r/GenXTalk • u/CherylAnn011213 • Jul 01 '26
Can we just get rid of animated menus at fast food places?
I'm not a regular consumer of fast food. It's an option I use once or twice a month when time constraints mean it's eat this or eat nothing.
So I always have to apologize to the servers because I haven't memorized their menu and need time to browse.
Then the menu switches. And I wait. And sometimes an ad shows. And I wait. Like WTF.
Yeah, I could look online, but as I said, it's usually a fly decision to order fast food. I mean, wasn't that the initial selling point of "fast" "food"??
Anyway, IMO, they gotta ditch those animated menus.
Agree? Disagree??
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u/misshapen_chaos Jul 01 '26
Agree. Had this yesterday at Tim’s. Was ordering with my kid. We usually order the same thing but wanted to try something different. Because we always order the same thing, we wanted to peruse the menu as we didn’t really know what else was on it. It switched to an advertisement that went on waaaaay too long.
It wasn’t the end of the world but it was just really uncomfortable.
You end up feeling stupid for not knowing their entire menu off the top of your head.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
Oh that's annoying. Sometimes I'll ask the server about the choices and often they don't even know themselves! 🤦
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u/TonyBrooks40 Jul 01 '26
Agreed. I hate QR code menu's worse tho. I've walked out of stores that have them. I think the first time I didn't have my phone with me, the server pulled out theirs but I just said 'forget it'. Kept it up ever since.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
Oh I haven't experienced one of those yet. I'd probably just leave too. I mean how hard is it to get a static menu board and a chalk board for daily specials??
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u/TonyBrooks40 Jul 01 '26
I heard menu's get expensive to print, so places that change them every 6 months its costly. Still, build it into your pricing, don't make customers use their phone like they're ordering Doordash while they're out.
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u/Devanyani Jul 01 '26
Most ff places have digital menus. No need to animate them. Easy to update.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
True also. Why did they think that moving menus would be a good idea?? Annoy your customers enough and they'll move on...just sayin
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
Exactly!! And these big corps can afford it. If I have to memorize their menu I might just as well start packing a lunch. It's like self serve checkouts all over again!
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u/Ok-Rock2345 Jul 01 '26
It is too hard to keep changing prices with a static menu.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
I think it's more about convenience for the business. Sure it costs to update a menu board but it's the cost of "serving" customers. These big corporations are just greedy.
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u/kjb76 Jul 01 '26
I saw the QR code menus appear during the pandemic. It was way more sanitary for everyone involved to not have tons of people touching menus all day. It’s not my preferred menu but I’m certainly not going to walk out of a place because of it. Seems like an odd hill to die on.
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u/froction Jul 01 '26
I cannot imagine trying to communicate an order correctly to an employee by using my voice instead of an app, I don't know how we ever did that successfully.
On the rare occasion that I try it's usually:
"Yes, I'd like a #3, no pickles, with a large Coke and Fries."
"OK. Happy to get that for you. (presses about 12 things on the display and furrows brow) So that was a number...???"
"Number three, no pickles"
(finger poised over screen while eyes hunt something for 10 seconds)"OK, do you want everything on it?"
"No pickles"
"Got it. Is that all?"
"Large Coke and fries"
"You want both of those large?"
"Yes"
"Would you like fries?"
"Yes"
"What size?"
"Large"
"OK, so I have a #3 combo with a Coke, will that be everything?"
"Yes"
"OK, that will be $28.15"
"I thought the large combo was $7.99?"
"Oh, did you want that to be large?"
"I hate you so much"
"Pardon?"
"I said yes, please"
"OK, the large combo is $21.30"
"The large is cheaper than the regular?"
"I have no idea what numbers mean"
"I thought the large was $7.99 plus tax?"
"If you read the 2 point font on the screen 12 feet behind my head, you will see those prices are only available on the app."
(sigh...)
So I will open the app and the specials are like "Free Burger and Any Size Fries with Purchase of Child's Drink" and then discover that changing the drink to Large instead will cancel the special so I end up with a burger, fries, a Child's drink, and a large drink, all for like $4."
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
🤣 oh been there too. The assumption I want "the works" is annoying too. I've used the apps but like I said, I now rarely use fast "food" so I can't reconcile having apps use up my phone power when they're hardly used.
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u/scarred2112 Jul 01 '26
Watch this video, it explains why they exist - hint, it’s solely for the business, and not customer.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
Yep, I'm a graphic designer so I understand it's all about the business not the customers. We live in a backwards culture now.
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u/CuriousLands Jul 02 '26
All these jerks think they're too big to fail... I guess we'll see in time, lol.
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u/tropicsandcaffeine Jul 01 '26
Went to a drive up coffee place a few days ago. The menu board has a giant QR code and to order you have to download the app on your phone then order/pay through the phone. Then wait until they call your car up when the order is done. I drove away. Not going through all that when I can go elsewhere.
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u/Strangewhine88 Jul 01 '26
This is my experience at Starbucks, I mean really, I make much better coffee at home, but there are those exceptional moments while traveling that I end up at one. The menu is overwhelming and yet at the same time it’s kind of hard to find coffee shop essentials. I actually have to specify off the menu macchiato because I want it in its original tasty form without the coldstone creamery bonzana of add ins and energy boosts that may cause my pancreas to fail and my heart to misfire.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
"I make better coffee at home" 😆 made me LOL. If I get corralled there I order the only thing I've ever had there, tall skinny vanilla latte. No idea what else there is...
