A former McDonald’s employee says one customer managed to score a free sandwich almost every day by pulling off a trick that reminded her of one of SpongeBob SquarePants’ most memorable gags. In a TikTok, creator Chi recalled how the man allegedly ate one of his sandwiches in the parking lot before driving back through the lane to claim the restaurant had forgotten it.
According to Chi, who posted the story on TikTok, the customer would order the exact same meal every visit: “a double cheeseburger, a McChicken, a small fry, and a large Coke.” After collecting his order, she said he would park, eat one sandwich, then return to the drive-thru insisting employees had forgotten it.
Chi said she worked the back drive-thru window, where she claimed she could clearly see the customer eating one of the sandwiches before driving back around. “No, we did not forget your sandwich, you ate it,” she recalled thinking as she watched him finish his food before circling back for a replacement. She added that the routine became so frequent employees eventually realized the complaints weren’t genuine.
The free sandwich routine could only last so long
Chi said the restaurant initially honored the complaints because staff believed they had made an error. By the second and third incidents, however, employees became suspicious. “You think we’re stupid,” she joked, recalling the crew’s reaction after the same scenario played out multiple days in a row.
She said she eventually told her manager, “I can see him eating the sandwiches. We’re not forgetting to put the sandwiches in the bag, he’s eating them.”
According to Chi, the manager said the district manager was already aware of the situation but had instructed employees to “just let it fly” while the location worked to improve its secret shopper scores. The story is one of several recent viral moments involving fast-food workers and difficult customers, including a McDonald’s employee who refused to serve a customer after repeated run-ins.
@_doseofchi He did this for 3 weeks straight. The only time he did not come in was the weekends. #storytime #fastfood #mcdonalds
♬ original sound – Chi | Dallas Creator
That approach allegedly came to an end during the customer’s next visit. Chi said the customer returned the next day, placed his usual order, and parked in the same spot to eat before looping back through the drive-thru. This time, her manager walked outside through the employee entrance and stood beside the man’s car while he finished his sandwich.
“This man is so in love with his sandwich that he doesn’t even see her standing and watching him,” she joked. She said the customer only realized he’d been caught when he put the car in reverse and noticed her manager waiting outside.
Viewers were just as amused by the story, with many immediately drawing the same comparison as Chi. “I instantly thought of the pickle guy 🤣,” one person wrote, referencing the classic SpongeBob SquarePants episode where a customer hides pickles under his tongue to fake a complaint. Chi replied, “Lol he was him in human form.”
Others questioned why the alleged scam lasted as long as it did. “Why did he keep going to the same location,” another commenter asked, while someone else wondered why employees didn’t simply ask him to verify the order before leaving the drive-thru, writing, “Why not have him open the bag and verify? Or actually leave a sandwich out?”
While Chi’s story stands out for its SpongeBob-style twist, restaurant managers are often the ones tasked with stepping in when customer disputes escalate. That was also the case in another McDonald’s incident where a manager shut down a customer arguing over ordering just before closing.
Chi closed the story with the same comparison many viewers had made. “I can’t help but to think that he got this idea from SpongeBob,” she said. “Do y’all remember the guy who was hiding the pickles under his tongue? They’re two of the same people.”
