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Taco Bell Informative - The Employee Perspective(UPDATED...again!!!) - We rip you off for a profit!
We rip you off for a profit!
WA, MISSOURI -- I have read your reviews, and as an employee I felt it necessary to respond in an attempt to show the other side. I am NOT being paid for this (and am afraid of losing my job if this gets out), but I have worked various fast food jobs over the years and too many people lay all the blame on the overworked underpaid employees.
Yes, sometimes our uniforms are not spotless, and there are grease stains that simply will not come out no matter how many times they go through the wash. This billion dollar corporation only allows a certain amount of spending money for each store, and this money is split between uniforms, new equipment, repairs, utility bills, and other expenses. I have been with the company over a year and still only have one pair of pants and 2 shirts...my newer coworkers are lucky to have one shirt and no pants. We work 10-12 hour shifts, sometimes from 6pm to 5am, and are lucky to have the time or energy to do laundry every single day to wash our one uniform. Also consider our wages and the fact that doing a load of laundry every day is a waste of money.
We do the best we can, considering half the employees call out regularly leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack and work 3 times harder than we should have to. We are not allowed to clock out for a half hour lunch break, and I'm lucky I smoke otherwise I would never sit down for the measly 5 minutes when I get to pop all my joints back in place to relieve my excruciating pain. I get home from work every night and find my leg swollen twice the size it should be. Yet I continue to go to work and do my job. It upsets a lot of us that we are not allowed to sit down and eat for even 10 minutes and some of us actually go across the street to another restaurant and pay for our meals there. Then our food gets cold while we make food for others.
Late night shift involves a lot of drunks. Yeah, we flip an attitude when you ask us for a fur burger. We get an attitude when we are talked down to like children or when you order something that does not exist and never has but you insist we carry it. We are treated like the scum of the earth and I thank heaven for my regular customers who understand the crap we are put through and are patient with us. They understand when we run out of mild sauce or any number of other items because management didn't order enough. The rest of the customers act like it is our fault.
When you get food that is dried out...it's not spoiled!!! I promise there is nothing wrong with it other than dehydration. We keep our hot food very very hot, 195 degrees. After 20 minutes at this temperature its quite obvious that the moisture goes away. Some of the newer employees don't know that you must add water to it regularly to keep it from getting like that. This includes the chicken, beans, and beef.
While I'm on the subject of temperature, it is the middle of the summer right now, our busiest time of year. It is INCREDIBLY hot outside and our air conditioner cannot keep up. We stand there making your food over 195 degree steam, with no relief...Yeah, we might mess up a few orders because we can no longer see straight now that we are more dehydrated than that chicken in your burrito. We don't have time to stop and get a drink of water because if we do the customers assume we are slacking off. We are not allowed to eat or drink in front of the customers, which means eating and drinking are rather difficult to accomplish. And in the winter, if we close the drive thru window quickly, it is because we have no relief from the cold while you sit there with your window barely cracked enough to slip out the dollar for your taco that you could have come in for and you are sweating from your nice car heater.
Most of you come into our store after sitting behind a desk in utmost comfort all day. We tend to harbor some resentment towards you because you think OUR job is easy. You sit there in our drive thru or right in front of us talking on your cell phone and ignoring us. We are people too and we deserve to be treated better than that. When the girl at the counter seems pissed, there's a 75 percent chance that it was supposed to be her day off.
Most of my diet consists of fast food, and I will NEVER allow myself to be one of the crappy customers, because I know what its like on the other side of the counter. Keep in mind that for a fast food employee, EVERY DAY IS A BAD DAY! Anything that can go wrong, always goes wrong all at once. The computers crash, some drunk passes out in drive thru, another drunk pitches a fit over napkins and hits your manager, you run out of sauce, you run out of cups, napkins, lids, food...All within an hour!
Cleanliness.
When you go into a restaurant in the middle of the dinner rush and the store is trashed, that filth hasn't been there more than an hour. Only reason it is still there is because half the crew called out and we have multiple $20-$30 dollar orders filling our screens.
I'm not saying that there aren't bad employees, because I've had the misfortune of working with some of them, but for crying out loud show us a little respect and try to be more understanding. We are only doing what we are told to do, we are only following company policies. The 2 sauce packet per item is an actual company policy and if you get more than that it's your lucky day. If you ask for extra sauce, its 3 per item. If you order more than 10 dollars worth of food, expect to wait a little bit longer. If you order nothing but grilled items, expect to wait a little bit longer so we can grill each item for the full 30 seconds...we can only fit so much on those little grills. (4 crunchwraps, 6 taquitos, 4 grilled stuffed burritos, OR 2 quesadillas NOT ALL OF THE ABOVE AT ONCE!)
And I think that's about all I got for now. If I think of anything else I'll be back.
And after another day at work I am back with an add-on for this review.
When you walk in with your half-dozen screaming children and you notice us wince...we are not trying to be rude, we are simply aware of the hideous mess you are about to leave for us to clean up. Folks, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! Clean up after yourselves and your children!!! Yes it is our job to keep the restaurant immaculate, but we are not your mommies, we are not your maids. Have a little respect for us. If you notice that 2 of the trash cans are full, please don't throw your trash in them so it can fall on the floor! I promise if you look hard enough there is another trash can that is always empty because no one pays enough attention to it to realize it is there. EVERY fast food joint I have worked in had at least 3 trash cans and one of them was ALWAYS empty. If you notice a trash can is full, or something needs attention, please tell us! We've probably been too busy to notice, but if you let us know now, it will be less of a mess to clean up later. If you spill a drink, NO PROBLEM! Let us know so we can mop it up and put a wet floor sign down! And even in defense of the screaming children, I've noticed that adults leave worse disasters. This saddens me a great deal, because as adults, you should know better unless you were raised by wild boars. I won't bother to tell you what we find in our bathrooms, but on two or three occasions I REFUSED to clean the men's room.
