[Cerek the Barbaric]

I worked at a McDonald's for 6 years (through high school and college). I can tell you unequivocally that there is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for screwing up an order in the middle of the afternoon when there are no other customers around.

Actually, there is no excuse for any reason to mess up your order like that. I can't speak for the other chains, but McD's had a good system for writing down (or printing out now) any special order.

A lot also has to do with the owner of the franchise. The owners of the store I worked at had really high standards (relatively speaking), then the husband was killed in an auto accident and the wife sold the franchise.

The new owner has let the store "go to the dogs". I get angry and sad every time I go there, because none of the employee's give a whit about the type of job they do. It's truly pathetic. It's not that they mess your order up on purpose, it's just that they don't care one way or another if you get what you want.