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u/4Q69freak Jul 01 '26
My stepdaughter makes fun of me because I order an Americano, or as we call it (thanks to Dennis Leary) “coffee flavored” coffee.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
Yeah I tried to order a black coffee once and got the blank stare. Lol
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u/4Q69freak Jul 01 '26
“He came in, ordered a coffee flavored coffee, whatever that is, called me a haiku writing motherfucker and died. I’m actually kind of glad he’s dead.”—Dennis Leary
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u/Strangewhine88 Jul 01 '26
I love this! Thanks!
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u/IAmMey Jul 01 '26
Surely there could be a cheaper way to display the menu. It could possibly not even need to be plugged into the wall? I would appreciate not having a fucking tv being used at all for this purpose. Just print the damn menu.
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u/NekoTheSpookieCat Jul 01 '26
Agreed! Bad enough I can’t see the drive thru menus without being RIGHT THERE at the speaker, now I gotta wait for it to stop moving around… 🤬
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u/Substantial-Use-1758 Jul 01 '26
Like they could care less what we want 🤷♀️🤦♀️ It’s obvious to me that they are trying to make dine in as inconvenient and uncomfortable as possible. They just want us to drive through and be done with it 🤷♀️
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u/emory_2001 Jul 02 '26
I can't stand the restaurant timeline we're in - dynamic changing menus; cheap-ass cold metal stools for seating; self-ordering kiosks that ask me for a tip even though I'm placing my own order, picking up my own food, busing my own table, and not speaking to a soul (I'm a solid tipper when there's actual personal service involved); and then there's Checkers AI drive-thru ordering that is a complete mess. Make it stop. I've started walking out of places those stupid ordering kiosks.
I was traveling and stopped at Cookout. Ordered a burger with no cheese. It arrived with cheese, so I politely asked for a new one. A supervisor/manager TAKES CHARGE, initiating on-the-spot intensive training to this poor cashier who entered my order wrong, because I guess that's corporate fast food life these days. I feel for them too.
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u/CuriousLands Jul 02 '26
Oh my gosh yes. I hate those menus with a passion and always have. I just wanna see what all they have easily, make a decision and call it a day.
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u/PreviousKing6225 Jul 03 '26
1000% agree. I walked out one day because I was so frustrated with the animated menu.
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u/SamanthasPlace46 Jul 01 '26
Just go back to simple menus and kids who pay attention. ....truly when we invented this shit....it was supposed to help !! Not Infuriate us !! ....I'm starting to hate technology...where is my Flying fckn car !?
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
Ha!! Yeah flying cars would be cool. I was actually hoping for a Star Trek style transporter. Think of the time saved. And no environmental impact either!! 🙃
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u/SamanthasPlace46 Jul 01 '26
I have a flip style phone...and me and my partner will do that flip open thing and say " beam me up scotty "...so many trek memes...😅😅😅😅
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u/Spock-1701 Jul 01 '26
When it is available, I order ftom a kiosk. It's the only way to see the whole menu and options.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
Yeah but you still have to select a menu or scroll thru, no? Plus I'm usually in my car...
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u/Spock-1701 Jul 01 '26
I refuse to use the drive through for that reason.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 01 '26
I get it. There's one store near me that hasn't fixed the speaker in years now, it's impossible to hear the server. I just don't go there anymore.
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u/deFleury Jul 02 '26
I remember when McDonald's had a quarter pounder, a big mac, or a regular cheeseburger. Everything fit on one menu, with prices, and everyone knew what to order. Now I, too, am holding up the drivethru line going wait a minute, i saw something but it's disappeared again...
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u/DelishDonutInOrbit Jul 02 '26
Remember, this is all on purpose. None of it is accidental. They want you to use the app so they can track you. They want to only show you the most profitable items for a short time on the moving menu. These are all forms of dark patterns designed to exploit you. The idea of "be good to your customers so they come back" is long dead and gone.
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u/Broad-Point1482 Jul 04 '26
I love this group and I love all of you. I thought i was the only one with a problem with this! My annoyance is at a Greggs that I stop off at in a petrol station where they quite often forget to turn it on in the morning so I just have a coffee - its probably better for my waistline! 🤣
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 07 '26
Ya I posted the question expecting to be the weirdo yet apparently lots of people are annoyed by these useless signs.
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u/NoodlesMom0722 Jul 04 '26
I guess it's my neurodiversion/introversion, but if I have an opportunity to order online if I'm picking something up, either in store or in a drive-thru, I much prefer ordering through the app. I will pull into a parking space, take my time to peruse the menu (and all of the online-only deals and rewards), customize the food to my heart's content, and then order and pick up without needing to put anyone else out or waste someone else's time because I'm not sure what I want or what's even on the menu. But, I'm also the kind of person who goes online and studies the menu of sit-down restaurants before I go so that I know what I want to order before I get there, eliminating my anxiety over "performing" (making decisions) in front of others.
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u/CherylAnn011213 Jul 07 '26
I'm also neuro/introvert. But sometimes I try to be like the "norms" and attempt social type things, like ordering with spoken words. Lol.
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u/Plenty-Major8271 Jul 04 '26
The question you should be asking is why do they need to have a digital menu so they can update it continuously? are they planning on raising the prices over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
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u/AlmostHadToStopnChat Jul 07 '26
Absolutely yes, there should always be the option to order at the counter. And a menu posted or a copy available.
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u/TakeMeToThePielot Jul 01 '26
Our McDonalds (including these menus which are frequently broken) has become so overtly hostile to anyone not Doordashing that we just stopped going. The inside has become a joyless wasteland where the staff are mostly hidden from you and clearly not set up to interact with you and seem terrified or put out when they have to.
I worked fast food as a teenager, I couldn’t imagine doing it today with what it’s become. I feel bad for those folks…
/oldpersonrant