this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2025
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When getting fast food it’s fairly frequent to be asked to pull around to the door and they bring out the food instead of just waiting at the window, even if there’s no one else in line, anyone know why they do that?

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[–] TherapyGary@lemmy.blahaj.zone 40 points 6 days ago (3 children)

even when there's no one else in line

In this circumstance, it's usually because the avg time it takes to get customers through the line is tracked and they'll be penalized if it's too high, so they can artificially deflate the average by having people pull around to get their car off the pressure plate

[–] CocaineShrimp@sh.itjust.works 9 points 6 days ago (2 children)

This is the correct answer

[–] TherapyGary@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

When I worked at Taco Bell, I'd sometimes be tasked with driving laps around the drive thru to get our time down lol

[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

This should be a climate crime and the management responsible forced to pick up trash or some other appropriate punishment

We did have an employee who weighed enough that she could just walk laps and trigger the pressure plate, but she was naturally reluctant to volunteer that service

[–] Diddlydee@feddit.uk 4 points 6 days ago

This is the correct affirmation of his answer.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 6 days ago

Ah, the sweet ring of Goodhart's law striking again.

[–] KittenBiscuits@lemmy.today 4 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Do people ever just say no and not pull forward?

[–] TherapyGary@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yep! Usually with a significant attitude πŸ˜… it's a valid response though imo

[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I refuse sometimes. If they give what seems a legit reason and I have people behind me, I'll go ahead and pull forward.

[–] justdaveisfine@piefed.social 31 points 6 days ago (1 children)

As I recall, most fast food places have a timer for how long people have been waiting in the drive thru line. This is tied to 'performance' metrics or whatever.

They have you pull around so you're "out" of the drive thru line and not hurting their metrics.

[–] Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)

When an organization targets a metric, that same metric will then fail it eventually. It even happened to the Soviets when plant managers had to over report production or else face the wrath of the administration. I often wonder why management can't just realize some things are better left untouched lest they break something.

[–] Alenalda@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

How else would they justify their existence?

[–] LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Cause your food isn't ready yet and it allows them to serve the next person while you wait for your food.

[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 19 points 6 days ago

I'm very disappointed in the reading comprehension of yourself and the 12 people who upvoted you