Checkers — Restaurant in Baltimore

It's a little after midnight and I'm picking up a doordash order and I pull up to one window and the person that came to the window kept saying something but he was covering his mouth as he leaned on his wrist and quietly kept saying" pick up, blah blah blah " the blah blah is represent that I have no idea what he was saying. So again I said it's a doordash I'm picking up an order again he repeated "pick up something something blah window" so I said out loud it's at another window he said yeah then I said okay I've never been here what window he said the other window that you drive up to. Okay obviously eventually I figured out that it's on the other side but like does this Checkers not want to work with doordash would they rather just not do deliveries because if we'd never eaten there we don't know the system. Most establishments for fast food say you're going to pull around to the second window and then they point you to where it is most drive-thrus it's straight ahead let's think of Wendy's McDonald's Burger King excetera obviously Checkers it's a U-turn so because it's different these employees need to talk to point hey it's around the Uturn. And if you're going to get Dashers this much trouble at least give us a free freaking mozzarella stick or something like really...

I arrived shortly before 8pm (7:51pm according to Google Timeline) because a friend needed something to help their blood sugar which was low. I picked Checkers over Wendy's next door because the line was much shorter, only one car at the window, and another at the speaker.

As I wait for my turn at the speaker, another two cars pull up behind me. And I wait, and wait. Eventually, it's my turn to pull up to the speaker, and I wait some more. After a few minutes, I hear, "what's your order?" No greeting of any kind. My order was small, we only came for ice cream. I pull up behind the car at the window, and I wait some more. My friend commented about the car in front of me, "Did they order the whole menu?" No, they were handed one small bag.

As I pulled to the window, I gave my card, and in about a minute, got my receipt and my ice cream, and we were off. Again, according to Google Timeline, I left at 8:17pm. That's 28 minutes for a single ice cream.

Now, I don't know the reason for the delay. I don't know if there was only one person working. There was also no walk up customers that I could see. The lesson learned, unless there's absolutely no line, go next door if...

I’ll be honest—Checkers and I had a rocky past. Years ago, I stopped going altogether due to poor service and food that felt...mediocre at best. I figured I had just eaten it too often, but the real deal-breaker was the attitude from staff. I’m not the “customer is always right” type, but back then, the energy was off and not worth matching.

Fast forward to now—I’ve recently found myself craving Checkers again, and their $4 meal deal caught my attention. As someone who drives for a living and often skips meals, quick, affordable food is a must. Over the past two weeks, I’ve stopped at three different Checkers locations, and surprisingly, each one delivered.

The food was consistently hot, fresh, and flavorful—honestly better than I remembered. But what really stood out was the service. No attitudes, no eye-rolls—just straightforward, pleasant interaction at every stop, no matter the time of day or night.

It’s still fast food, so I’m not putting it on a pedestal—but credit where it’s due. Checkers has definitely improved, and I’m glad I gave it...