I also think people should realize that when they eat in our dining room and take an absurd amount of napkins and sauce, leaving the rest on the table...no one uses that stuff on the table...in fact, it gets thrown away the minute you leave. Take a little bit, and if you need more, get off your lazy butt and walk ten feet to get a little more. This is a prime example of why drive-thru has a sauce and napkin limit. Also keep in mind that more stuff YOU waste, the lower OUR raises are. Sounds ridiculous to me too, but the level of product waste directly affects our raises. It could mean the difference between a 3 cent raise or a 10 cent raise, and at our level of employment, those pennies really matter!
Yes, drive-thru is for YOUR convenience. Therefore, when you pull into our lot and notice that the drive-thru is wrapped around the building, it would be more convenient for you to park your car and come inside for your one soda, rather than wait 10+ minutes in the line. Even better, you can get a cheaper soda at the gas station a block away.
Every fast food restaurant has a timer for their drive-thru window. We get in trouble if too many of you are sitting in our window for more than a minute per car. We tell you your total at the speaker, so that you can get your money ready BEFORE you get to our window. This is supposed to save us time. So please, don't come anywhere near the window until you have the money ready. If any part of your car is near the window, even though you are not pulled all the way up, your car is still sitting on the sensor that triggers the timer. I realize you wish to check your order to make sure it's correct, but if the dining room is still open, pull into the parking lot and check, then come inside to correct the problem. Don't sit at our window for 5 minutes, and for crying out loud, don't eat in our drive-thru, it's rude to us and the people waiting behind you!!! Get out of the line as quickly as possible, PLEASE!
We also keep track of the amount of time you spend at the speaker. If you don't know what you want, we have a PREVIEW MENU!!! There is NO difference between that menu and the one at the speaker. Don't pull up to the speaker and tell us to give you a minute, because we are probably busy cleaning or stocking and have to drop everything and wait for you to decide. If you sit at the preview board for a minute, this will also give other people a chance to order when they actually know what they want.
If you have a loud engine, TURN IT OFF! You also have the option of coming inside when the dining room is open! And if you want to be extra nice, tell us to take the headset away from our ear when you start your engine again. Some of us have sensitive ears and those drive-thru speakers amplify everything. Same goes for your blaring radio, and your screaming kids in the back seat. If your kids can't behave, leave 'em at home. If you can't behave, learn to cook.
If you frequent one particular fast food joint because the service is always good and so is the food, keep in mind that we are not supposed to accept tips, but we usually will. To be fair in this situation, once a month offer a dollar a piece for all the employees and managers on duty. Or if there is one particular employee who always makes your day, ask them to come out into the dining room with you for a moment, and offer them a 5 dollar tip. If you have a large and complicated order, offer a dollar to everyone. If you can afford 25 dollars worth of food, you can afford an extra 6 or 7 bucks.
If your order is messed up, be nice and understanding about it, and we will fix it to your liking. If you come in yelling and screaming and throwing things at us, we will ask you to leave. It is common for us to miss a taco or leave one of the following steamed items in the steamer: Meximelt, Mexican Pizza, Enchirito, and sometimes the Chili Cheese Burrito. It is also common for us to mix up orders and hand the wrong one out, or some impatient customer grabs whatever we put on the counter regardless of the order number or contents of the order.
If we handle a mistake to your liking, or you were satisfied with the order to begin with, call the 800 number on the back of the receipt. The store ID number is on the front, and you can always ask for a pen to jot down employee names. When you call the number leave a compliment! Too many of you call to complain when we mess up, but you can't be bothered to call and say something nice when we do things right. That hurts.
If someone is not there to greet you right away, consider the following: Front counter cashiers are responsible for cleaning dining room but sometimes they wind up on dishes as well. At my store, when I work the counter, I also run Pizza Hut Express, do dishes, clean and stock dining room, make orders, clean and stock kitchen area, take orders in drive-thru, pan up lettuce and cheese, get meat out of the cooler to heat it up, pan up already heated products, fry chalupas, potatoes, empanadas, nacho chips... etc. I do it all. So try not to be impatient because chances are we have our hands full. We will be with you as quickly as possible.
If you pull in and see an employee smoking a cigarette, ask them if they have to put it out to take or make your order, if they say yes, tell them you will wait...hell, sit down and join them. Chances are, it's the only break they will get on a 10 hour shift.
And now I take you on a trip in the Way Back Machine...Remember kindergarten? Remember them teaching you about Please and Thank You? Still applies!!! Please and Thank You should ALWAYS be used no matter where you are. I just don't hear it often enough.
Learn to pronounce our menu items please, this is a personal request as we do not sell the following items: EmpaLLadas, MAximelts, GorditOs, TaKWitos, KWEsadiLLIOS, Armadillos, Oompa Loompas, ChalAHpOs, and nowhere on our menu does anything say SupremOH. While some of these do sound stupid, people have ordered them. Sometimes we don't understand what the heck you want. If you aren't sure what something you like is called, don't spend an hour looking for it on the menu, tell us what was in it and we will tell you what you want. If you aren't sure what is in an item, ask us, and we will tell you.
In summation I think all I can say is this...
Treat us right and we will do our best not to screw up your order.
~
NEW!!!
After 2 years of working for taco bell, I finally witnessed someone spitting in the food...a cop's food no less. Manager promised she'd handle it so I wouldn't be found as the snitch. Well, she is apparently two-faced because everyone is asking me about it. Spitting in food is considered assault, so imagine the charges for spitting in a cop's food. I've always been one to hook up food for police officers, because you never know if it's gonna be their last meal. I hate to look at it that way, but its true. My manager not only lied to me, but apparently broke many company policies(and another law or two) by putting me in danger because yes I was indirectly threatened by the culprit. He doesn't know it was me, but it was either me or one other person. He said if he found out who it was he'd basically beat the crap out of them.
