Looking for a convenient meal? Takeout's the deal... except when what you save in price costs you in reliability, time, and broken apps. If you're looking to grab takeout for dinner tonight, watch out for these chains.
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00:00Looking for a convenient meal?
00:02Takeout's the deal.
00:03Except when what you save in price costs you in reliability,
00:06time, and broken apps.
00:08If you're looking to grab takeout for dinner tonight,
00:10watch out for these chains.
00:12Panera Bread has been serving up soups,
00:14sandwiches, and other breakfast and lunch favorites since 1987.
00:18As one of the pioneers in mobile ordering
00:20and pickup-only locations,
00:22the company's emphasis on takeout is well-established.
00:25Panera. Solving crunch time and dinner with one easy swipe.
00:28Thus, if you need your to-go order fast,
00:30you might assume Panera's a safe place to stop.
00:33But for delivery drivers and customers alike,
00:35long wait times are a common complaint.
00:37In fact, a DoorDash driver admitted on Reddit
00:40that they'll deny a Panera request on-site
00:42unless it's an order large enough to make up for the time
00:45and subsequent deliveries they'll lose waiting.
00:47We can't say we blame them,
00:48but it is rather surprising that a company as takeout-forward as Panera
00:52could struggle with pushing out to-go orders in a timely fashion.
00:56Steak & Shake's milkshakes and burgers
00:58have made it a major contender in the fast food industry.
01:01But with hundreds of locations across the U.S.
01:03serving up fries, franks, and more,
01:05the chain is working with a whole lot of grease.
01:08And according to both diners and delivery drivers,
01:10Steak & Shake's to-go bags show it.
01:12In a Reddit thread where DoorDashers discussed
01:14their least favorite restaurants to pick up takeout orders,
01:17one driver wrote,
01:18"'Mine is Steak & Shake.
01:19Their bags are always full of grease
01:21and I can barely stand the smell of the food.
01:23It's so greasy my car smells like grease for an hour after I deliver it.'"
01:26Complaints of greasy entrees and soaked-through carryout bags
01:29spread across online platforms, from TikTok to TripAdvisor.
01:33This may not be a major problem for everyone,
01:35but if the sight or smell of greasy paper makes your stomach flip,
01:38you might consider eating at a different chain,
01:40or opt to eat your order in-restaurant,
01:42where the grease won't have as much time to coagulate.
01:44In any case, we wish you a happy, grease-free meal
01:47next time you hit Steak & Shake.
01:49There's nothing worse than peeling open a steaming bag of takeout
01:52to find that the sandwich, burrito, or quesadilla you requested isn't there.
01:57Oh no! What has just happened?
02:00If you want to avoid the sinking feeling that comes with a messed-up order,
02:03you may want to reconsider choosing Taco Bell for your next takeout stop.
02:07The Southwestern fast-food chain is notorious for consistent order errors,
02:11and this is especially true of takeout.
02:13One fast-food subreddit is littered with posts, complaints, and questions
02:17regarding incorrect or absent items emerging from their to-go bags.
02:21As one customer wrote,
02:22I forgot to check my drive-through order once
02:24and realized when I got home that all of my items had beef instead of the chicken I had ordered.
02:29According to comments on the Taco Bell subreddit,
02:31you can allegedly post an official ticket on the company's website
02:34after an order mishap to get a refund or complimentary coupons.
02:38But if you don't want to escalate it to that level,
02:40the majority of Taco Bell locations should make it right with a simple phone call.
02:44Just be prepared for the possibility of a mistake going into your next order
02:48off the cantina chicken menu.
02:50There are few things less appetizing than a cold fast-food burger,
02:53so keeping your beefy, cheesy entree warm is of paramount importance
02:57if you want to fully enjoy it when you peel open your takeout bag.
03:00But the chances of a McDonald's burger order surviving the drive home
03:04without getting chilly are slim to none.
03:06It certainly calls ads like this into question.
03:08The hottest, juiciest quarter pounder yet.
03:11It's perfect. Made perfecter.
03:13Delivery and takeout orders from the restaurant giant
03:15are frequently called out for being cold on arrival across online platforms,
03:19with many trying to figure out why.
03:21One DoorDash driver on Reddit claims this phenomenon stems from
03:24the corporation's tendency to package hot food in the same vessel as cold drinks,
03:29thus bringing the temperature of the food down considerably.
03:32Another self-professed delivery person divulged that there is often
03:35a huge delay between when an order is made and when it's handed off to the driver.
