Pamestique 

I admit; I do the drive thru line thing at lunch alot. I have only about 20 minutes to get out and get food and get back.

Del Taco is a fast food mexican place like Taco Bell only much better. The best thing its cheap. I can get a taco, a small burrito and a medium ice tea for $2.30.

So I drive through. There is one car ahead of me. Its one of those newer VW bugs (which I think are ugly) I see two women in it. There is an DT employee outside taking orders. They chat back and forth for at least 10 minutes. The line behind me is now backing up and a mess. I finally get my turn and say "good grief what were they doing - refinancing a house???" She replies "No but close. They ordered $38 worth of food - enjoy your wait!!!" Obviously she was as ticked as I!

OK People - Drive thru etiquette:

1) Before you get in line have some idea what you want. Don't spend time asking "so...what's in that?" or "How big are the portions?" If you have questions, GO INSIDE!

2) 2 order per car maximum - period. Only exception is a mom with some kids. Otherwise GO INSIDE!

3) Don't change your order at the pick up window. Get it right the first time. If you have a grievance, GO INSIDE!

4) If you are lonely, go to park and annoy people there. Telling the employee your life story is not OK especially when there are people behind you!

This is my public service annoucement... have a good day!

BTW I had to wait 16 minutes for my food because it took that long to complete the stupid womens' order. With the 10 minutes before I was late back to work. Not cool!

Keith99

You don't want to wait in the drive through line.......

GO INSIDE

Doohickie 

Sorry, but I fail to see why you think you have priority over the people in line ahead of you, regardless of how big their order is.

jon c. 

I eat a cliff bar at my desk. I'd sooner starve than eat fast food from a chain.

But if you get people to cooperate with those suggestions, next you can take on the people who decide to address and stamp their envelopes while sitting in front of the drive up mailboxes at the post office, oblivious to the line of people behind them who just want to throw their mail in the box and be on their way.

bigbenaugust 

Del Taco? Chili Fries!

noisebeam

The outrage! They shoulda helped cook it too.

Bring a sandwich, no lines, no wait, no nasties.

Sixty Fiver

I can see how you may have driven up and then found yourself trapped behind some people who were making a big order and they should have considered going in and waiting but that might be expecting too much.

But this is really a first world problem.

I don't use the drive through unless I am on my bike...

Sixty Fiver

If you had the option to back out, you should have taken that.

ericy

Me too. Every once in a while the wife wants to go through the drive-through at McD's. I would rather open up and eat a can of cat food myself. On crackers it probably wouldn't be that bad - sort of like pate, except I call it cate.

Pamestique 

No option to back out - by the time i realized what had happened 6 cars were behind me.

Lesson learned, I usually bring my lunch but just sometimes I need to grocery shop so I go out and get something. DT is usually my first choice as it is fast and convenient. But I am one of those people who think there should be posted rules... Drive thru are for people in a hurry... but that's just me! It's not a matter of who has priority - its a matter of common courtesy. But sadly people don't know what that is anymore.

BTW in the state of CA you cannot drive thru on a bike - you are considered ot be a pedestrian. Trust me I have tried this before!

noisebeam

FIFY. Drive thru is only a convenience for people who don't want to get out of their cars.

jon c. 

BTW in the state of CA you cannot drive thru on a bike - you are considered ot be a pedestrian.

For those who can remember the days before ATM machines, that used to be a real problem trying to get money out of a bank on a Saturday when only the drive through lines were open.

Sometimes I'd have to park my bike and prevail on an auto driver to let me sit in their car and do my transaction when they were doing theirs. But that was hard to do because after all, who's going to trust a man who doesn't own a car.

bigbenaugust 

I tried to walk through a drive through in AZ once. I was on a walk from my hotel, it was 10pm, I needed some food. I was the only person in line. This was a few years ago before all of the fast food places were open all the time, so the dining room was closed. They must not have had a camera, because they didn't notice I was on foot until I was at the pickup window and then they refused to give me my verrry late dinner to me. So I said fine, and walked away.

Mr. Beanz

IMO, drive thru is for those people too lazy to get out of their cars and walk their arses to the counter.

Drive thru is for to go orders, so are walk in to go orders. Who knows and who cares who else is in a bigger hurry?

I've stepped up to a counter before to order and just as I begin, "DING". Hold on please I have a car. I've expressed my opinion many times to counter waiters. So if I'm too lazy to get out of my car to order, I have to wait for someone who arrived after me? Sorry sir, may I take your order?

Same with phone orders. Can't count the times I've been interrupted by phone orders while I am ordering. I have a **** fit when they put me on hold for a phone order. No, you are taking my order cause I was next and not too friggin' lazy to walk my ass into your joint.

bigbenaugust 

We're not all lazy. Some of us have small kids and would rather eat it at home than make a spectacle of ourselves in a restaurant.

Keith99

One of the few fast food places I actually choose for the food is In-And-Out.

There just what the Drive Through line means can depend on the location.

For the 2 close to home it has a huge element of "There is no where to Park". It sure is NOT for I'm in a hurry. When there was only one near me I woudl sometimes park half a block away and walk because it was still much faster. For the one far away from home (but near where I went to College so a stop when I'm back there and need food) the drive through is clearly for those to lazy to leave their cars. At least for any time of the day I have been there. I always walk in to save time.

In a hurry is always walk in time for me, except for places where I can see the line, the whole line, before comitting to the drive through. And if in a real hurry not even then if ther is still anyone still in line to order.

Mr. Beanz

There are many many times I see 1 customer inside and a line full of cars. I get served before most even order. Common sense says you are going to be waiting much longer in the drive.

As far as the samll child thing, I can say we had a 1 year old, a 3, a 4 and a 6 and never had problmes making spectacles of ourselves in a restaurant. Not to mention Del Taco isn't like a quiet fine dining joint. But even in a nice quiet place, we never had problems. If anything, we got lots of compliments on how well behaved our children were.

caloso

One more reason to support your LTT (local taco truck).

GP 

All the taco stands in OC and you go to Del Taco?

Fish burrito.


Chile relleno burrito.


Most of them have drive throughs.

Mr. Beanz

Last time I hit up a taco truck, I got chased by a SoCal forum member (works for La Migra) cause he didn't recognize me without a helmet.

____asdfghjkl

Ohhh now I want a burrito.

caloso

Pro tip: Look for a place that has soccer trophies and an icon of La Virgen. If it offers chivo, lengua, sesos, and weenies, that's your place.

bigbenaugust 

Our oldest (2.5) is pretty easily distracted. I guess most toddlers are. But he's okay if the food comes up pretty quick. Maybe we don't carry enough toys for him or something. And our youngest (7mo) is just getting to the point where she's experimenting with food. They're plenty well-behaved, but somewhat messy. I guess it's more of a mess thing than a behavior thing. He's getting better about it, though... but she's just starting.

Anyways, we're NEVER EVER EVER in a fast-food chain place because of my wife's diet (SCD, no sugars, no sweeteners, no starches), so it's all hole-in-the-wall taquerias and sometimes middle eastern or greek places (cuisines that don't use sugar) and such for us.

no1mad 

Having never eaten at Del Taco, but married to someone who was stationed near San Diego for a time while in the Navy- and won't shut up about the chili fries- I'm fairly sure my family could drop $38 on the first visit. We will have the decency to order inside at the counter (you don't get free drink refills out the drive thru window).

caloso

Now that I think about it, the Wonder Twins' first sit-down restaurant experience was at a local Mexican place. Nothing better for a little kid than refried beans.