Comments: 431 • Responses: 70  • Date: 

JayStavy69 karma

How often do you get stoned teenagers/adults really late at night?

hmath63126 karma

All the time. I usually never work past 10 (laws for minors and all that) but they will come through so high that they just kind of sit there, not taking their food or their change, just staring at me.

knittas49 karma

How do you feel about the fight for $15 movement for fast food workers? Do you discuss it with your coworkers at all?

hmath63367 karma

We don't really discuss it. To be honest I would say $15 is too much. I work my ass off every day, but I am also 16, with my first job, and am just trying to save up for a car and to have spending money. A lot of the older workers don't work as hard as the younger ones, because a lot of the younger ones are very smart and hard working, but very few jobs that are above minimum wage will hire teenagers. The older workers are typically there because they screwed up somewhere along the way and fast food is all they have.

I would love to make more than minimum wage, I work damn hard and make next to nothing, but I can't complain. I have a job, which is a step above most people my age, and this isn't my career. It's just a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

qwoodmansee43 karma

I always try to ask fast food workers this: have you ever, or seen a co-worker, messed with someone's food (spit in it, purposefully made their order wrong, etc.)

Story behind it?

hmath63131 karma

I've never seen anyone do that before, me included. The worst i've ever done is get a very rude customer who needs to order tons of things at the window and is incredibly rude about it, treats me with zero respect, doesn't answer me when I ask if they want sauce, and then at the end when I am giving them their food they tell me "give me tons of mild sauce" and I only throw a few packets in.

conradm94128 karma

Wow. Remind me never to fuck with you.

hmath6342 karma

Sarcasm?

energydrinksforbreak31 karma

If you need something else petty to do, have their tacos made a little extra sloppy, don't give them any napkins.

hmath6316 karma

I don't make a taco so I couldn't do that.

lolbot72038 karma

I'm British and I have never encountered a taco in my life. Or most Mexican food, really. If I were to go to Taco Bell, what item from the menu should I pick to introduce myself to the world of tacos? And what item would I actually pick (and regret) in my ignorance?

hmath6348 karma

To introduce yourself, possibly just a quesadilla. It's just a tortilla and cheese with a jalapeno sauce inside of it (it isn't spicy, just has the flavour). or just a plain soft taco. You would probably pick like a quesarito or something, which tastes delicious, but it's very....bold for a first-timer.

braxton9831 karma

How's it going?

hmath6333 karma

Pretty good.

t0ne42026 karma

What is the most unusual food request you gotten?

hmath6372 karma

A bean burrito with no beans, onions, or red sauce, and added beef. A salad with no shell and no lettuce. Nacho supreme/bell grande without cheese or meat. I've seen tons of people make very odd substitutions that can make a menu item way more expensive than it needs to be (like the bean burrito). I usually tell them "But if you do it this way, it will cost a lot less" but people can be stubborn.

t0ne42021 karma

I thought my request for a bean burrito with nacho cheese no onion and with extra red sauce was weird.

Another question. When is it the best time to get "fresh" food?

hmath6335 karma

All of the food is reasonably fresh at any time. My taco bell is extremely busy, so pretty much nothing sits out on the line for more than an hour at dinner time, and more than an hour and a half at lunch time. Except ingredients that aren't used often, like bacon and jalapenos.

arg41023 karma

Do you like tacos?

hmath6330 karma

Yes I do.

snmnky94903 karma

But do you like TACO BELL tacos?

hmath635 karma

I do, actually. I do live right by a mexican community, though, so it's not like I haven't had "real" tacos. They are both good in their own ways. When i'm craving Taco Bell, i'm not craving mexican food, and vice versa. They aren't the same thing.

theadamd18 karma

Is there much verbal abuse thrown at you as you work at the drive through?

hmath6347 karma

Honestly, quite a bit. But i've also gotten a lot of nice people. People will just be people, i'm sure anyone who works a job with customer service can understand that.

lukethe15 karma

Do you happen to know that Taco Bell is stoner capital?

hmath6327 karma

Considering I talk to the customers all day long, yes I do.

mrandall201615 karma

What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen while working the drive through?

hmath6345 karma

Actually, I change my mind. The weirdest is this one time as a lady was driving off after I gave her her food she quickly gave me a pamphlet about how Jesus can save my life and then sped away. I was so confused, but thought it was hilarious.