03:39This lengthy rest time can often result in a lukewarm cheeseburger
03:43by the time it reaches the customer.
03:45Whatever the truth, McDonald's may be a place you want to order in-house
03:48and sit down at a table the old-fashioned way if you want to maintain the heat.
03:52One of the major appeals of ordering takeout is convenience,
03:55so having to park and walk inside for pickup anyway may defeat the purpose.
03:59If you're specifically seeking a spot where you'll be handed your meal
04:02directly from a drive-thru, pickup window, or curbside parking spot,
04:06Wendy's may not be the place for your upcoming to-go order.
04:09According to Wendy's workers, delivery drivers, and customers on Reddit,
04:13many of the fast food chain's locations require that takeout orders
04:16be picked up inside, directly off the counter.
04:19While this unofficial store-dependent policy annoys many customers,
04:22it is allegedly upheld in an attempt to keep customer traffic and order backup
04:27to a minimum for kitchen employees.
04:29According to some workers, customers who order in-store are given priority,
04:33and mobile takeout orders, and the comforts of the people who place them, come second.
04:37Love it or hate it, you should go into your Wendy's mobile order prepared for this reality.
04:43Anyone can appreciate a good estimated wait time after pressing order on an app,
04:47but what happens when that supposedly accurate wait time isn't accurate at all?
04:51Potentially, a whole lot of frustration and time wasted in a parking lot.
04:55It may take time.
04:56Time? We don't have time!
04:58Starbucks is one of those restaurant chains that graciously provides mobile app users
05:02with an estimated wait time, but folks who've used the chain's takeout ordering system
05:06report these approximations often feel painfully inaccurate.
05:10Numerous employees seem to confirm this, with one writing in the Starbucks subreddit,
05:14We can sometimes have your order ready in 90 seconds, or it may take 20 minutes.
05:18I don't think the app really adjusts realistically.
05:21Another self-professed barista said that workers are clueless as to what factors
05:25the app actually takes into account to generate wait times,
05:28and that it isn't able to detect things like store busyness.
05:31All in all, we'd suggest taking your Starbucks wait time with a grain of salt,
05:35and building in some extra time for delays.
05:39Whether it's a post-party craving or a simple case of the evening munchies,
05:43ordering takeout late at night is almost always a satisfying decision.
05:46Unless, apparently, you're ordering from fast food powerhouse KFC,
05:50where a strange recurring incident involving the company's evening entree selection
05:54may just send you to a competitor instead.
05:56According to dissatisfied customers and delivery drivers on Reddit,
06:00KFC locations running completely out of chicken in the latter hours of the day
06:04is a relatively frequent occurrence.
06:06Even worse, these shortages are often not advertised up front.
06:09Unfortunate doordashers have reported incidents in which they arrive
06:12at a KFC location to pick up a takeout order,
06:15only to learn the restaurant is out of chicken.
06:17Naturally, this ends in disappointment, wasted time, and irritation all around.
06:21So, the next time a late night hankering for fried chicken comes knocking,
06:25you may just want to settle for the old-fashioned method
06:28of calling your location to place an order.
06:30At least then, you can have someone confirm whether or not
06:33there's still chicken in the icebox.
06:36Pizza delivery boxes can be a slippery slope, literally.
06:39The combination of cardboard and steam can have unfortunate consequences for crust,
06:44which can go soggy quickly in the recesses of a delivery van.
06:47A well-vented box, a timely delivery window,
06:50and an appropriate amount of sauce, oily cheeses, and other moist elements
06:54can all influence whether your pie will be sloppy or firm
06:57by the time it gets to your plate.
06:59But while Papa John's may be meeting at least the first two of these conditions
07:02in regard to its takeout and delivery orders,
07:05it doesn't appear to be meeting the third.
07:07There are numerous reports of soggy pizzas by consumers online,
07:10all of which seem to have their origins in the pizza ingredients themselves.
07:14Complaints of wet pizzas abound when it comes to Papa John's pies,
07:17which don't appear to survive box takeout journeys well.
07:20Based on comments made by alleged employees,
07:22this is caused, in part, by canned toppings.
07:25Some workers divulge that they are instructed against draining things
07:28like tomatoes, jalapenos, and olives prior to putting them on pizzas.
07:33In other instances, over-saucing appears to play a role.
07:36While we're confident these slippery methods aren't employed
07:39at every Papa John's location,
07:41the possibility is certainly enough to make us question our plans
07:44for our next pizza night.