THIS IS HOW I AM TREATED FOR STANDING UP FOR WHAT I BELIEVE IS RIGHT! I am not against crushing someone's tacos when they treat me and my coworkers like crap, but spitting in the food is DISGUSTING!
I am no longer with a corporate TB, I am now with a franchise which I knew was a mistake. I love my coworkers, but franchise will treat people like crap if given half a chance. This is my third experience with a franchise and so far all 3 experiences are BAD VERY VERY BAD!
*headdesk* *sob*
~
Yet another update...
You don't get what you pay for. Plain and simple. The cheesy beefy melts are supposed to get about 3 or 4 ounces of cheese...we aren't even allowed to put 1 ounce on them. Same goes for the quesadillas. These items are supposed to literally get a whole handful of cheese and we are being told to only put in a pinch of it. Bean burritos are supposed to get 3 ounces of beans, most of the time you get half of that. Grilled stuffed burritos are supposed to get 3 ounces of meat, I can almost guarantee that no matter where you go you are only getting 1.5 ounces. Cheesy gordita crunch is supposed to get about 2 ounces of cheese melted onto it, and you're lucky to get a pinch. And these are the manager's orders. It pisses me off that the customers don't even realize they are getting ripped off half the time. It pisses me off that this is the best store in our franchise and their standards are this low. All for the sake of a profit.
I would like to personally apologize to anyone I have been forced to rip off. If I try to give you what you pay for, I get yelled at and made a fool of in front of everyone. If I intentionally rip you off to avoid confrontation with my managers, I am still yelled at and told I'm not ripping you off enough. If it's any consolation, I can honestly say I'm the only one that will give you what you actually ordered. This brings me to...
Keep your receipts, keep your food. If we mess up your order, you either need to have a receipt and/or the messed up food in order to get a replacement. ASK for a receipt! I've already had customers complaining about their order, the manager tells them they need a receipt, but they were never given one. Just one more rip off.
And yet another update. 10/03/2008
So, now I'm just venting. As per the last update, supposedly the manager didn't lie to me, either way the offending employee was caught drinking on the job recently and was fired. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
This brings me to drug usage. I won't lie to you, I used to partake of a very common illegal drug. I made the conscious decision to quit about 8 months ago (My friends and I went out for a celebratory coffee). Unfortunately, thanks to my coworkers and managers, I'm not sure I could pass a urinalysis (piss test). I have finally given up on taco bell and plan to quit as soon as I learn to drive(just got my permit...don't get too excited, I'm 23). Even if I quit now I can easily get unemployment due to the failure to provide me with a drug-free work environment. Have told my manager about the many times the entire store reeks of marijuana. She SEEMS angry enough, and has told me to call her when it happens again. Not only is the back door not supposed to be open after dark for our safety, but they stand there with the door open and smoke. One of the managers is at least smart enough to close the door, the other manager that actually doesn't smoke just giggles and sprays a bunch of perfume. So not only do I get a headache from the weed smoke but my throat starts to close up from the store smelling like a 2-bit whore house.
I've got this one employee that always screws up every other order. ALWAYS. Yet they insist on allowing him to keep his job. He never comes in on time, on occasion doesn't show up at all, and even when he IS there, he may as well not be because he is incapable of working and is always stoned.
The great thing about this state is that breaks are required by law. In missouri breaks are at the discretion of the company you work for. Unfortunately no one is completely familiar with the laws and you can wind up going on a ten minute break an hour after you clock on, go on your half hour break an hour later, and your last break an hour after that, and work the other 4 or 5 hours with no break.
I imagine the next time I post anything it will be about the customer care call center I'm hoping to work at. I hear only good things about how they treat their employees, and they give decent bonuses (as opposed to the 25 dollar bonus I get every other month at taco bell). They also allow and sometimes schedule overtime, whereas at my current store if you get overtime they adjust it so it appears as regular hours on a week you worked less than 40 hours. Yeah. That's against the law. But I understand wanting a 25 dollar bonus as opposed to maybe 10 dollars in overtime because it's never more than 30 minutes.
And for those of you that have said I appear to be too intelligent to work for taco bell, I plan to self-publish my book of poetry. Been working on it for a few months now, only thing stopping me is money, but, well...I work at taco bell....
Yes, sometimes our uniforms are not spotless, and there are grease stains that simply will not come out no matter how many times they go through the wash. This billion dollar corporation only allows a certain amount of spending money for each store, and this money is split between uniforms, new equipment, repairs, utility bills, and other expenses. I have been with the company over a year and still only have one pair of pants and 2 shirts...my newer coworkers are lucky to have one shirt and no pants. We work 10-12 hour shifts, sometimes from 6pm to 5am, and are lucky to have the time or energy to do laundry every single day to wash our one uniform. Also consider our wages and the fact that doing a load of laundry every day is a waste of money.
We do the best we can, considering half the employees call out regularly leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack and work 3 times harder than we should have to. We are not allowed to clock out for a half hour lunch break, and I'm lucky I smoke otherwise I would never sit down for the measly 5 minutes when I get to pop all my joints back in place to relieve my excruciating pain. I get home from work every night and find my leg swollen twice the size it should be. Yet I continue to go to work and do my job. It upsets a lot of us that we are not allowed to sit down and eat for even 10 minutes and some of us actually go across the street to another restaurant and pay for our meals there. Then our food gets cold while we make food for others.
Late night shift involves a lot of drunks. Yeah, we flip an attitude when you ask us for a fur burger. We get an attitude when we are talked down to like children or when you order something that does not exist and never has but you insist we carry it. We are treated like the scum of the earth and I thank heaven for my regular customers who understand the crap we are put through and are patient with us. They understand when we run out of mild sauce or any number of other items because management didn't order enough. The rest of the customers act like it is our fault.