PrincessConsuela6217 karma

Obviously all Taco Bell workers are dancing with the devil....

hmath6318 karma

Naw, but as an atheist I thought it was pretty funny.

hmath6339 karma

The other night a guy fell asleep as he was waiting in line. We had to send a worker out to wake him up in his car because we, and everyone else in line, were worried he was dead.

Toledojoe13 karma

Is anyone sober at Taco Bell at night?

hmath6325 karma

Yes.

ohhai-imthatguy13 karma

What's your favorite sauce to put on your chalupas?

I only eat Fire sauce.

hmath6317 karma

I use fire for pretty much everything, but I like a fire/hot combo on quesadillas. It adds some more flavour. Mild is just stupid, I sometimes use verde.

ohhai-imthatguy7 karma

I don't understand why people even eat mild. I think mild and hot taste the same, but hot is just barely spicier.

I just went to Taco Bell yesterday and my girlfriend just surprised me by saying I could have some of her leftovers. I just had a $1 cheese wrap with 2 packets of Fire sauce.

hmath638 karma

Honestly nearly 75% of the people who come through get mild sauce. My friends and I call it stupid sauce, and I always repeat what sauce they want to clarify and so I remember...well you get the idea how that went.

mastermichael643 karma

I don't get sauce, how does this make you feel?

hmath632 karma

Pretty content, actually.

peg_boy13 karma

Does it matter to you at all if people ordering ask 'how are you?' prior to ordering their food?

I always take the time to ask folks who work in the fast food drive-thru or the cashier taking the order in the restaurant how they are doing. I find that most of the time I catch them off guard and get a smile out of them, generally better service and hopefully the people on the line making the food hear and decide to not fuck with my food.

I've heard/seen some of the pretentious pricks that are rude, demanding and in my mind I hope they are getting that little extra 'something' to spice up their meal. The 'something' can equate to: dandruff, roach legs, dust off the top of the drink machine, eye crust, etc. You get idea here.

hmath6348 karma

I don't know why people always think that fast food people mess with your food if you are a jerk. 9 times out of 10, the people making your food don't hear the jerk being jerky, and i'm not going to mess with an asshole's food because I wouldn't want to stoop to their level. And yes, it does make me feel better when someone asks how I am, but it also makes me feel like a jerk because the first thing I say when you come up to the window is your total, because every order is timed and I need to get it out as fast as possible, and I hate that I don't have time to make small talk with the really nice customers. Thank you for doing that, though.

crashdown71111 karma

I'm planning on having Taco Bell for lunch. What should I order?

hmath6328 karma

I got this idea from someone on the /r/tacobell forum but made it my own, and I get it every time for my employee meal, which has to be under $4. Get a fritos burrito or a cheesy bean and rice burrito, grill it, a mini quesadilla and another dollar menu item. Unroll the burrito, put the mini quesadilla inside of it, and there you go, a quesarito for cheaper than a normal quesarito. The other dollar menu item is just for more food.

lacksmtvtn11 karma

How's the breakfast menu?

hmath6338 karma

Waffle Taco is just kind of eh, very bland. The AM Crunchwrap, in my opinion, is even better than the normal crunchwrap, and I really like the normal crunchwrap. I haven't tried any of the burritos or breakfast tacos.

RandomTaco12311 karma

[deleted]

hmath6329 karma

Way too many to narrow it down to one. People who will come through and say "I want that green drink." I will ask if it is baja blast and they will ask me "Is that it?" like I have any clue what they are talking about. Or people will ask for "that burrito with meat and cheese."

eastoneleven10 karma

What is the funniest story you have from working the drive-thru at Taco Bell?

hmath6338 karma

A guy fell asleep in the line in his car. He wouldn't wake up and the whole line was just driving around him. After about 10 minutes we sent someone to go wake him up.

WABSTA310 karma

Why do you guys always forget at least 1 item from my order...? I want thos cheesy fiesta potatoes!!!

hmath6317 karma

I help with bagging and we always count the items in the order to make sure it matches. Your Taco Bell employees must not do that.

