Taco Bell – Why Do I Persist!

After five hours work I have to take a break, or at least record one on my pay sheet. And no way will I work through it. I forgot to make a tasty sandwich with vegetable protein turkey, Munster cheese on delicious Dimpfelmeier bread from Canada. (Oh, and with soupcon of real French Dijon mustard.)
So I don’t want to spent a lot of time driving around in a city I’m not familiar with. First place I find for food – Taco Bell. Okay, I should be able to make this easy. Well I have to ask a lot of questions about the food – the menu has no explanations and I’m not a regular. I assume most people order anything and over time figure out what they like. Sort of a Pavlovian response.
I’m not hungry at all but need to eat something. I settle on a Taco Supreme and think I’m ordering a Classic Margarita, but make a mistake. Never mind. And a rice side dish, shouldn’t be a problem.
So what makes a Taco Supreme, supreme? Is it the garnish of sour cream? Isn’t all this stuff on a regular taco? The rice is dry and awful tasting. I get several packets of taco sauce; this can fix anything, almost.
The floor of the entry way into the place is wet with water. Just putting up the sign “Caution Wet Floor” doesn’t mean you don’t need to mop it, you warts on the ass of society. I’d rather eat in my car but I spend so much time there lately. This place doesn’t have outside tables.
Now if that’s not enough, I’ve fallen victim to the wiles of corporate advertising and am a sucker for their frozen Margaritas – proved I take it home and douce it with Tequila. Really can’t do that out in the field. So on the ride home, all the way along I-275 at 70+mph I’m thinking Margaritas!!!!
I’m gonna try that Taco Bell that did me wrong, only one mile from my less than luxury apartment. I go inside, salivating with anticipation of getting home and kicking back with a heavily doused Margarita. There is a long line inside! What the hell! I go outside and see only one car at the drive-thru. I’m not spending eternity in line.
Quick back out to my car, and zip around to the drive-thru. The concrete pelican rolls around the floor on the passenger side. (Picked it up this morning from my storage unit down near my enumeration area.) I speed up to the order box – I want the cinnamon crisp things and a LARGE classic Margarita. Real dinner I will make myself at home.
“I’m sorry but our machine that makes the Margarita’s is down.”
What!!!! Why do I let myself be lulled back just to be victimized in the corporate food empire. What are your offerings so complicated requiring complex machine that can’t reliably produce product?
It’s like Starbucks. We would not have the pick-of-the week coffee on hand. Ran out of milk. Ran out of so much product, our mantra became, “I’m sorry.” Just-in time inventory is not working! And the coffee brewer broke and one morning we had to tell regulars we had no coffee. Think about it.
Oh the horror of it. Society is so complex we can’t expect reliable delivery of the most mundane services. I was once at a that fast food place that specializes in potatoes, at the Pittsburgh airport; they ran out of potatoes. Then I went to Sbarro’s pizza who couldn’t sell me anything because their computerized register didn’t work. Let me give you the money, PLEASE, but no-o-o-oooooo, they couldn’t calculate the cost of my slice of pizza and rink.

Taco Bell – Can you Define Customer Service?

Okay, during my census enumerator hours today I had occasional difficult respondents. I felt ready to tackle fast food for dinner. I stop at the Taco Bell a mile from my apartment. Sitting area is empty, as it is at most Taco Bell’s. It is raining heavily and I thought about going to the Drive Thru but I like dealing one to one when getting my food.
I notice about 3 people standing back from the counter, looking lethargic, as if they’ve been waiting a long time. You know the zombie like look people get.
No one is waiting behind the counter with a cheery greeting. Oh wait, that’s asking too much; no one at Taco Bell ever offers a cheery greeting. And there is NO ONE at the register to take an order.
I need to review the menu. I see the Taco Salad is now a Fiesta Taco Salad. Probably hiked the price and made it small with fewer ingredients. The menu has to many items I’m not clear about. I will stick to a Taco Salad, with or without the Fiesta.
Ho hum. Wait and wait. I turn around to one of the waiting people. One man hangs his head as if asleep. Another sits in the booth starring off beyond the counter eyes in a glaze, arm propped against the banquette, head heavy in his hand. I ask him if he has been waiting long. I get a sort of shrug.
Ho hum diddle dum. Nobody from the staff even looks around, acknowledges my presence or cares a sale. And it is not like they are flying around busy. Is it siesta time perhaps? If you concentrate real hard you can probably move even slower.
A woman staff person brings over two plastic bags heavy with what looks like trash. I guess they just toss as many individual items into one bag to see how heavy it can get. Hands it off to a waiting customer with some explanation about what is on the bottom.
Finally, she is walking over to the register. Asks me something like ‘what can I get you’. I inquire about how long it will be to get a Taco Salad. “There are two orders ahead of you. Maybe 10 minutes.”
Her enthusiasm makes me translate 10 minutes into 20. I am going home to eat.
I don’t go to Taco Bell much. Really almost never. Several years ago I found a chunk of milk glass in my taco salad. I let the manager know and suggested they might want to check the salad ingredients for possible other glass. She wasn’t interested, didn’t apologize, and just didn’t care. I emailed Taco Bell the problem. They never responded.
All the times I’ve been in one of their establishments they always seem so dirty. Is Mexican food dirtier to make than hamburgers? And the staff is also slovenly.
When I walked in this Livonia store I mentally notice a big sticker on the door about customer service. When I left I turned around to read it and noted the number. “If you have a problem or issue with this store call 1-800-TACOBELL.”
So when I get home I call 1-800-TACOBELL. To speak with a representative press 1; to leave message press 2. I press 2. “We are unable to take your message; please stay on the line for a customer service representative.”
And then I’m disconnected.
WAKE UP CORPORATE AMERICA! Just putting a sign on your door doesn’t make the service better. Why do Americans put up with this shit? Are you all sheep? Sheep at least BA in protest when things aren’t right. You are worse than sheep. You deserve the e-coli in your food. It is Darwinism – filtering out the stupid sheep-people who eat that shit and put up with terrible service and mega corporations where you can’t get ahold of anyone who will take respoonsiblity.
Remember to support your local owned restaurants, if you can find any left.