When you get food that is dried out...it's not spoiled!!! I promise there is nothing wrong with it other than dehydration. We keep our hot food very very hot, 195 degrees. After 20 minutes at this temperature its quite obvious that the moisture goes away. Some of the newer employees don't know that you must add water to it regularly to keep it from getting like that. This includes the chicken, beans, and beef.
While I'm on the subject of temperature, it is the middle of the summer right now, our busiest time of year. It is INCREDIBLY hot outside and our air conditioner cannot keep up. We stand there making your food over 195 degree steam, with no relief...Yeah, we might mess up a few orders because we can no longer see straight now that we are more dehydrated than that chicken in your burrito. We don't have time to stop and get a drink of water because if we do the customers assume we are slacking off. We are not allowed to eat or drink in front of the customers, which means eating and drinking are rather difficult to accomplish. And in the winter, if we close the drive thru window quickly, it is because we have no relief from the cold while you sit there with your window barely cracked enough to slip out the dollar for your taco that you could have come in for and you are sweating from your nice car heater.
Most of you come into our store after sitting behind a desk in utmost comfort all day. We tend to harbor some resentment towards you because you think OUR job is easy. You sit there in our drive thru or right in front of us talking on your cell phone and ignoring us. We are people too and we deserve to be treated better than that. When the girl at the counter seems pissed, there's a 75 percent chance that it was supposed to be her day off.
Most of my diet consists of fast food, and I will NEVER allow myself to be one of the crappy customers, because I know what its like on the other side of the counter. Keep in mind that for a fast food employee, EVERY DAY IS A BAD DAY! Anything that can go wrong, always goes wrong all at once. The computers crash, some drunk passes out in drive thru, another drunk pitches a fit over napkins and hits your manager, you run out of sauce, you run out of cups, napkins, lids, food...All within an hour!
Cleanliness.
When you go into a restaurant in the middle of the dinner rush and the store is trashed, that filth hasn't been there more than an hour. Only reason it is still there is because half the crew called out and we have multiple $20-$30 dollar orders filling our screens.
I'm not saying that there aren't bad employees, because I've had the misfortune of working with some of them, but for crying out loud show us a little respect and try to be more understanding. We are only doing what we are told to do, we are only following company policies. The 2 sauce packet per item is an actual company policy and if you get more than that it's your lucky day. If you ask for extra sauce, its 3 per item. If you order more than 10 dollars worth of food, expect to wait a little bit longer. If you order nothing but grilled items, expect to wait a little bit longer so we can grill each item for the full 30 seconds...we can only fit so much on those little grills. (4 crunchwraps, 6 taquitos, 4 grilled stuffed burritos, OR 2 quesadillas NOT ALL OF THE ABOVE AT ONCE!)
And I think that's about all I got for now. If I think of anything else I'll be back.
And after another day at work I am back with an add-on for this review.
When you walk in with your half-dozen screaming children and you notice us wince...we are not trying to be rude, we are simply aware of the hideous mess you are about to leave for us to clean up. Folks, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! Clean up after yourselves and your children!!! Yes it is our job to keep the restaurant immaculate, but we are not your mommies, we are not your maids. Have a little respect for us. If you notice that 2 of the trash cans are full, please don't throw your trash in them so it can fall on the floor! I promise if you look hard enough there is another trash can that is always empty because no one pays enough attention to it to realize it is there. EVERY fast food joint I have worked in had at least 3 trash cans and one of them was ALWAYS empty. If you notice a trash can is full, or something needs attention, please tell us! We've probably been too busy to notice, but if you let us know now, it will be less of a mess to clean up later. If you spill a drink, NO PROBLEM! Let us know so we can mop it up and put a wet floor sign down! And even in defense of the screaming children, I've noticed that adults leave worse disasters. This saddens me a great deal, because as adults, you should know better unless you were raised by wild boars. I won't bother to tell you what we find in our bathrooms, but on two or three occasions I REFUSED to clean the men's room.
I also think people should realize that when they eat in our dining room and take an absurd amount of napkins and sauce, leaving the rest on the table...no one uses that stuff on the table...in fact, it gets thrown away the minute you leave. Take a little bit, and if you need more, get off your lazy butt and walk ten feet to get a little more. This is a prime example of why drive-thru has a sauce and napkin limit. Also keep in mind that more stuff YOU waste, the lower OUR raises are. Sounds ridiculous to me too, but the level of product waste directly affects our raises. It could mean the difference between a 3 cent raise or a 10 cent raise, and at our level of employment, those pennies really matter!
Yes, drive-thru is for YOUR convenience. Therefore, when you pull into our lot and notice that the drive-thru is wrapped around the building, it would be more convenient for you to park your car and come inside for your one soda, rather than wait 10+ minutes in the line. Even better, you can get a cheaper soda at the gas station a block away.
Every fast food restaurant has a timer for their drive-thru window. We get in trouble if too many of you are sitting in our window for more than a minute per car. We tell you your total at the speaker, so that you can get your money ready BEFORE you get to our window. This is supposed to save us time. So please, don't come anywhere near the window until you have the money ready. If any part of your car is near the window, even though you are not pulled all the way up, your car is still sitting on the sensor that triggers the timer. I realize you wish to check your order to make sure it's correct, but if the dining room is still open, pull into the parking lot and check, then come inside to correct the problem. Don't sit at our window for 5 minutes, and for crying out loud, don't eat in our drive-thru, it's rude to us and the people waiting behind you!!! Get out of the line as quickly as possible, PLEASE!
We also keep track of the amount of time you spend at the speaker. If you don't know what you want, we have a PREVIEW MENU!!! There is NO difference between that menu and the one at the speaker. Don't pull up to the speaker and tell us to give you a minute, because we are probably busy cleaning or stocking and have to drop everything and wait for you to decide. If you sit at the preview board for a minute, this will also give other people a chance to order when they actually know what they want.