TheDezzicK9 karma

What is the scariest thing that has happened while you were working the drive through?

hmath6318 karma

A car pulled really close to the window and while I was taking the money, I failed to see the giant great dane in the back seat, and he barked right in my ear. that ear was ringing for the next hour or so, I wasn't prepared for it.

JesusLovesPanda9 karma

Your most awkward situation ?

hmath6316 karma

I've gotten hit on a few times. One time it was this middle aged man and that made me pretty uncomfortable.

JesusLovesPanda8 karma

I think reddit community wants to know how the conversation went with this gorgeous,fabulous and interesting middle aged man

hmath6320 karma

In case you are wondering, I am a girl, so if you are insinuating the middle aged man was gay he probably wasn't. There was just a lot of "accidental" hand touching, innuendos, and a wink as he drove off.

supperTime699 karma

Where did the lava sauce go? :(

hmath6312 karma

RIP lava sauce :(

sour_vv8 karma

One time, my friends and I got really high and went through a combo Taco Bell/KFC drive thru. There was this homeless guy rummaging through the trashcan near the ordering station that all my friends and I kind of ignored as we were waiting in line in the drive-thru. I was the one driving so I took everyone's orders and told them to the drive-thru worker. All my friends ordered some Taco Bell food item, but I decided to be the odd one out and order a box of boneless chicken wings. As I was about to speak my order, the homeless guy from earlier rips a fart and I start laughing uncontrollably in my high-state. As my embarrassment and laughter subsided just long enough to finish the order, I accidently say, "Can I also have a box of homeless chicken wings." The homeless guy immediately turns out, all my friends laugh UNCONTROLLABLY, and I am there in complete shock of what I just said. Trying to salvage the situation, I just drive off in pure embarrassment and laughter.

So my question is, can you ever forgive me making an order and dipping? I had good cause!

hmath6313 karma

I can forgive you, but i'm sure the person who took your order cannot. Deleting orders flags our drawer of money and we can get in trouble for too many of them, and a whole order most certainly flagged that order-taker's drawer.

JingoJango20147 karma

What's the worst/most disgusting thing you've seen or done to someone's food??

hmath6325 karma

I've seen a person on the line accidentally put beef in the tortilla for a double decker taco, scrape the beef off of the tortilla, and then put beans on it instead of getting a new one. That's the worse I have ever seen.

zriz13 karma

That is some really heavy shit right there.

hmath6317 karma

Nothing ever happens, i'm just saying that we don't do weird shit like other people do. No one is licking taco shells at my taco bell. Don't know why people assume all fast food workers are assholes who are going to mess with your food.

matarj7 karma

What's your favorite taco??

hmath6314 karma

Chalupa, if I can count that as a taco.

KrazySocoKid7 karma

Do you eat at Taco Bell still? Or does serving the food all day turn you off to it?

hmath6314 karma

I still eat it. Honestly working at Taco Bell has made me have more respect for the company because I learned good things about it, such as the fact that everything is made to order. I used to think that there were tacos pre-made and wrapped back there, ready for someone to order them. Whenever I give someone their food that has potatoes in it or cinnabons the smell is amazing, especially when I haven't eaten in over 6 hours sometimes. Honestly it's the only fast food I will eat now aside from like Subway.

RexBarney6 karma

Any set amount of sauces you are supposed to hand out when some requests it? Sometime I will have 5 tacos and be given 2 hot sauces, other times 2 tacos and 10 packets of sauce.

hmath637 karma

One sauce packet per item. If you ask for "a lot of sauce" I give you two packets per item. Unless you order like one xxl stuffed burrito, or a quesarito, I typically give 2-3 for that one item.

Midnight065 karma

How do I get more than that? I've found that saying "a lot" or "a ton" is so subjective that I just start asking for a specific amount (e.g. "15 Hot sauces please"). Is that cool with you? I use 6-7 on a bean burrito alone, a stuffed burrito might be 8-9.

hmath635 karma

Asking for a specific number is better, but then it puts me in a lose/lose situation. I don't give out handfuls of sauce packets because i'm not allowed to. If you ask for 15 packets for 2 items, I either do and I get in trouble if someone sees me, or I don't and then I didn't make the customer happy, or they think I'm an idiot who can't count. But if you do want tons of sauce packets, and don't want to just come in and order inside the store and grab your own, giving a specific number is the best option and it does help me out a lot.

