The only positive of a frustrating mix-up between DoorDash and McDonald's was that since it was a failure for everyone, it's likely both sides will try to fix it in the future.
What's happening?
A worker shared the wastefulness of online ordering gone wrong. They shared the story to the r/McDonaldsEmployees subreddit with a photo.
"Got slammed with these DD orders last night, only to throw them all away once we closed," they wrote.
The post showed a photo of 17 McDonald's bags on shelves and a counter. The problem at hand was excess traffic in the drive-thru. The OP also revealed that the lobby closed at 9 p.m., so DoorDash drivers would have had to wait in a long line to get their orders.
Users speculated that DoorDash drivers, expecting low tips and the hassle of waiting in line, simply punted on picking up the food. The whole situation amounted to a massive waste.
McDonald's workers toiled away on food that didn't go to customers. DoorDash likely refunded those customers and got nothing out of the situation besides frustrated drivers. The customers who ordered the food were probably annoyed even though they got their money back.
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"This should be illegal," a user commented. "No joke."
The poster added: "It's honestly infuriating. We worked so fucking hard in the kitchen, all stressed out, only to put it all into the waste. So much wasted food. We need a new system because it's evidently outdated."
Why is this sort of food waste important?
Food waste is problematic both economically and environmentally. The cost of thrown-out food can lead to higher prices for consumers and hurt businesses.
Food waste typically goes to landfills, producing gases such as methane that pollute the planet. It also adds to the United States' rampant food waste problem, which includes 80 million tons of thrown-out food annually, per ReFED.
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$200 or more 💰 McDonald's is known for its beef products, which put a large strain on the environment. Wasting those resources and accruing pollution all for it to be thrown away is another miss.
Are McDonald's and DoorDash doing anything about this?
Many users said the McDonald's manager should shut off DoorDash deliveries when the lobby closes. That feels like a sensible move, unless the sides can figure out how to work around the overstrained drive-thru system.
The OP said that employees did take home some of the food, but the rest was not donated to those in need. That's better than nothing but still not ideal.
DoorDash has programs such as Project DASH to connect with charities, though that doesn't solve the fundamental issue here. Nor does the vague proclamation by McDonald's that it has guidelines to reduce food waste in line with the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy.
What's being done about food waste more broadly?
Food donation requires safety considerations, but companies such as Too Good to Go help customers find discounted fare before it goes to waste. Fast food restaurants and third-party delivery services need to be on the same page about orders before they are thoughtlessly accepted.
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