If you have a loud engine, TURN IT OFF! You also have the option of coming inside when the dining room is open! And if you want to be extra nice, tell us to take the headset away from our ear when you start your engine again. Some of us have sensitive ears and those drive-thru speakers amplify everything. Same goes for your blaring radio, and your screaming kids in the back seat. If your kids can't behave, leave 'em at home. If you can't behave, learn to cook.
If you frequent one particular fast food joint because the service is always good and so is the food, keep in mind that we are not supposed to accept tips, but we usually will. To be fair in this situation, once a month offer a dollar a piece for all the employees and managers on duty. Or if there is one particular employee who always makes your day, ask them to come out into the dining room with you for a moment, and offer them a 5 dollar tip. If you have a large and complicated order, offer a dollar to everyone. If you can afford 25 dollars worth of food, you can afford an extra 6 or 7 bucks.
If your order is messed up, be nice and understanding about it, and we will fix it to your liking. If you come in yelling and screaming and throwing things at us, we will ask you to leave. It is common for us to miss a taco or leave one of the following steamed items in the steamer: Meximelt, Mexican Pizza, Enchirito, and sometimes the Chili Cheese Burrito. It is also common for us to mix up orders and hand the wrong one out, or some impatient customer grabs whatever we put on the counter regardless of the order number or contents of the order.
If we handle a mistake to your liking, or you were satisfied with the order to begin with, call the 800 number on the back of the receipt. The store ID number is on the front, and you can always ask for a pen to jot down employee names. When you call the number leave a compliment! Too many of you call to complain when we mess up, but you can't be bothered to call and say something nice when we do things right. That hurts.
If someone is not there to greet you right away, consider the following: Front counter cashiers are responsible for cleaning dining room but sometimes they wind up on dishes as well. At my store, when I work the counter, I also run Pizza Hut Express, do dishes, clean and stock dining room, make orders, clean and stock kitchen area, take orders in drive-thru, pan up lettuce and cheese, get meat out of the cooler to heat it up, pan up already heated products, fry chalupas, potatoes, empanadas, nacho chips... etc. I do it all. So try not to be impatient because chances are we have our hands full. We will be with you as quickly as possible.
If you pull in and see an employee smoking a cigarette, ask them if they have to put it out to take or make your order, if they say yes, tell them you will wait...hell, sit down and join them. Chances are, it's the only break they will get on a 10 hour shift.
And now I take you on a trip in the Way Back Machine...Remember kindergarten? Remember them teaching you about Please and Thank You? Still applies!!! Please and Thank You should ALWAYS be used no matter where you are. I just don't hear it often enough.
Learn to pronounce our menu items please, this is a personal request as we do not sell the following items: EmpaLLadas, MAximelts, GorditOs, TaKWitos, KWEsadiLLIOS, Armadillos, Oompa Loompas, ChalAHpOs, and nowhere on our menu does anything say SupremOH. While some of these do sound stupid, people have ordered them. Sometimes we don't understand what the heck you want. If you aren't sure what something you like is called, don't spend an hour looking for it on the menu, tell us what was in it and we will tell you what you want. If you aren't sure what is in an item, ask us, and we will tell you.
In summation I think all I can say is this...
Treat us right and we will do our best not to screw up your order.
~
NEW!!!
After 2 years of working for taco bell, I finally witnessed someone spitting in the food...a cop's food no less. Manager promised she'd handle it so I wouldn't be found as the snitch. Well, she is apparently two-faced because everyone is asking me about it. Spitting in food is considered assault, so imagine the charges for spitting in a cop's food. I've always been one to hook up food for police officers, because you never know if it's gonna be their last meal. I hate to look at it that way, but its true. My manager not only lied to me, but apparently broke many company policies(and another law or two) by putting me in danger because yes I was indirectly threatened by the culprit. He doesn't know it was me, but it was either me or one other person. He said if he found out who it was he'd basically beat the crap out of them.
THIS IS HOW I AM TREATED FOR STANDING UP FOR WHAT I BELIEVE IS RIGHT! I am not against crushing someone's tacos when they treat me and my coworkers like crap, but spitting in the food is DISGUSTING!
I am no longer with a corporate TB, I am now with a franchise which I knew was a mistake. I love my coworkers, but franchise will treat people like crap if given half a chance. This is my third experience with a franchise and so far all 3 experiences are BAD VERY VERY BAD!
*headdesk* *sob*
~
Yet another update...
You don't get what you pay for. Plain and simple. The cheesy beefy melts are supposed to get about 3 or 4 ounces of cheese...we aren't even allowed to put 1 ounce on them. Same goes for the quesadillas. These items are supposed to literally get a whole handful of cheese and we are being told to only put in a pinch of it. Bean burritos are supposed to get 3 ounces of beans, most of the time you get half of that. Grilled stuffed burritos are supposed to get 3 ounces of meat, I can almost guarantee that no matter where you go you are only getting 1.5 ounces. Cheesy gordita crunch is supposed to get about 2 ounces of cheese melted onto it, and you're lucky to get a pinch. And these are the manager's orders. It pisses me off that the customers don't even realize they are getting ripped off half the time. It pisses me off that this is the best store in our franchise and their standards are this low. All for the sake of a profit.
I would like to personally apologize to anyone I have been forced to rip off. If I try to give you what you pay for, I get yelled at and made a fool of in front of everyone. If I intentionally rip you off to avoid confrontation with my managers, I am still yelled at and told I'm not ripping you off enough. If it's any consolation, I can honestly say I'm the only one that will give you what you actually ordered. This brings me to...
Keep your receipts, keep your food. If we mess up your order, you either need to have a receipt and/or the messed up food in order to get a replacement. ASK for a receipt! I've already had customers complaining about their order, the manager tells them they need a receipt, but they were never given one. Just one more rip off.
