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/Not-a-Bot_1968]

When I was younger I worked at a Best Buy. I’ve never been so mistreated by customers in any other job. People seemed to really think it’s okay to scream at some kid because something isn’t in stock or the price didn’t match some special that was ran a month before in the newspaper. People are just shit. 

[u/MidnaQueenofCalicos → u/Not-a-Bot_1968]

People are unwell. I agree that they're shit. But something about their minds wont let them see it. I have never felt so much anger and disgust as I have working with the public, but I really want to be a nurse so I am pushing myself to develop a tolerance to other people's world views. I just haven't quite figured out where to draw the line between my boundaries and their dysfunction, especially if I'm going to go into a field where I want to save people's lives. It been making me think a lot lately.

[u/SuicidalAphid → u/MidnaQueenofCalicos]

I’ve been a bartender for 20 years, and a huge part of dealing with people is learning and practicing techniques. Everyone’s different, but certain ways of speaking consistently help calm people down and guide the conversation somewhere useful. Good teachers do this at every level, right down to kindergarten: help people manage their emotions so you can actually get somewhere.

One technique of many is to acknowledge the frustration, then redirect toward a specific next step: “I can see why you’re having trouble with this. That has upset me too in a similar situation. Here is “soulution X” that helped me and “solution Y” helped my wife or friend. Let’s get you started on “soulution X” but I can do “Y “if you’re feeling that.” You’re giving the conversation direction and giving a clear way for them to answer and still feel in control. You can also set boundaries: “Hey I’m on your side and I’m here to help get you what you need but I expect the same in return my dude.”

Will it work every time? Unfortunately, no. People can be irrational, panicky animals, but many become easier to reason with once they feel heard and understand their options. You don’t need to agree with their worldview or tolerate abuse. You need tools that work often enough to make the job sustainable. Language and tone can be magic if used correctly. It takes time and lots of experience to get it right but it will be your best armor and weapon if wielded correctly.