The Hidden Pitfalls Of Ordering Off A Fast Food Chain's App

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to our world. Being an inventive and creative type, we adapted. For example, social distancing gave people an incentive to get comfortable ordering remotely. Instead of walking into a fast-food chain, standing at the crowded counter, and gazing at the menu to find a favorite fare, people learned to love the convenience of ordering through an app.

However, for all the benefits this method offers, such as pressure-free ordering, the process is not without its problems. The downside of this approach is you forfeit your anonymity (yet again) to another company.

While it's obvious that you need to provide some personal information to place your order, people are suffering from subscription fatigue. Every app needs you to register and subscribe for verified service. It might be reasonable, but providing a name, address, phone number, and email along with payment information can be enough for some people to hit an unreasonable frustration level. Why does yet another company need to keep this information in its database? And what are fast-food chains actually doing with that information?

While each person must decide for themselves if the convenience of ordering through an app outweighs the frustration of voluntarily giving up personal information, there are a few other things to remember when using an app to place your fast food order.

First, the process is precise, but human error can cause hiccups. If you forget to request no onions, your burger will have onions. Second, you have no one-on-one help if you run into any menu confusion. In other words, you can't ask the person at the counter for more in-depth information about the food. Third, make sure you order at the right location — if you send your order to a McDonald's that is 50 miles away, that's where it will be.

Additionally, remember the increased app use burden may cause unexpected issues. If you use an app during peak hours to avoid the crowd, it doesn't guarantee better service and fresher food. The employees are handling orders from customers in the store, customers in the drive-through line, and customers ordering through apps. The increased workload could elevate the number of mistakes. Also, keep in mind that wait times are an estimate. It is possible your food will take longer than expected, risking your potential to become "hangry."