FC
Food & Lifestyles Critic
Dec 14, 2025
I had a very strange experience at an Arby’s location. I placed a mobile order while sitting in the parking lot and then drove to the drive-through speaker to pick it up. Initially, the staff said they could not find my order in the system and told me it had not come through yet. I was then told to come back around. Moments later, they said the order had just come through.
When I reached the window, the first employee was polite and friendly. However, a manager then came to the window and began lecturing me for placing a mobile order and not waiting five minutes before arriving. The tone was condescending and made it seem as though I had done something wrong, despite the drive-through being completely empty. I was told they could not make the order right away and was instructed to park and wait because it would allegedly take an extended amount of time.
Less than one minute later, an employee walked out and handed me my order.
What this experience highlighted for me is a broader issue with Arby’s as a brand. There was a clear lack of basic customer service and an inability to make a customer feel welcome or valued. What was especially baffling is how disruptive a single mobile order seemed to be. I counted at least three employees working, yet one mobile order with no other customers present appeared to cause unnecessary stress and confusion.
Given how quickly the order was ready, there was no clear reason it could not have been handed to me at the drive-through window. Instead, the entire interaction made me feel unwelcome, as though I was being punished simply for placing an order through the app.
I use mobile ordering regularly at many fast food chains, including McDonald’s and Taco Bell, and have never experienced anything like this. At those locations, mobile orders are handled efficiently and without issue. Unfortunately, this experience has ensured that I will not return to Arby’s, nor will I use the Arby’s mobile app again.
Such a strange set of people working here.