Midnight062 karma

Not all stores have the sauce available inside, sometime they have it behind the counter, which puts you in the same situation.

The way I see it is, they set a certain amount per item (i.e. 1 or 2) and if the customer wants additional they should be able to ask for it. If they specifically ask for it they should be allowed, but you don't hand that much out to everyone because it would be a waste. Charge me for it, I don't care, I just want it.

hmath635 karma

I agree with you completely. I would be happy to give the customers as many sauces as they want, as long as they aren't a complete ass to me. Which is why I just give however many you want to most people.

ReverendOReily6 karma

Are they keeping the Quesarito around permanently? Please say yes.

hmath637 karma

As far as I aware, yes it will.

I_NeedHeIp6 karma

Are there any classic jokes that people keep telling?

hmath634 karma

I'm sorry, but I don't understand your question.

ohhai-imthatguy6 karma

Like the annoying jokes that people say all the time.

Like is there a Taco Bell equivalent to the old grocery store "It won't ring up? Must be free!"

hmath6313 karma

Ugh, yes. When I give people their total tons of people will say "well, I guess I have to pay now!" or if an order is screwed up and we need the messed up order back, they will say "it's okay, I can just keep both!"

kazuri853 karma

If the order is messed up and has to be taken back what do you do with it? If its throwing it away whats wrong with letting them take it?

hmath632 karma

No idea, not my policy. And then most of the time they won't even let the workers have it and just throw it away, which is painful to see when it would take you an hour of work to pay for that meal.

AnonymousReed25 karma

What is your favorite menu item?

hmath635 karma

Off of the breakfast menu, AM crunchwrap, no competition. Off of the normal menu, either a chalupa, any kind of nachos, or the shredded chicken mini quesadillas.

SenorSerio5 karma

In my experience I have a 90% chance that my drive through order will be wrong. Does this happen a lot? I just order normal items off the menu.

hmath639 karma

I hear all the time that people always get the wrong order at Taco Bell. I don't understand that. yes, we screw up orders sometimes, but no more often than any other fast food place.

iamablackbeltman5 karma

The last time I went to Taco bell, I got stuck in a drive though that you cannot exit until you get your food. The wait was over 20 minutes with 2 cars in front of me. Why would it take that long?

hmath636 karma

the orders could have been really big with lots of items that need grilling, an important item like beef could have ran out so they needed to cook more, there could have been an issue with paying or lots of additions at the window, understaffed, slow workers, or some combo of all of that.

ShiftyJ4 karma

What was the most pleasant experience you had? And I would like an express taco salad with chips please. Which sauces do you have?

hmath632 karma

Express taco and chips? Never heard of that.

And just like with the bad experiences, i've had plenty of good experiences. Some people can be very kind.

And we have creamy jalapeno, chipotle, avocado ranch, baja sauce, mild, hot, fire and verde.

deaconblackfire4 karma

Do you ever give your friends more than what they ordered?

hmath638 karma

I'll give them a few extra sauce packets. I never give them free food or anything, though. I can't even get free food myself outside of my employee meal.

Jux_4 karma

What's the most you've seen one car of drunk people spend on an order?

hmath638 karma

around $50. I think there were 3 people in the car.

tess17104 karma

Why is Taco Bell awesome?

hmath637 karma

'cause all of the reasons.

suckingoffsatan4 karma

when i say my order, does everyone in the back hear it? like does it go threw to everyones headphones/a speaker in the back..? hah

hmath633 karma

Everyone who is wearing a headset can hear it. People on the line and managers often wear a headset. Most of the time I don't actually take the person's order, because our taco bell is so busy we have one person order taking and one at the window and I do window, but I still wear a headset.

rnlsimoes3 karma

What's the best taco in your opinion?

hmath633 karma

a chalupa.

ASapMarkz3 karma

Have someone did a Fire in the hole?

hmath637 karma

No.

Lawlstar3 karma

What's the largest order you've ever served?

hmath637 karma

I've answered this a few times, but 70 items.

Jazzkevin3 karma

Has anyone performed any of those drive-thru pranks that you see on YouTube?

hmath638 karma

Nope. I always panic when someone just orders a drink though.

