You would think that ordering from a fast food restaurant isn’t that hard. But if you talked to a fast food worker, you’d know better.
TikTok creator Maya (@aa.mayaaaaaaaa) regularly posts content about the quirks of working at Taco Bell to more than 6,000 followers. Last month, she uploaded a viral video about working the drive-thru that had viewers rushing to the comments to commiserate.
The video has almost 3 million views and more than 371,000 likes.
“Hi, what can I get for you?” Maya says into a drive-thru headset in the video skit.
The unseen “customer” orders a No. 10.
Maya asks what they’d like for the drink that comes with the meal.
“Um, I don’t want the drink. I just want the burrito,” the customer replies.
“So, you don’t want the combo then?” Maya asks.
“No, I want the combo, just the burrito by itself,” the customer says.
The video ends with Maya beset by comic frustration.
Viewers really felt Maya’s pain. One commenter wrote, “or they’ll say not the combo then end up ordering a combo separately.” Another viewer replied, “Nah if they do that they getting charged for that all separately (I do this all the time).” Someone else replied, “really depends on the person for me. i call it stupids fee.”
“As an ex [Taco Bell] employee this is so real man,” another person wrote.
“I work at McDonald’s and this drives me Insane,” a comment read.
“This was me today at work at [Chick-fil-A]. I guess everybody doesn’t have common sense,” one viewer commented. Maya replied, “Working in fast food makes you realize how stupid people can be.”
Several commenters posted their own versions of frustrating customer service interactions: “‘do you want me to make that a combo?’ ‘no i just want the sub, chips, and drink.’” Another variation: “‘Anything else for you today?’ ‘Yes’ …… silence ‘okay what can I get for you’ ‘nothing that’s everything.’”
@aa.mayaaaaaaaa #fyp #fastfood #tacobell #relatable ♬ original sound – Maya ❤️🔥
“I’ll ask if they want the combo and they’ll be like ‘no just the sandwich’ they get to the window and be like ‘where my drink’ huhhhhh,” a viewer chimed in.
One commenter wrote, “the worst is when fast food employees visit other fast food places, and do this.”
“The way people used to test my sanity. Working fast food is not for the weak,” someone else commented.
“At my old job, this lady asked for a cheese pizza with pepperoni on it so I had said ‘a pepperoni pizza ma’am?’ She said no a cheese pizza with pep,” one viewer wrote.
Some commenters came with encouragement: “be strong queen we have all been there with those type of people.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Maya via TikTok and Taco Bell via email.
TikTok has become a forum for fast food workers to share their most vexing customer interactions. One worker said a customer parked in the drive-thru for 20 minutes to eat her breakfast. And a McDonald’s drive-thru worker complained about customers who ask for sauce at the window instead of during their order.