A Nashville father recently had a bad experience at McDonald’s with his three young children. Adam Lee Weber shared what happened in a video that got thousands of views. He wondered if fast food restaurants are now trying to stop customers from eating inside their stores.
Weber has three kids who are all under 10 years old. He remembered that going to McDonald’s in the early 1990s was exciting. Back then, the restaurants had Play Places, and the workers were “smiley and happy to see us.” He wanted his own kids to have a similar experience, but what he found was very different.
The first problem was that the family couldn’t order from a person. According to BroBible, they had to use a kiosk instead. After they sat down and waited for their food, Weber needed to get a worker’s attention just to ask for ketchup for his family of five.
Fast food chains now prioritize drive-thru and delivery over dine-in customers
Weber said in his TikTok video that the employee looked at his large group and only gave him three small ketchup packets. When Weber asked for more, saying, “Bud, come on. We got kids. I need some more,” the worker went to the back and came back with only four packets total. Weber was surprised by the attitude and said the employee had “No personality. Just upset we’re inside.”
The family quickly used up their ketchup, so Weber had to lean over the counter to get another staff member’s attention for more. He said the workers seemed “disgusted that I was even talking.” He also noticed that customers can’t get their own fountain drinks anymore. If you want a refill, you now have to find a worker to do it for you.
Weber said this isn’t just happening at McDonald’s. He felt the same unwelcoming treatment at Taco Bell, where the bathrooms were locked. Workers even turned away an older woman who didn’t want to use the automated ordering kiosk. This isn’t the first time McDonald’s customers have shared their unusual restaurant experiences online.
Many people online agreed that the dine-in experience has gotten worse since the pandemic. It seems like restaurants want everything to be automated and efficient, which makes the dining area feel unwelcoming. One person said it felt “sterile and uninviting,” as if the restaurant is telling customers to “eat here then GTFO.”
Fast food restaurants make more money from drive-thru orders and delivery services now, so they don’t want people sitting inside. They use automation to hire fewer employees, and the workers they do have focus on high-volume orders for drive-thru and delivery, not on helping people eating at tables. Some customers have even reported finding questionable things at McDonald’s locations that raise concerns about standards.
People online said the atmosphere has become “misery and gray” with no music, no self-serve stations, and limited seating. Many customers also said they can’t justify paying high prices when the experience is so poor, and staff make them feel like they’re in the way.
