The service I experienced tonight was unacceptable and fell well below reasonable customer-service standards.
I placed a mobile order and specifically added extra sauces. When I arrived at the drive-thru, I waited approximately five minutes at the order window, even though no other customers were waiting to place an order. Someone finally came to the speaker and directed me to the second window.
At the second window, I received my drinks and was instructed to pull forward and wait for the rest of my order. When my food was brought out, I checked the bag before leaving and found that four of the sauces listed in my order were missing.
I sent my two children inside with the receipt to request the missing sauces. They returned and told me they had been informed that we would have to pay for them, even though the sauces were clearly included in the mobile order.
I then went inside and attempted to get the manager’s attention by saying, “Excuse me,” four times. She did not respond and continued speaking with employees. I eventually had to say, “Excuse me, ma’am!” twice in a louder voice before she acknowledged me. Even then, she did not turn to face me.
I explained that four sauces were missing from my order. She immediately stated that I would have to pay for them. I explained that the sauces had been selected through the app and were listed on my receipt. I should not have been required to pay for items included in my order. If there was an issue with how the app processed the charge, that should have been addressed as a system or restaurant issue rather than passed on to me.
I also explained that if I had been informed of this issue before being asked to pull forward or before receiving my food, I could have addressed it immediately. Instead, I had already been moved away from the window, received the order, and opened one of the sauces that had been provided.
Because the issue was not being resolved, I requested a refund. My children would not eat the food without the sauces that were supposed to accompany the order.
The manager then took the bags of food from me, slapped them on the back counter, and told me, “If you want a refund, you can do it on the app. I can’t do it in the store.”
Since I was unable to resolve the matter with her, I called the company’s 1-800 customer-service number. The manager then retrieved her phone and contacted the store manager. While walking back and forth, she spoke negatively about the situation in Spanish. I was able to understand the conversation using a translator.
When she returned to the front, she took my receipt and stated, “I’ll just do your refund here in the store.”
This was the same resolution I had requested approximately ten minutes earlier, after she had told me that it was not possible.
I also asked her three separate times for her name, but she did not provide it.
The interaction was handled in a manner that was dismissive and unprofessional. A manager should work to de-escalate concerns, communicate clearly, and provide a reasonable resolution. Instead, I received conflicting information, my concerns were not addressed promptly, and a simple issue involving missing sauces escalated unnecessarily.
I am very disappointed by this experience and do not plan to return to this location. I hope management reviews this incident and addresses both the treatment of customers and the procedures for resolving problems with mobile orders.