My Fast Food Restaurant Circus Experience

I had limited time today, and all I wanted was a couple of soft tacos and ice water. Instead of a speedy drive-thru experience it turned into a circus, but with a friendly outcome.

While I wish I could have gotten back to the office faster, I must say that the manager and staff of this establishment treated me really well. Here's what happened. I ordered two soft tacos and an ice water. The friendly cashier immediately asked me if would prefer bottled.

"No, thank you." I say.

He replies, "I'll have to charge you the same price as a normal drink."

"That's fine, I like the ice." I say grudgingly. He tells me total my total will be $4.19 and it appears on the screen. I thank him and pull around to the window, and he already has my ice water and straw ready. After he passes me the drink, I hand him a $20 bill, one dime, a nickel and four pennies.

I note that this guy seems young, maybe 16-17 years of age and quite possibly his first job. He seems to be really trying hard and is very friendly and polite - if a bit forced. Before he can hand me my change, another staff member hands me my tacos. I turned down the sauce offer, and she tells me that my change will be ready soon.

The young man then hands me my receipt and change. In a hurry to get back to the station, I pull away and go to put my change in my wallet when I realize that it's incorrect. The cashier had only given me $11.

I immediately park and walk into the restaurant. Thankfully it wasn't crowded inside and I was able to immediately approach a team member to discuss the mistake.

I explain the situation to another young man working the counter inside. He tells the young man about the mistake and asks him to come over. The poor guy is immediately blushing and apologetic. I felt so bad for him. I politely smiled told him it's not a big deal, "I just wanted the correct change."

I understand that mistakes happen. When I make one everybody knows about it, so I get the embarrassment. The important thing is to fix what you can, and move on. Thankfully, the manager was incredibly nice. She complimented him and said he is one of their best cashiers, so I agreed that he was very friendly, and that I understood that mistakes happen.

She returned with my correct changed, and offered me free desserts and brownies. I declined, but appreciated the effort. In short, I was impressed with their kindness and their ability to turn a bad situation into a good one. I don't frequent this restaurant, but due to their insistence to correct the transaction, and gratitude for patronizing their store I will most definitely return.