A late-night trip to McDonald's left one customer frustrated after employees allegedly refused their drive-thru order, saying the restaurant was accepting only DoorDash orders.
Here's what to know
In a Reddit post, the customer described arriving at a 24-hour McDonald's at 2:30 a.m. hoping to buy some McNuggets. Employees reportedly told them DoorDash was their only option to scratch the itch.
"I'm done!" the exasperated poster said. "McDonald's is now my last resort. I refuse to choose it because I want it. I will only choose it when I have no other choice. McDonald's, this was your last chance and you blew it!"
Other commenters shared similar frustrations, including an Uber Eats driver who said some fast-food restaurants allowed them to collect delivery orders but would not let them buy food for themselves.
Other popular late-night spots weren't immune, either, according to the thread.
"There's Waffle Houses that are delivery-only now," a Redditor wrote. "If I'm going to eat at Waffle House it's because it's 1 AM and I'm there for the atmosphere and hangover prevention. I'm not paying fees to eat that alone in my house."
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More background
Several commenters suggested that overnight register downtime might help explain the situation.
A slow internet connection could stretch an interruption in card payments to roughly 15–20 minutes, according to one self-described former McDonald's overnight manager. They said this brief downtime was necessary to switch to a new business day and could occur sometime between midnight and 4 a.m.
Handwritten orders and totals calculated without a register were part of overnight work for another former employee. They recalled accepting only cash for half an hour to an hour while a manager completed paperwork.
McDonald's strict 10:30 a.m. breakfast time limit also attracted the ire of a commenter. They recalled an extremely frustrating customer experience involving a disappearing order confirmation in the app and an explanation that seemed to fly in the face of the point of mobile ordering.
What can be done?
One commenter who reported encountering the same DoorDash-only restriction revealed that submitting a complaint through McDonald's website prompted a response.
Two complimentary combo meals and a promise to address the problem were the outcome of their ordeal. They also said the store manager called and said the restriction was not how service was supposed to work.
"Complain to the store, not Reddit, or these issues will never be addressed," they concluded.
Where can I learn more?
The DoorDash-only complaint highlights how ordering technology can complicate a fast-food run.
• A Sydney McDonald's tested an AI drive-thru, but some customers wanted human service.
• McDonald's is retraining 2 million workers as fast-food chains reconsider kiosks and apps.
• Chick-fil-A plans to keep drive-thru ordering human while competitors test AI systems.
• Reuters found McDonald's AI tracks customers' willingness to pay as Big Mac prices diverge.
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