Taco Bell — Restaurant in Brookhaven

I had not been to a Taco Bell since before the pandemic, It used to be a regular place for me to stop back then. I decided to today at this one on North Druid Hills Road in front of the Target near Briarcliff Road. What a very bad idea! The experience has deteriorated considerably. There are no cashiers, you can only order via the digital kiosk. There were only two workers visible in the kitchen, but on this Saturday at noon the place is nearly vacant. I made the right choice of being minimal: I ordered only a bean burrito and chips with queso. No drink, as there was no way to order a glass of water on the kiosk; I suspect they expect you to just grab a small glass and get it. I paid with a credit card, and discovered that you cannot get a printed receipt, only an email or texted receipt, and I did not want advertising started through either of those digital avenues. What was most disappointing however is that the quality of the food has dropped considerably, as much as the prices have increased. The burrito did not taste as good as my past experience, it was a little on the runny side, and the burrito was smaller than it used to be. The chips were hard and stale. They only made for a vehicle for the nondescript queso. Yes, I know this is Taco Bell and we don't expect much, but this was far below expectations for even Taco Bell. The seating has been changed since my previous visit several years ago, and it struck me as very sparse and rickety by comparison. I know Taco Bell corporate will probably say "but the pandemic..." and yet other fast food places have ascended from that low point. this is almost like ordering from a machine (might as well) except that one of the kitchen workers at least hand you a bag, even if you are dining in (which the kiosk asks you). What was not in the bag was the packet of hot sauce requested at the kiosk - there again, they ask you what kind you want if any, no charge, but if they ask you would expect to find it in the bag instead of picking it up from a table somewhere. the atmosphere was very much like the doldrums, and I feel no urge to go back again. I think that's it for me for Taco Bell....

This is usually my go to Taco Bell, but the last 4 out of 5 visits, there’s always something wrong with my order & I always order online. Usually, when I go to ask them to correct it, the door to the inside is locked. This time, I got my food at 10:40 pm after waiting 15-20 mins in line. When I pull around to go inside because the line was super long, the door was locked and workers kept looking at me from inside but no one came to the door. I’m holding my bag of food so they can see that I’m not trying to order anything, but I’m not getting in the drive through line just to wait another 15 mins for them to fix their mistake. I finally bang on the door, and this guy who doesn’t have anything on him identifying him as an employee comes to the door and asks what I need. I hold the bag up with my phone showing my order and say an item from my order is missing. He smirks at me and says that he can’t let me in. I say again that an item is missing. Smirking again he says he can’t let me in because I might have a gun. I said I don’t have a gun. I just want my order fixed. He says what is it. So I show him my order and identify the item. He says all of that for $3. I say I just want my order as I paid for it. He says what car you in so I show him. Then he says well you can get in the line and I’ll have it ready for you. I look at the line and see 5 cars past the ordering window and say I’m not getting back in that line. He says ok I’ll make it and bring it to you. And then he sees me not moving and says you can just stand there I guess. And I did until he brought it to me. No apology. And again, he smirked the whole time. So disrespectful. Please learn how to talk to people.

Again, I was even more upset because I couldn’t tell if he was an employee or just some random guy in there pranking me especially since he responded in the manner he did.

It shouldn’t be this hard to get you to fix an error you made. And it would be nice if I didn’t consistently have errors in my orders. I’m very close to never coming back.

I hope they get better...

I visited this location on 1/26/25 (around 7pm) for a pickup and delivery order. The drive-thru line was very long, the parking spaces were full(had to park in Target lot) and there were about 14 unhappy looking people waiting inside. There were 4 or 5 employees behind the counter, there were several mobile orders prepared, sitting and getting colder in their designated space. The young lady who apparently was in charge saw me and a few others standing near the counter, kept pacing back and forth without acknowledging us, having personal conversations with some of the employees who were merely standing around doing nothing. There was no urgency or direction to serve the unhappy waiting customers. After about 20 minutes, an order was finished and placed in the full mobile order area. The in-charge person called out the name and someone quickly claimed it and she called the name for my order. It seemed unfair to those frustrated people who were there before me to get served before them. This is a reflection on how the in-charge person did not care about properly and swiftly taking care of the customers as we are the reason she is able to collect a check. Her I-don't-give-a-damn attitude was very inappropriate. I hope a manager, regional manager, or someone in corporate reads this and takes immediate action to correct and retrain the employees. Make known to them the meaning and value of a customer, serving a customer, and retaining a customer. This is not my first visit to this location. I have stayed away because the service has always been bad to non existent. I hoped things had gotten better but then I did not voice my concerns before as I am doing right now. I have a responsibility as a customer to let management know what's happening upon my visit so they can take action to make things better. I will not visit this location again and will alert all the drivers I know to skip over this location to better maximize their time, money and gas. If corrections aren't made immediately, I suggest this...