Grown man gets mad because he doesn’t know what ordering a “plain” burger means

[u/50calTaco]

So I work at Five Guys and for those who don’t know, when you order a burger there you get to fully customize the toppings on it (helps justify the price tag a tiny bit i guess). And you choose between a little (single) or regular (double) burger.

I had a pleasant enough exchange with a customer while ringing up his food… and when it came to his cheeseburger I asked what toppings he wanted on it. He looked at me and said, “Oh you know… just a plain, regular cheeseburger.” Ok great, a cheeseburger with nothing on it, easy enough.

Well we make the food, and a minute after he gets it he comes back up to me, visibly annoyed and holding the burger.

“You made my food wrong. There’s nothing on it.”

“Oh I’m sorry sir, I thought you’d ordered a plain cheeseburger.”

“I did. Do you not know what that means? Like a McDonald’s burger.”

Ok first of all, “McDonald’s” is not a standard for how someone orders burger toppings and second of all, this guys in his late 40s to early 50s and has never once run into this issue ordering a plain burger?

“Ok I’m sorry about that sir, we’ll remake that for you. What exactly did you want on it?”

I shit you not, with an annoyed voice he ordered:
Ketchup. Lettuce. Pickles.
So notably NOT a McDonald’s cheeseburger???

He got what he wanted in the end and I apologized because customer service but like?? I’m in awe at the sheer level of misunderstanding and audacity.

[u/ru_k1nd]

My father-in-law has a personal vendetta against McDonalds because he once (1990ish) ordered a plain cheeseburger, no cheese. And when his cheeseburger arrived it had cheese. He apparently turned around and drove back to bitch about it. And he loves to tell that story whenever McDonald’s is mentioned.

He doesn’t tell it so much around us after I asked him why didn’t he just order a plain hamburger?

[u/Esau2020 → u/ru_k1nd]

When McDonald's had their dollar menu, cheeseburgers were on it. Hamburgers weren't. I found out the hard way when I ordered a hamburger and was charged the regular menu price, not the dollar menu price.

They said if I wanted a hamburger at the dollar menu price I had to order a cheeseburger with no cheese.

[u/ru_k1nd → u/Esau2020]

Well, that makes sense. He probably doesn’t remember what led him to order a cheeseburger with no cheese, only that they fucked it up. And honestly, a 30 year personal boycott of McD’s isn’t a bad thing

[u/bkturf → u/Esau2020]

Used to order a chili dog no chili at Checkers to get a cheap dog, since it was on the value menu and the plain hot dog was 50 cents more.

[u/HeadyTopout → u/Esau2020]

You're probably thinking of ordering a double cheeseburger without cheese, since there's no plain "double burger" at McDonald's (so there'd be a surcharge for an extra patty on a plain burger). Plain hamburgers have always been on the dollar menu when cheeseburgers were.

[u/Esau2020 → u/HeadyTopout]

Plain hamburgers have always been on the dollar menu when cheeseburgers were.

Maybe in your area, but not in NYC, and I definitely was not trying to order a double burger.

[u/robotmemer → u/Esau2020]

My dad had worked at McDonalds in his teens and twenties (1970s).

Once had a customer order a "Quarter Pounder with cheese without cheese".

Also when McDonalds breakfast was first rolling out, he and his coworkers thought it was a stupid idea and wouldn't work. Ironic

[u/Vlaxilla → u/robotmemer]

so do they get charged the extra cheese price but got no cheese at all?

[u/edwbuck → u/Vlaxilla]

They would run specials and put certain items on the special menu. Famously the cheeseburger was on McD's dollar menu, but the hamburger wasn't. So if you ordered the hamburger, you'd get charged $1.69, but if you ordered the cheeseburger, it was $0.99.

Store policies were strict about not selling the hamburger for $0.99. So you'd order a cheeseburger without cheese. It felt like a "cheat code" and was remembered mostly because it was such a stupid work-around to such a stupid problem. Then it became a stand-up-comedy joke, and after the dollar menu was long gone, people would do it for the joke.

[u/Critical_Concert_689 → u/Esau2020]

hamburgers were 29 cents. cheeseburgers were 39 cents.

Gotta go on those wednesdays.

[u/ManiacalMartini → u/Esau2020]

I'm old enough to remember when a McDonalds hamburger was 39 cents and the cheeseburger was 49 cents.