Erickj3 karma

What is the largest order you had to take?

hmath635 karma

One was around 70 items.

customizelinks3 karma

What seems to be the item that sells the best?

hmath635 karma

Outside of just the normal hard shell taco, probably quesaritos. Mexican pizzas are really popular too.

dubd10003 karma

What is your favorite shift to work and why? Also do you get free food at the end of the shift?

hmath6310 karma

I get $4 worth of free food at the end of my shift. I can't go over $4 or I have to pay.

And I pretty much always get the dinner shift (sometime around 4-10), and it's extremely busy then, but I like constantly being busy. It makes the work day go faster.

sixinabox3 karma

How do you know when someone is at the order section? Is there a bell, camera, or something?

hmath633 karma

There is a little "ding" sound on the headset. If you didn't hear it, there is a black box by the window with a little car logo, and if the car logo is lit up then there is a car waiting.

Th3Appl32 karma

Do you ever see people go through who aren't in cars? If so, is it just normal business, or do laughs ensue?

hmath632 karma

It's never happened to me before, honestly.

bongowongowongo2 karma

I get to have Taco Bell for the first time in 5 years this week. What would recommend?

hmath634 karma

get a combo with a cheesy gordita crunch and a chalupa. Any kind of nachos. Get a cheesy bean and rice, shredded chicken mini quesadilla, and triple layer nachos from the dollar menu. Get the quesarito box. All good options.

Measure762 karma

Are the chips and tortillas still made fresh in the store? I assume they ship in the doritos shells?

hmath632 karma

The chips are made in store, but the tortillas are in bags. So are the doritos shells.

UndecidedLemon2 karma

Has anyone ever asked for another fast food place's food? Like Big Macs or McNuggets or Whoppers?

I worked KFC drive-thru for two years and I got that once every shift..

hmath633 karma

Not really. I mean it would be kind of weird though for someone to order a hamburger at TACO bell. Kinda hard to get the two confused.

annoyinglyfriendly2 karma

What's the deal with moving the hot sauce packets from over the counter by the straws and drinks, to behind the counter so I have to beg for them?

hmath634 karma

That's your own store's choice. Mine still has it out front.

annoyinglyfriendly5 karma

Imma have a talk with Guillermo.

I have another question: Is there anything a customer can do to a fast food employee that might get them better service or something free every once in awhile?

hmath6310 karma

Be nice. Be respectful. And for christ's sake, do the surveys on the back of the receipt. It won't get you free food, but those surveys are so important for employees. This one time a lady immediately handing the receipt to her daughter in the passenger seat and her daughter went on her phone and did the survey right then and there. It made me so happy. Please, do those surveys.

annoyinglyfriendly5 karma

Can you elaborate as to why we should do the survery? How does it help you guys? You should really put the memo out there.

Sorry, I've never done the surveys before.

hmath632 karma

My managers tell me that the surveys are important, and employees get rewarded for getting recognized in them.

annoyinglyfriendly2 karma

I think they're "important" because Taco Bell and the franchise owner want to know that Taco Bell is doing a good job, or what they need to improve on or what their customers are thinking. I hope you guys do get rewarded if we do the surveys. I'm sure they'll reprimand you if we give a bad survey, but hopefully they treat you better or promote you with many good surveys. I'm going to start doing them from now on.

hmath632 karma

The managers told me that we do get rewarded for good surveys when I was hired. I'm not sure how, though. I really appreciate you doing it, though.

pazzolol1 karma

Why has Taco Bell food gotten so gross ?

hmath636 karma

Not sure...Everything seems to be pretty normal here.

AdidasPete1 karma

Do you care that I order double decker tacos made with the nacho doritos locos shells? Because they are AMAZING.

hmath633 karma

Not at all. That's an easy substitution.

mistertext1 karma

Do you ever, at your Taco Bell location , run out of product such as beef, chicken or steak during the day or busy weekend ? I have encountered this happening a few times when I order food on the weekend. Is there a certain meat/chicken food amount/ration for the day/week?

hmath632 karma

I've never encountered that before, no. And i'm not sure if there are a certain amount of meat rations for the day/week, that's more something that a store manager would know.

RSA__Platinum1 karma

What's the largest order you've ever gotten?

hmath633 karma

70 items.