If you’ve ever been asked to pull around after placing your order in a drive-thru line, it’s got to do with service metrics.
At least that’s what Mort (@mortalmore) claims as he explains why fast food chains do this. In a viral video that’s accrued over 117,000 views on TikTok, Mort explains why customers are asked to pull around. He adds, however, that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, even if commenters appeared to disagree.
Pull around, please
“If you’re ever at a drive-thru, and you pull up and there’s no one behind you, but at the window they say, ‘Hey can you pull around?’ And you don’t necessarily have a big order, you might be wondering why do they do that,” Mort says.
The TikToker then explains why this sometimes occurs at fast food locations. He states that drive-thru runs are timed. Furthermore, he says, corporate management pays close attention to how long it takes for a car to be serviced.
“Fast food places are specifically tracked on metrics about the time it takes for a car in the drive-thru, [and] to stay at the window before getting their food and leaving,” he says, citing restaurants like Taco Bell, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King.
According to Mort, it’s all about serving time analytics.
“So if there’s no one behind you, and you’re wondering why they asked me to pull around. It’s so that they can actually alter and manipulate the numbers of how fast they’re actually getting out food. The metric is not based on when the food gets made and when it gets out the window. It’s how long that car’s in the drive-thru,” he explains.
Efficiency vs quality
“Well, why do they do that,” Mort asks before explaining that management is constantly bearing down on fast food workers to increase efficiency.
“They want people in and out and get out their fast food,” he says.
This is arguably because demand has been increasing over the years. Precedence Research reports the industry took in a whopping $725 billion in 2023. Furthermore, the firm reports that by 2034, it will reach well over a trillion dollars.
Mort says that being asked to pull around isn’t necessarily a bad thing. According to the TikToker, this results in a greater chance of receiving an accurate order.
He says, “Personally I don’t really care about the metrics … if I’m told to pull around, almost every time, I get my food made correctly and I’m not missing any items. But if they rush it at the window, nine times out of 10 I’m gonna miss something or an order’s gonna be made incorrectly.”
“But now that you have this information, don’t use that as an excuse to say no, I’m not gonna wait here. Cause I know you’re manipulating your metrics. Just f*cking pull up dude,” he concludes.
TikTokers share their opinions
The Daily Dot has previously reported on this drive-thru phenomena. Other TikTok users have also echoed Mort’s sentiments, stating that fast food locations scrutinize drive-thru productivity.
But while Mort says that he’s always benefited from “pulling around,” some commenters responded that this isn’t always the case.
“They ALWAYS forget about you when they do that. I HATE when they ask me to pull up,” one person wrote.
“Most the time I pull around wait 10/ 20 mins and something is still wrong,” another echoed.
One user argued that complying with this approach only helps the problem get worse.
They wrote, “But that alters the data, and then they don’t get to hire the people they need, or get the training they need, or get the system fixed like it needs.”
@mortalmore What do you think about Drive Through windows telling you to pull around? #drivethru #fastfood #fyp #tacobell #corporate ♬ original sound – mortalmore
“I’ve started saying no thanks, because they say they are waiting for fries. You mean the next 7 cars had no fries or did they forget me?” someone else stated.
The Daily Dot reached out to Mort via TikTok comment, and Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and McDonald’s via email for further information.
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