WENDY'S
i stopped at Wendy's tonight on my way home from work. i had a craving for soft serve vanilla ice cream all day. now, mind you, i'm not much of a fast food connoisseur. in fact, i've been actively avoiding it for years now. after reading Fast Food Nation, seeing Supersize Me, and hearing all the fun facts from my vegetarian friends, i've become pretty disgusted by the whole scene. maybe my lack of frequent visits attributes to why so many things seemed odd to me.
first of all, the line for the drive through was a least 20 cars long. the beginning of the line almost met the end, circling the entire building. seeing hardly anyone inside, i parked and went in. the line was only about 5 or 6 people deep.
i looked over the menu as i waited for my turn. curiously, it was ridiculously simplified. the sign on the wall was broken into 6 sections. 5 displayed pictures of the combo meals and frosty desserts. 1 was the value menu. it was practically text free.
also, there's almost no individual items listed. the sandwiches in the meals aren't priced without the accompanying fries and soda.
frostys have diversified. you can get the standard chocolate or vanilla variety, a frosty float (half frosty, half root beer) or a twisted frosty (frosty mixed with a little crushed candy). what is weird is the pricing. a frosty is 99 cents for 12 oz., $1.49 for 16 oz., and $1.99 for 20 oz.. the twisted frosty is $2.89. that means that when you subtract the 99 cents worth of ice cream, you're paying almost $2 for about a tablespoon of crumbled oreos. the frosty float is $2.49 for 16 oz. (8 oz. of frosty, 8 oz. of root beer). subtract the 66 cents worth of ice cream and the 61 cents for the soda, and you realize you're paying as much for the cup as you are for the beverage. still, the two people in front of me got floats. the guy in front of them bought a twisted frosty.
i ordered and still had to wait about 5 minutes. i tried to figure out why but could come to no conclusion. the girl who took my order just stood there.
while patiently tapping my foot, i took notice of an "employees of the month" plaque. nothing fancy. just your run of the mill piece of wood with little brass plates for engraved names. it was proudly hung on the front wall. every brass plate was blank.
so what have i learned?
first of all, the line for the drive through was a least 20 cars long. the beginning of the line almost met the end, circling the entire building. seeing hardly anyone inside, i parked and went in. the line was only about 5 or 6 people deep.
i looked over the menu as i waited for my turn. curiously, it was ridiculously simplified. the sign on the wall was broken into 6 sections. 5 displayed pictures of the combo meals and frosty desserts. 1 was the value menu. it was practically text free.
also, there's almost no individual items listed. the sandwiches in the meals aren't priced without the accompanying fries and soda.
frostys have diversified. you can get the standard chocolate or vanilla variety, a frosty float (half frosty, half root beer) or a twisted frosty (frosty mixed with a little crushed candy). what is weird is the pricing. a frosty is 99 cents for 12 oz., $1.49 for 16 oz., and $1.99 for 20 oz.. the twisted frosty is $2.89. that means that when you subtract the 99 cents worth of ice cream, you're paying almost $2 for about a tablespoon of crumbled oreos. the frosty float is $2.49 for 16 oz. (8 oz. of frosty, 8 oz. of root beer). subtract the 66 cents worth of ice cream and the 61 cents for the soda, and you realize you're paying as much for the cup as you are for the beverage. still, the two people in front of me got floats. the guy in front of them bought a twisted frosty.
i ordered and still had to wait about 5 minutes. i tried to figure out why but could come to no conclusion. the girl who took my order just stood there.
while patiently tapping my foot, i took notice of an "employees of the month" plaque. nothing fancy. just your run of the mill piece of wood with little brass plates for engraved names. it was proudly hung on the front wall. every brass plate was blank.
so what have i learned?
- people would rather waste a half an hour on a friday evening than walk 20 feet.
- fries and a soda automatically comes with anything you order
- Wendy's views its customers as illiterate and devoid of basic math skills
- cashiers do not perform functions that require more than the use of an index fingertip
- no Wendy's employees have ever done a good job
i guess i just have a hard time understanding why these places are so successful. everyone is aware of how horribly unhealthy the food is. its not even that fresh or that tasty. its barely even biodegradable. i used to think the hook was the low cost, but most of the combo meals were over $5. the corporations apparently view their patrons as complete idiots. is it simply a matter of effective saturation advertising and "convenience"? i just don't get it.
am i the only person who thinks this is all bazaar?
am i the only person who thinks this is all bazaar?
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2 comments:
I am a Wendy's fan. Through all health caution to the wind. The fact is it is difficult to get a quick and healthy meal.
Menu is simple and group together because people are stupid. It amazes me every time I go there that it takes someone 15 min to order. Wendy's sells a limited varation of 4 things: meat,chicken,fries, drinks. What is the debate when ordering, "Do I want on patty or two".
Just pick a number and pay.
They should teach fast food ordering in school. Today's kids are fat already, they might as well
learn the etiquette.
I am a wendy's employee and it's customers like you that we hate. You have made generalizations about wendy's employees, and wendy's corporate employees, as well as people like you, the customers. Firstly, most customers who come in to wendy's tend to be more on the uneducated side. I have seen people take 30 minutes to order a sandwich and fries. Second, cashiers do more than just touch a screen with their index finger. Cashiers have to count money, ALL DAY, fill drinks for customers, fill fries for customers, and handle MULTIPLE orders at once. You think its simple, we know it's not. You try keeping track of 6 different orders at once and try not messing up. Ignorant people like you are the reason employees give up. Have some respect for us. You wouldn't last a day working in there.
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