I actually had to think for a couple of seconds...
                    Unseen but seeing
                    oh dear, now they're masquerading as sane-KiaKat
                    There isn't enough interpretive dance in the workplace these days-Irv
                    3rd shift needs love, too
                    RIP, mo bhrionglóid

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth Sofar View Post
                      *Use of this term is racist against Gypsies. But I use it anyway.
                      Have you seen Borat? If not, you need to. It's very anti Gypsy

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Quoth BeckySunshine View Post
                        You don't even want to know about the "Romanian lettuce", "chicken peas" and "towel papers" ( ) that we have at my store.
                        I really don't think I want chicken pees on my salad...
                        I don't go in for ancient wisdom
                        I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious
                        It means that they're worthy - Tim Minchin, "White Wine in the Sun"

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Chickens pee? I thought that they just exploded when they hit 2 and that's how we get chicken nuggets.
                          Figers are vicious I tell ya. They crawl up your leg and steal your belly button lint.

                          I'm a case study.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Quoth Cia View Post
                            Chickens pee? I thought that they just exploded when they hit 2 and that's how we get chicken nuggets.
                            But you don't wanna know what they cook 'em in...yellow liquid???
                            I don't go in for ancient wisdom
                            I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious
                            It means that they're worthy - Tim Minchin, "White Wine in the Sun"

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Quoth BookstoreEscapee View Post
                              But you don't wanna know what they cook 'em in...yellow liquid???
                              Is THAT why chicken broth is yellow?!?!? EEEWWWWW!!
                              Everything will be ok in the end. If it's not ok, it's not the end.

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