It’s pretty standard to check your order when picking up a meal, and sometimes it pays off when there are things missing, or when there are unexpected additions. Recently, TikToker Alyssa (@lmaojaundice) discovered that a free drink offered by a Sonic worker contained tea spouts soaking in carbonated water.
@lmaojaundice @SONIC Drive-In what are you going to do about this im devastated #fyp #foryoupage ♬ Let The Light In – Lana Del Rey
In the short clip, Alyssa zooms in on the Sonic cup of carbonated water with two tea spouts floating in it. She removes the spouts and dunks them in and out of the cup.
A text overlay reads: “Ayo???? Sonic man asked if we wanted an extra drink.”
Her video was viewed over 1 million times, and sparked a flood of laughter and stories of other items discovered in drive-thru orders.
One user explained that the tea nozzles are placed into carbonated water when a restaurant closes for the night.
Then Alyssa elaborated on the bizarre interaction she had with the Sonic worker who handed her the tea spout beverage: “The employee was giggling when he handed it to me too.”
Many believed that the worker did it on purpose, and that they must be quitting.
“Bro def put his 2 weeks in today,” a user said.
“This just made me laugh even harder. Bros quitting for sure,” agreed a second.
“Oh he’s quitting tonight,” joked a third.
Alyssa wasn’t alone in receiving the tea spouts in her Sonic beverage. Others shared their own stories of receiving restaurant equipment in their food.
“THIS HAPPENED TO ME THEY GAVE ME 7 FREE DRINK CHIPS,” a user shared.
“My dad got one of the foam things from the headphones in his burger once,” another said.
“This happened to me at McDonald’s South Station in Boston. I brought it back next time I was in the city and they put it back on the machine,” a third replied.
One user claimed not to have received tea spouts but another type of kitchen tool, writing, “Someone at Sonic left their whole glove in my burrito one time lmao,” a user said.
The restaurant industry has undergone many changes since the pandemic. Rising costs and staff shortages have altered the speed and quality of service, and according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, customers are less happy with their experiences eating out than they were in previous years.
Since the pandemic, many fast food chains also implemented mobile applications and interactive kiosks to ensure client satisfaction despite being short-staffed, but now these same apps have increased customers’ expectations, and workers are struggling to keep up.
The Daily Dot reached out to Alyssa via TikTok comments and Sonic via email for further information.
