Should Have Screened The Owners

(I work in a fast food restaurant. Our store has just been bought from corporate, and the new owners are working the kitchen for the first time, with no help from anyone else. Whether that is an oversight or they’ve refused help, I don’t know. I’m on the garnish station, and the next order in line is for a veggie burger. Knowing that we cook each one fresh and that involves a wait, I ask the owner how long until its ready, just so I have something to tell the customer.)

Me: “How long on the veggie?”

Owner: “What veggie? It isn’t on my screen.”

(The screen is backed up eight orders deep, and the indicator shows more beyond that. He obviously isn’t clearing them as he makes them.)

Me: “It’s [order number]. I don’t know why it isn’t showing up; maybe the system glitched. Either way, I do still need one.”

Owner: “Okay, okay.”

(I go back to my station, inform that customer of the delay, and continue filling other orders. After a reasonable amount of time, the veggie still hasn’t come up. The customer has been waiting for almost ten minutes now.)

Me: “Hey, [Owner], I still need that veggie; they’ve been waiting a while.”

Owner: “My screen doesn’t say I need it.”

Me: “Okay, I’m sorry but the screen doesn’t matter right now. I need it and the customer is waiting. Please, just make one for me.”

(I went back out and profusely apologized to the customer for the wait, while every other order continued to be filled around theirs. They were incredibly patient with it; they could probably see I was just as frustrated as they were about it. I don’t know what finally clicked, but the veggie burger did finally show up, 20 minutes after I first asked. After all of that, the owner had the gall to pull me aside and get me in trouble for questioning the screen.)