The Only Change You Want Is A Change Of Staff

I am working as a line cook at a taco fast food chain during the dinner rush and my manager is outside taking her break. I have a headset on so I can hear everything the people order and have it ready for them as soon as they pull up to the window. My other coworker, a sixty-five-year-old woman, is handling the drive-thru. 

I’ve been working there for almost two months and already have everything down pat. My coworker was hired about one month before and is friends with another one of the managers. 

She’s bad — like, painfully bad. When working the drive-thru, you have to put into the computer what changes to the order the customer requests. She never puts anything into the computer for changes that I hear directly through the headset, not once, and I am forced to remind her.

Coworker: “Hi, welcome to [Taco Joint]. What can we make fresh for you?”

Customer: “I’ll have a meat and potato burrito, extra beef.”

Coworker: “Okay, please pull around.” 

Me: “Make sure you put it in the computer that they want extra beef.”

Coworker: “Hi, welcome to [Taco Joint]. What can we make fresh for you?”

Customer: “I’d like large potato rounds, extra seasoning, and a large cola, no ice.”

Coworker: “Okay, your total is $[total]; please pull around.”

I look at the screen.

Me: “You forgot to put in extra beef.”

Coworker: “It’s too late; they already paid.”

Me: “It’s fine, I’ll just let [Manager] know once she finishes her break.”

Coworker: “I’LL TELL HER.”

Me: “Whatever.”

At this point, there’s a huge line in the drive-thru and this woman is moving super slow. I get a bunch of six-packs and rounds and a couple of combo orders. I tell my coworker to bag the order of six-packs and a two-crispy-taco combo and that order is done. She hands out the food. I notice that two crispy tacos and a large potato are just sitting on the counter, unbagged. 

The rest of the food in that order I made is nowhere to be seen.

Me: “You forgot their crispy taco combo!”

Coworker: “They’ll come back for it, not a big deal.”

Me: “All right, this order is done, all you have to do is finish the churro.”

Coworker: “WHATEVER! I DON’T NEED THIS JOB!” 

My coworker slams the headset on the counter and storms out. I focus on getting everything finished and completed and getting the people in the drive-thru out of the line. My coworker storms back and clocks out on the computer and marches out of the building. Ten minutes later, my manager comes back PISSED, not even halfway through her break. We go and finish the orders.

After the rush has died, my manager informs me that my coworker messaged another manager who doesn’t really like me, saying she quit because I was calling her names. A SIXTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD WOMAN SAYS SHE QUIT BECAUSE OF A SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD CALLING HER NAMES. 

I never once called her anything, and now, because of her own dumb fault, I am getting the blame pushed onto me. 

I hate humanity.