"You just lost a customer!"

I've had the topic of this blog on my mind for the last week but haven't had the time to blog about it.

For those that didn't get a chance to see my status update on facebook regarding McDonald's I will get you up to speed. Last week I heard a commercial for McDonald's introducing their new "Breakfast Value Menu". They said that they had sausage McMuffins for $1. I was sitting on the 91 FWY on the way to work and knew that I had a long day of work ahead of me. I thought a sausage McMuffin would be good to get the day started so I exited at the next exit that had a McDonald's. As I ordered the Sausage McMuffin the employee asked "would you like egg with that?" I said "yes" (thinking that egg is standard on the Sausage McMuffin) and they then told me my total was $2.98. I thought to myself "Really 2 dollars for an egg?" which brings me to the topic of my blog.

Why do we put up with fast food restaurants?

Throughout the years I have had countless experiences that I would not be tolerate from any other establishment.

I wouldn't be okay with going to Best Buy and purchasing a computer system and then getting home and opening the bag and saying "oh damn it, they forgot to put the monitor in. Oh well I don't feel like driving back. "

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't send my wife to buy me a pair of pant and when she comes home open the bag to find that they had sequins all over them, my wife saying " I told them not to put sequins on them" and I say " oh well, I'll just pick them off"


If I went to the grocery store I wouldn't be cool with the checker saying okay, "Your total is $153" taking my money and then saying "thanks, can you go ahead and stand over there while the bag boy bags the groceries of the guy behind you' because he doesn't have as many.

Better yet if I went to Disneyland I wouldn't be okay with being the only person in line (thus making it not a line) for a ride and the employee saying "hey can you walk around all the posts again or just go wait out in front for a while.

I wouldn't be okay with going to Footlocker and buying a pair of shoes and opening the box and finding that my shoes only have one shoe lace and asking the employee "hey can I get another shoelace?" and the employee saying " that will be 10 cents more"

I don't think I would be excited if Victoria's Secret had a coupon for a free thong and when I went to redeem it they said," oh you need to send that coupon to this address and then within the next month you will receive another coupon for the exact same thing." "We do have thongs for sale if you want to buy them."

I don't know what analogy to use for this one but I don't understand how I could ask for an item to be removed from my food and not get a credit but in the same order ask for it to be added to something for my wife and be charged extra. I've wised up on this and order my item with the removed item on the side and then give it to my wife.

and the list goes on.

There are very few fast food restaurants that don't do any one of these things on a regular basis.

I will give an A+ to Tommy burgers, In-N-Out, wiener schnitzel, Panda Express and Subway.

Speaking of subway, "Subway sandwich artist" was my first job. I can't recall a single customer coming back and saying, "hey you put tomatoes on my sandwich, I said no tomatoes" or "you forgot to put my sandwich in the bag". I think that maybe all fast food places should be like subway. If i was watching the guy at Carls Jr. (which I have boycotted) put a tomato on my burger I would definitely let him know that I didn't want tomatoes.

**on a tangent speaking of fast food commercials, What the Damn Del Taco. Really you get rid of "Del Taco Dan" for "the beast" and then now some gay del taco stage show. I really like Del Taco but your commercials are weak sauce, you had a close second to Jack in the commercial department but then you dumped Dan. end of tangent**

I have boycotted one McDonald's for the following:

Some friends and I had just finished skateboarding and were going to get breakfast before going to another skate park. I pulled up to the drive thru speaker and was told to wait. once they were ready to take my order I began going around the car one person at a time repeating each persons order to the drive thru speaker. After each item the employee would ask "anything else? , anything else?" Literally they must have asked "anything else?" at least 10 to 15 times. Once I completed my order I went to the window and as they handed us our food I said, "you forgot to give us a milk" the employee then told me "you didn't order a milk" I said " I did order a milk, you may not have heard me but we would like a milk" He then told me I needed to pull forward and they would bring me a milk (were they preparing the milk in the back?) we pulled forward and waited 10 min. for the milk. when the employee finally came out he said that will be $1.25 (or whatever the milk cost) and I said "you've got to be kidding me, we've waited for ten minutes and you are going to charge me for the milk?" and handed him a $20 bill. I also said "you have a promotion where if it takes more than 2 minutes to get my food I get a free big mac so can you bring me the coupon when you return with my change?" he responded by saying that since I modified my order it didn't count. I told him to have the manager bring me my change. The manager did not bring me my change but I got the coupon. I haven't been back to that location since.

At the local Carls Jr. I was the only person in line, I payed and was asked to go to front and wait. I said can you make sure to put extra ranch in the bag for the fried zucchini. I guess I should have said can you make sure to bring me my change and my soda when you come out. I brought up the change before leaving but didn't realize that I didn't get my soda until I was already home. I guess that's what happens when you sit for 5-10 min. in front of the Carls Jr. you forget what you ordered. I've stopped going to Carls Jr. ever since. I was on the border of boycotting them just for the commercials prior to this experience so this was the straw that broke the camels back.

Until now I have boycotted only certain locations but think that I may do like a certain brother of mine and start boycotting entire corporations. In the past this would have been pretty difficult since I would work long hours and didn't bring a lunch. For Christmas my children gave me a lunch cooler and I think I have packed a lunch more this month than I have in the last 5 years. I plan on doing this on a regular basis. It will help me to eat healthier, save money and also make it to where I don't have to leave a job site to go get food. I also don't plan on ever putting nard shrinking tomatoes or any other things that I don't like in my lunch box.

There is a short list of fast food restaurants that I don't think I could boycott:

In-N-Out













Tommy Burgers

















Titos Tacos


The Hat

and possibly
Jack in the box














and Del Taco
























Sonic seems to be pretty good too but there aren't any near my house so I'm undecided.

All other fast food restaurants you are being placed on notice. My boycotts for existing locations still remain but I am now on board the corporate boycott band wagon.

If you have any place that you have boycotted and you can convince me. I'll support your boycott.