And yet another update. 10/03/2008
So, now I'm just venting. As per the last update, supposedly the manager didn't lie to me, either way the offending employee was caught drinking on the job recently and was fired. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
This brings me to drug usage. I won't lie to you, I used to partake of a very common illegal drug. I made the conscious decision to quit about 8 months ago (My friends and I went out for a celebratory coffee). Unfortunately, thanks to my coworkers and managers, I'm not sure I could pass a urinalysis (piss test). I have finally given up on taco bell and plan to quit as soon as I learn to drive(just got my permit...don't get too excited, I'm 23). Even if I quit now I can easily get unemployment due to the failure to provide me with a drug-free work environment. Have told my manager about the many times the entire store reeks of marijuana. She SEEMS angry enough, and has told me to call her when it happens again. Not only is the back door not supposed to be open after dark for our safety, but they stand there with the door open and smoke. One of the managers is at least smart enough to close the door, the other manager that actually doesn't smoke just giggles and sprays a bunch of perfume. So not only do I get a headache from the weed smoke but my throat starts to close up from the store smelling like a 2-bit whore house.
I've got this one employee that always screws up every other order. ALWAYS. Yet they insist on allowing him to keep his job. He never comes in on time, on occasion doesn't show up at all, and even when he IS there, he may as well not be because he is incapable of working and is always stoned.
The great thing about this state is that breaks are required by law. In missouri breaks are at the discretion of the company you work for. Unfortunately no one is completely familiar with the laws and you can wind up going on a ten minute break an hour after you clock on, go on your half hour break an hour later, and your last break an hour after that, and work the other 4 or 5 hours with no break.
I imagine the next time I post anything it will be about the customer care call center I'm hoping to work at. I hear only good things about how they treat their employees, and they give decent bonuses (as opposed to the 25 dollar bonus I get every other month at taco bell). They also allow and sometimes schedule overtime, whereas at my current store if you get overtime they adjust it so it appears as regular hours on a week you worked less than 40 hours. Yeah. That's against the law. But I understand wanting a 25 dollar bonus as opposed to maybe 10 dollars in overtime because it's never more than 30 minutes.
And for those of you that have said I appear to be too intelligent to work for taco bell, I plan to self-publish my book of poetry. Been working on it for a few months now, only thing stopping me is money, but, well...I work at taco bell....
Comments:
Posted by zzrokk on 2007-08-08:
May I have a Burrito Supreme light on the sour cream, a Bellbeefer and a large Coke? Which item did your place never have?
Posted by outlaw386 on 2007-08-08:
I feel you I wish customers would appreciate people like you more that work hard for the lousy pay and get nothing in return I worked at taco for a little bit I didn’t like it to fast passed everyone mouthing of to you for the littlest thing. Keep up the good work.
Posted by MRM on 2007-08-08:
Thank you Tacogoddess for your perspective of the Taco Employees. QUESTION: have you ever seen an employee spitting on the customers food if they are being rude? *Just curious*
Posted by UrFriendlyPirate on 2007-08-08:
Thanks for the insight.
Posted by TacoGoddess on 2007-08-08:
MRM: lol never seen anyone at taco bell spit in food, seen stuff happen at other places though...if someone pisses us off we just put jalapeno juice in their food...
Outlaw: Thank you for understanding the position we are so often in. I enjoy the fast paced environment, and am at one of the highest volume stores in the region, if things are too slow I get bored.
zzrokk: How about a double-decker-grande-burrito-quesadilla? Hell, I get cusduhmers ordering white castles and jack in the box in my drive-thru. They are too drunk to know where they are lol.
And another thing from my perspective...I am not a manager, I do not get paid enough to be a manager, but on the worst night imaginable when the manager on duty couldn't be bothered to do his job and I was about to walk out, I managed to turn a customer complaint into a compliment. Some are dedicated to their jobs out of need for a paycheck, the rest of us are dedicated to our jobs because we have a genius IQ and are able to see things from ALL perspectives. I understand how crappy it is to sit in a drive thru for a half an hour waiting for a soda and a burrito, but at the same time I'm the one that has to listen to you scream when you finally get to my window.
Outlaw: Thank you for understanding the position we are so often in. I enjoy the fast paced environment, and am at one of the highest volume stores in the region, if things are too slow I get bored.
zzrokk: How about a double-decker-grande-burrito-quesadilla? Hell, I get cusduhmers ordering white castles and jack in the box in my drive-thru. They are too drunk to know where they are lol.
And another thing from my perspective...I am not a manager, I do not get paid enough to be a manager, but on the worst night imaginable when the manager on duty couldn't be bothered to do his job and I was about to walk out, I managed to turn a customer complaint into a compliment. Some are dedicated to their jobs out of need for a paycheck, the rest of us are dedicated to our jobs because we have a genius IQ and are able to see things from ALL perspectives. I understand how crappy it is to sit in a drive thru for a half an hour waiting for a soda and a burrito, but at the same time I'm the one that has to listen to you scream when you finally get to my window.
Posted by Stew.old on 2007-08-08:
TacoGoddess great review... Click MRM then click trust...then click PirateWithParrot then click trust then click Stew then click trust...you'll be glad you did. We are like the very best people on my3cents and more than likely you'd get a coupon for a free frozen yogurt from TCBY.
Posted by Leela on 2007-08-08:
Stew is just joshin' ya'!! What a kidder he is.
Posted by Stew.old on 2007-08-08:
Smart people trust MRM, PirateWithParrot and Stew... you should too!
Posted by Leela on 2007-08-08:
LOL, Stew! You had me ROFL there, for a moment. Funny stuff, big guy.
Posted by furnitureman on 2007-08-08:
Stew what about me?
Posted by UrFriendlyPirate on 2007-08-08:
Smart people certainly DON'T trust slimjim or any of his sockpuppet nicks.
