Whataburger — Restaurant in Springfield

It was late in the evening, and I was the only car in the drive-thru. I pulled up to the outside ordering speaker. No one tried to take my order or even noticed I was there for about 5 or 6 minutes. My first thought was maybe they were closed, so I did my best, although unsuccessful, to see inside this place where I had anticipated leaving behind loud growles from my empty stomach If I backed out and pulled to the first speaker, I would trip some sensor and be discovered. After pulling completely out of one lane and beginning to maneuver to the other, I could hear someone speaking. "Can I take your order?" (*random thought - am I on a movie set?) Quick as possible, I tried to get into the lane at the other speaker before the mystery voice faded into the night, gone forever. Once I could successfully place an order, it was time to pull forward, meet mystery voice, collect my bounty, and pay the messenger. My next idea was equally deflating my confidence about my personal aptitude. What if "Human" (Rod Sterling) himself were delivering my long awaited burger? When in his stead, a young, somewhat giddy, possibly 1 or 2 sun revolutions past the age of majority, popped her innocent face from inside the abyss. Her response to my novice report about the most recent 10 minutes of my existence was, hmph, weird,? That will be, ( honestly, I don't think I heard her,) I handed her a bill and she exchanged it for, coin and a mildly greesy container that smelled of beef, sauce, and potatoes. Inside fries just past the refrigerator temperature, stacks of very saucy, flat, kind of colorful items between what I think was a bun. My hotel was in Branson, and between there, the Springfield burger joint (loosely stated) my growling stomach couldn't work up the courage to venture a second look into this intriguingly and confusing container.

Maybe next...

I decided to use my rewards points to purchase a wb Jr. with bacon and cheese. I approach the counter and the employee behind the counter is a special needs hire as I have encountered him before. I worked with the developmentally disabled for 12 years and this is not a slam on that community. The issue is that he has not been acceptable trained to work the counter. Anyway, I tell the guy that I want to use my reward points as part of my purchase. He asks what it's for and I tell him. He starts putting the order in, and I stop him and ask, aren't you supposed to scan my code first? He says no, you don't need it. He then asks me how many slices of bacon I want on it. I say, what do you mean? He says it doesn't come with it. I told him that the offer is for a wb Jr. with bacon and cheese. He says it doesn't come with it. I then tell him to clear his register, and let me scan my code. He finally does, then he asks, how may slices of bacon do you want. By this point I am livid. I told him FORGET IT! I'm done with this nonsense and left. I then went to eat at McDonald's and began contacting Whattaburger as I was also out 1100 points from my rewards. I here back from wb two days later and they tell me, sorry for the inconvenience, here's 500 points(which hasn't been added as of yet). I am done with Whattaburger for life, what an absolute joke for a fast...

OK, so, the food is USUALLY good, but today it wasn't I changed the service rating to a 3, because while the speed of service is abysmal, the customer service was quite good. Typical wait time in the drive thru is 20-30 minutes, and today was no different. What WAS different is that after today's lengthy wait, my fries were ice cold, not even warm. I went inside to get a refund, which they handled fairly hassle free, but when inside I noticed the way they were handling the fries, and it made perfect sense why they were cold.

They had about 10 orders of fries already boxed up and sitting there waiting to be stuffed in a bag. Typically, this would be a smart time-saving idea, but when coupled with the incredibly slow pace of the orders going out the window, it doesn't quite work. By the time that last box of fries goes out, its been sitting on the counter for probably 10-20 minutes.

I don't mind waiting a little longer for fresh food, but this place is excessive. For comparison, I can go to a place like Culver's, and my food is fresh and hot every single time, and I don't think I've ever had to wait more...