A TikTok video went viral after a Dutch Bros. Coffee customer called out a drive-thru employee for being overly chatty with a customer who was ahead of them in line, significantly delaying their ability to pick up their order and exit the car queue.
User Daniel (@dannyy.p87) joked about how far the worker was leaning out the window while visiting a Dutch Bros. location, writing in the caption, “They love a good car tour!!”
@dannyy.p87 They love a good car tour!! 🤣 #AllJokes #DutchBros #work #Coffee #Rebel #getin #xyzbca ♬ original sound – $
In the video, an employee of the franchise can be seen leaning out of the window and smiling as they speak to a customer. In the food service industry, drive-thru efficiency is a hot topic of conversation and there are even some restaurants that have specific trackers activated each day that closely monitor the amount of time employees spend on each transaction.
Some fast-food employees have been seen using a “metal sheet hack” that fools the system into thinking more cars have passed through the drive-thru, which fudges statistics and decreases the average wait time for each transaction.
Viewers of Daniel’s video had varying opinions when it came to employee’s prolonged conversations with customers. Some patrons said that they enjoy the extended discussions, while a few workers stated that they, too, tend to be chatty with customers.
“Nah Fr I be hoping out the window to talk to the customers,” one TikToker wrote. Another penned, “I love it honestly.”
Others claimed that they’ve been placed in extremely awkward situations when discussing non-transactional matters with patrons.
“One time the guy was asking me how my day was and I told him my bf and I broken up and he didn’t say anything after,” one user recalled.
Some, however, said that they loathe having drawn-out convos in the drive-thru.
One commenter noted, “I had to pretend I was on a phone call so I didn’t have to talk them.” Someone else said, “I always pretend I’m doing something else to avoid talking to them.”
For some drive-thru shoppers, they use the delays to their advantage, like one TikToker who said, “no fr the I got my drink free because they were talking to the car in front of me for like 5 minutes.”
It appears that employees have long attempted to strike the balance between fulfilling their job duties while simultaneously helping customers feel like they are welcome. A 2015 Forbes article highlighted an employee’s ire with a manager who told them to “stop wasting time talking to customers.” However, there are also plenty of think-pieces that come up with strategies that give workers tips on “connecting” with customers to help improve sales.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Daniel via TikTok comment and Dutch Bros via email for further information.