Posted by Lidman on 2007-08-08:
furnitureman, stup sucking up to losers like Stew and Pirate they are "G" boys
Posted by rebelnrocker on 2007-08-09:
Very well written... I only lasted a week at a McDonalds when I was 16! I just could NOT do it. Therefore I respect & admire those that can & do. I tell my kids - "these people don't HAVE to wait on us... who do we think we are being arrogant with ANYONE... how about appreciative?!!" Sh** happens... I don't know why anyone can't just calm down & deal. "Understanding" is so out the window anymore... *sigh* Thank you for what you do & I hope you have a great day! :-)
Posted by jktshff1 on 2007-08-09:
good post
Posted by heaven17 on 2007-08-09:
"...my newer coworkers are lucky to have one shirt and no pants."
Call me old-fashioned, but I ain't buying tacos from folks who ain't wearing any pants.
Call me old-fashioned, but I ain't buying tacos from folks who ain't wearing any pants.
Posted by rnick821 on 2007-08-09:
Wow. Powerful stuff. It seems to me that someone who writes eloquently as you do might be able to find meaningful employment outside of the realm of fast food. I certainly hope that you are working toward that goal. Good review. I appreciate the insight, and will remember this review the next time I am ordering at the 'Bell.
Posted by amaniR on 2007-08-09:
Great review, brings back memories of my fast food days. You are a good writer too!
Posted by caa on 2007-08-09:
Thanks for the perspective, Taco Goddess. As a former TB employee, I can relate to everything you say.
Best wishes to you.
PS I miss Bellbeefers. Those were my fave back in the day.
Best wishes to you.
PS I miss Bellbeefers. Those were my fave back in the day.
Posted by moneybags on 2007-08-09:
Good and insightful post. To get grease spots out of the clothes, ake some liquid dish detergent (like DAWN) and squirt on the spot. Rub in w/your fingertips. Use DAWN in the washer and wash the clothes. It might take 2 washings, but this works. My daughter used to be at TB and this worked for her.
Posted by TacoGoddess on 2007-08-10:
LOL ok, when I said they had no pants, I meant the pants had not been ordered yet, so they must provide their own. I was wearing my own pants for about the first 6 months, and only had the one shirt, so had to do laundry every night. Thank you moneybags for the advice, I will try that next time I do my laundry. As far as my writing abilities go, thank you for the compliments! In the tiny amount of spare time that I have away from work I am a poet/short-story-writer, amateur photographer, and...well whatever else catches my fancy lol.
I've worked other fast food joints, and to be honest, TB is the best one yet. I was at BK for a year, and was the lowest paid employee...people were getting hired in making at least a dollar more than me. Rather than give me a 6 month overdue raise, I was fired. My coworkers there couldn't believe I made so little, because they thought I DESERVED to make more than them. Even the managers couldn't do their jobs as well as I could. McD's I only lasted 6 months because they played favorites too much and I was no one's favorite. They tried telling me I had 2 write-ups, but I was never previously aware of them. They told me if I got one more I was gone...so an hour later I just went home because it didn't make sense to stick around. Now I've been at TB for a year and a half, I'm reliable, and I know what I'm doing. I make more here than I have at any other job, and after being there so long I am one of the most trusted employees. I goof off a lot, say crazy things, act like I'm nuts (but I still get my work done)...because it makes everyone laugh, even the customers. I like seeing people smile and I like knowing I made them smile, especially on a really bad day. My coworkers seem to look forward to me being there. My managers seem to sigh in relief when I show up on a bad day(especially on my day off lol). Another good thing is that everyone knows that I can work with and get along with ANYONE, so when I tell them I refuse to work with someone, they are gone within a week (like this one racist pig that just pushed me over the edge...I could not stand listening to him talk about my coworkers the way he did).
Our particular store is so bad that I'm on Manager number 3, Senior Assistant Manager number 2, and we just lost our Assistant today(no call no show). I hate my job, I won't lie to you about that. I get this feeling of dread as I wonder what level of hell I am walking in to each day. I stay because of the people. I love my coworkers and my regulars, they are awesome people!
I want to say thank you to those who are understanding and patient with their local fast food slaves. Going to add something to my review thingy if I can...After today I remembered something that should have been said lol.
I've worked other fast food joints, and to be honest, TB is the best one yet. I was at BK for a year, and was the lowest paid employee...people were getting hired in making at least a dollar more than me. Rather than give me a 6 month overdue raise, I was fired. My coworkers there couldn't believe I made so little, because they thought I DESERVED to make more than them. Even the managers couldn't do their jobs as well as I could. McD's I only lasted 6 months because they played favorites too much and I was no one's favorite. They tried telling me I had 2 write-ups, but I was never previously aware of them. They told me if I got one more I was gone...so an hour later I just went home because it didn't make sense to stick around. Now I've been at TB for a year and a half, I'm reliable, and I know what I'm doing. I make more here than I have at any other job, and after being there so long I am one of the most trusted employees. I goof off a lot, say crazy things, act like I'm nuts (but I still get my work done)...because it makes everyone laugh, even the customers. I like seeing people smile and I like knowing I made them smile, especially on a really bad day. My coworkers seem to look forward to me being there. My managers seem to sigh in relief when I show up on a bad day(especially on my day off lol). Another good thing is that everyone knows that I can work with and get along with ANYONE, so when I tell them I refuse to work with someone, they are gone within a week (like this one racist pig that just pushed me over the edge...I could not stand listening to him talk about my coworkers the way he did).
Our particular store is so bad that I'm on Manager number 3, Senior Assistant Manager number 2, and we just lost our Assistant today(no call no show). I hate my job, I won't lie to you about that. I get this feeling of dread as I wonder what level of hell I am walking in to each day. I stay because of the people. I love my coworkers and my regulars, they are awesome people!
I want to say thank you to those who are understanding and patient with their local fast food slaves. Going to add something to my review thingy if I can...After today I remembered something that should have been said lol.