07:46In the 21st century, we use our phones for everything
07:49from taking pictures to sending emails to...
07:51You guessed it.
07:52...ordering takeout.
07:53Thus, having a working mobile application
07:55has become incredibly important for modern restaurants,
07:58whose total number of daily orders
08:00often depend on the ease and workability of their apps.
08:03But in the case of Crumble Cookies,
08:05a seriously lacking mobile app could lead to stores missing out on orders.
08:09The company's faulty ordering app is allegedly behind many customers
08:12not receiving their takeout cookies,
08:14despite a successful delivery notification.
08:16As a result, a string of angry threads have popped up online.
08:20As one customer wrote on Reddit,
08:21I've ordered Crumble twice through their app.
08:23However, my orders keep not getting picked up and canceled.
08:26Is there a way to tip better through the app
08:28so I can actually get my orders delivered?
08:30Problems with signing in, website cookies, and deliveries are so frequent,
08:34multiple YouTube troubleshooting videos promising help
08:37for a successful Crumble order have come out.
08:39In this case, we think we'll stick to walking inside our local bakery
08:42and selecting a treat instead.
08:44It seems inconceivable that any modern-day restaurant
08:47would disable its mobile order option,
08:49but according to alleged employees online,
08:51the Burger King chain can, and often will, opt to do just that.
08:56Mobile ordering is currently unavailable,
08:58reads the title of one frustrated customer's post
09:01on the Burger King subreddit.
09:02They wrote,
09:03Why has mobile ordering in my area suddenly just disappeared?
09:06It started two weeks ago, and it's every BK that shows up
09:09within 25 miles, 10 locations.
09:12Is this a common thing?
09:13It's really bizarre.
09:14I've checked the app on friends' phones, and it's the same story.
09:17Complaints about inconsistencies surrounding Burger King's
09:20half-on, half-off mobile ordering system abound on online forums,
09:24and this disconcerting occurrence has thrown a wrench
09:27in the takeout plans of many.
09:28Workers admit that app shutoffs are often performed intentionally
09:32at certain franchised Burger King locations,
09:34usually in an effort to slow down order traffic
09:37on the basis of staffing shortages or other operational issues.
09:40We can empathize with trying to avoid a backed-up kitchen,
09:43but if the app on your phone is your preferred method
09:46for placing an order,
09:47these inconsistencies could make your local Burger King
09:50less than convenient.
09:51When it comes to ordering takeout
09:53from build-it-yourself style eateries,
09:55you inherently take on a bit more risk.
09:57Since you won't be there to monitor the scoops
09:59of various entrees and sides offered up by your chain of choice,
10:02there's no way to control exactly how much of each
10:05will end up in your to-go box.
10:07Often, you won't even see any order mistakes
10:09or ingredients skimping until you're at home,
10:11when it's too late to change anything.
10:13Sadly, this disappointing scenario seems to apply to Chipotle.
10:16Customers consistently litter online threads
10:19with claims that workers at the company
10:21dish out noticeably smaller scoops
10:23and minute portions for delivery and takeout orders.
10:26As one Redditor wrote,
10:27"...yeah, you absolutely cannot order Chipotle online.
10:30You need to go in and literally tell them,
10:32can I get more of that for each ingredient?
10:34If you're concerned about getting the most bang for your buck,
10:37you might want to consider walking up to the counter
10:39the next time you want to build a Chipotle bowl."
10:42Accidents happen,
10:43and anything from a mistake on an entree
10:45to a cold side dish to a ripped bag
10:47resulting in a waterfall of french fries
10:49is a possibility when you get takeout.
10:51But while these might be a one-time occurrence,
10:53what if the off-putting issue in question is not a mistake,
10:56but a permanent policy affecting your pocketbook?
10:58Waffle House has always upheld an automatic 10% upcharge
11:01on all of its takeout orders.
11:03This, according to employees,
11:05is allegedly to make up for the lack of tips
11:07that the servers assigned to these contactless orders will receive.
11:10More recently, however,
11:12it appears that a second double charge,
11:14one amassing a whopping 20% in total,
11:16has been tacked onto takeout at many locations,
11:19with a reported breakdown of 10% for supplies
11:22and 10% for service.
11:23Whether or not you're comfortable consistently
11:25forking up this extra cash in the name of convenience
11:28is up to you.
11:29But one thing's for sure,
11:30when it comes to Waffle House,
11:31you'd better be ready to spend in the name of takeout.
11:40Waffle House