[u/Wuz314159 → u/ru_k1nd]

The cheeseburger/hamburger thing annoys me to no end.

but there was one time at a Wendy's when I ordered an "iced tea". I was informed that "we don't have iced tea here." Ò_o I asked "what do you mean? You always had iced tea. When did it go away?" The guy just looked at me weird and got the manager.

I told him "I just want an iced tea." and I was informed that "We don't serve iced tea, only Sweet Tea and Unsweet Tea." 🙄

[u/angelbelle → u/Wuz314159]

Might be a region thing. Where I am, iced tea is black tea + lemon + syrup while sweet tea is just the tea + syrup no lemon.

[u/truthofmasks → u/angelbelle]

Where are you located that it means that?

[u/Wuz314159 → u/angelbelle]

No. I didn't include this because the story was already too long.... This was back when they still had menu boards. On the menu board it said "iced tea". This was the first and only time I have ever encountered this here in my life.

[u/lokiisagoodkitten → u/angelbelle]

It's definitely the location/regional thing.

[u/j0hnan0n → u/ru_k1nd]

I've never worked at McDonald's, but when I hear this i can't help but think that I'd like to wrap 4 slices of cheese up and send it through.

How you gonna order an [x]-ANYTHING with no x?

[u/Background-Vast487 → u/j0hnan0n]

Believe it or not, some times "x with y" is cheaper than "x".

So "x with y with no y" is cheaper.

Who knows why.

[u/j0hnan0n → u/Background-Vast487]

I get that out can be cheaper. But how are you gonna order a chocolate milk without milk? How you gonna order a ceaser salad, hold the salad?

You want a burger without cheese, don't order a CHEESEburger, just order a burger.

[u/Interesting_Tower485 → u/ru_k1nd]

How much of his life revolves around ordering a burger incorrectly in 1990? That's .. odd?

[u/Background-Vast487 → u/Interesting_Tower485]

Maybe he's just Falling Down?

[u/Suyefuji → u/ru_k1nd]

At least my dad's personal vendetta story had a real problem behind it. He refused to let us go to Whataburger ever again because he once ordered a burger there and got a bun with no patty. He has called it What Burger ever since which is actually pretty funny.

But boycotting an entire chain indefinitely over one mistake that happened in like 1995 or some shit is next level petty

[u/RareAnxiety2 → u/ru_k1nd]

I've had a weird one, order some mcdoubles and the person at the till asked me what I want on it. I said nothing, thinking it'll be normal and got only two patties on a bun each.

[u/Muufffins → u/RareAnxiety2]

How is that weird? You got exactly what you asked for 

[u/RareAnxiety2 → u/Muufffins]

You order a mcdouble and that's it. I don't normally get asked what I want on it, I would say any changes if needed, and didn't memorize the topping, so plain was my spur of the moment. Was I to say basic, regular, name every topping or something?

[u/starplatinumpreppy → u/RareAnxiety2]

Regular, normal, no changes, as-it-comes, standard, the usual...

But not "plain" or "nothing". That means something else.

[u/dplans455 → u/ru_k1nd]

I have a friend that hates cheese and condiments. We used to go to McDonald's a lot when we were younger. He would say, "plain burger, nothing on it, no cheese." The amount of times he got a standard cheeseburger is astounding. I remember the last time we went there together (which has gotta be at least twenty years now) he was saying, "Totally plain hamburger, no cheese, absolutely no cheese, no condiments. Do not put any ketchup, mustard, pickles, or onion on this burger. Can you repeat that back to me?" After we paid I asked him why he even still went to McDonald's. We could have gone anywhere, he suggested McDonald's.

[u/Steven_Snippert → u/ru_k1nd]

My Dad was similar. He went nuclear fuming over a wrong order when we got home. (He never checked the bag. lol) He demanded McDonald's correct our order. And the manager personally drove the order to our house. Dude got out of his car and handed up food. haha

[u/Background-Vast487 → u/Steven_Snippert]

I've not lost it on waiting staff yet. But there's been days where I'm close.

You got kids whining, work is shit, and you think "finally, some food" and even that is fucked...

[u/ealysillyforestthing → u/Background-Vast487]

The one and only time I lost it is when a waiter made a rude comment to my date

[u/jackrabbit323 → u/ru_k1nd]

Your FIL is an idiot, and proud of it.

[u/ScyllaOfTheDepths → u/ru_k1nd]

How pathetic do you have to be that that's one of your go to stories? What a boring life he must have lived.