Posted by doescustomerserviceexist? on 2007-08-10:
I think that you've been working with fast food for way too long. You put your views well together, and you seem like you really work hard and you care about your job, and obviousally for WHAT??? Min. Wage? People treating you like crap? Being over worked.
You need to find a passion and go for it. You seem to have a level head. Run away, never to return, make something of yourself. I did and let me tell you "IT IS WORTH IT".
You need to find a passion and go for it. You seem to have a level head. Run away, never to return, make something of yourself. I did and let me tell you "IT IS WORTH IT".
Posted by TacoGoddess on 2007-08-10:
UPDATED REVIEW!
Actually I make decent money (for a fast food joint) and this is the first place that's ever given me a raise (several in fact). But thank you. I realize it is still a crap job, and I do plan on getting out of it eventually, but right now I am pretty much guaranteed to never lose my job, and I need that security at this time...But trust me, I do have better plans for the future.
Actually I make decent money (for a fast food joint) and this is the first place that's ever given me a raise (several in fact). But thank you. I realize it is still a crap job, and I do plan on getting out of it eventually, but right now I am pretty much guaranteed to never lose my job, and I need that security at this time...But trust me, I do have better plans for the future.
Posted by doescustomerserviceexist? on 2007-08-10:
I feel as though there is no reason to work and spend your days and hours somewhere where your unhappy. Life really is too short.
What you said dosen't sound like it's coming from a "Happy person".
What you said dosen't sound like it's coming from a "Happy person".
Posted by geather-c on 2007-08-11:
ever wonder how they became a multi-billion corporation? by working people like you to death for nothing,but read the 5th chapter of James in the Bible and see what there reward will be for having done so. just how dumb to you have to be to work there for long?get smart go back to school(if you are not already in school)before you have to work for some wetbacks kid who you helped pay the taxes to get them thru school.
Posted by Skye on 2007-08-11:
At least she's working, and not living off the government. She said she's not going to make this her career, so she does have plans for the future.
And if people like her, didn't take these types of jobs, how would you get that fast food you like to shove down your throat??
And if people like her, didn't take these types of jobs, how would you get that fast food you like to shove down your throat??
Posted by doescustomerserviceexist? on 2007-08-13:
Who ever said that this was a she?
Posted by Skye on 2007-08-13:
Tacogoddess, goddess, usually feminine.
Posted by Leela on 2007-08-13:
Skye is the M3C goddess!
Posted by anonymous71 on 2007-08-14:
OMG...your description of running to the border is some classic 'ish. Keep up the good work!
Posted by trumania on 2007-08-22:
I know how retail and the food industry goes, especially with the customers.
Good Luck TacoGoddess, hopefully life has some amazing things in store for you, sounds like you actually deserve the with all the hard work you done. *hugs*
Good Luck TacoGoddess, hopefully life has some amazing things in store for you, sounds like you actually deserve the with all the hard work you done. *hugs*
Posted by killerklown on 2007-11-03:
TG please see your blog posts.
Posted by old fart on 2007-11-03:
Goddess...That was an incredibly well written post.
Sometimes literacy is not one of the features found on these types of sites.
I wish you well...
Sometimes literacy is not one of the features found on these types of sites.
I wish you well...
Posted by inblueseas on 2007-11-19:
Great review. Thanks for helping us understand. I know I learned a lot.
Posted by TacoGoddess on 2007-11-19:
Hiya folks! Just posted a blog that was sort of an update to this, but not quite. killerklown, i tried to email you thru here and i dont know if you ever got it.
Posted by Annie89 on 2008-01-22:
I completly agree w/u? I am curently working @ a fast-food resturant that makes u work 12+ hours w/no food,and no break. Almost everyday I work I am in a bad mood b/c of the rude customers in drive thru putting us fast-food worker down. They always act like tyheir so much better than us.
Posted by DieselBoi on 2008-02-08:
It's too bad that your management isn't more supportive. My brother and I own a couple franchise restaurants. We started as employees while in HS and then bought them while in college. Since we know what it's like to be on the other end of the counter, we try to make employee satisfaction as much as a priority as customer satisfaction. Raises, bonuses, regular breaks, and support are essential (we even found out one of our beloved full time employees was diabetic and had no medical insurance, so we started including that as a benefit). Management should always lead by example in the areas of service and quality. If the people in leadership roles don't care, why should the employees.
Posted by TacoGoddess on 2008-02-09:
after 2 years of working for taco bell, i finally witnessed someone spitting in the food...a cop's food no less. manager promised she'd handle it so i wouldnt be found as the snitch. well, she is two-faced because everyone is asking me about it. spitting in food is considered assault, so imagine the charges for spitting in a cop's food. I've always been one to hook up food for police officers, because you never know if it's gonna be their last meal. i hate to look at it that way, but its true. my manager not only lied to me, but apparently broke many company policies by putting me in danger because yes i was indirectly threatened by the culprit.
Posted by Draknar43 on 2008-02-09:
very well written although its sad to hear some people have no sense of right or wrong anymore....
Posted by Evelyn.A on 2009-01-05:
Some of us have to work the fast food and retail industry (which I have/am doing of both) and it's not as easy as some may think it is to get a better job.
TacoGoddess, I have not worked as horrible of a situation as you have in fast food (I have done work at Del Taco), but it was still very much a learning experience and it educates you in ways many customers also need to be... best of luck to you, and just because you work fast food doesn't mean literacy should be a surprise! Sometimes, people just have to do what they have to do.
TacoGoddess, I have not worked as horrible of a situation as you have in fast food (I have done work at Del Taco), but it was still very much a learning experience and it educates you in ways many customers also need to be... best of luck to you, and just because you work fast food doesn't mean literacy should be a surprise! Sometimes, people just have to do what they have to do.
Posted by TacoD on 2010-12-23:
I've been at taco bell for a little over a year and they are definitely on a tight budget...especially the franchise stores....have not yet gotten a raise and from what i heard, the last raise was one penny..seriously
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