Calling In Your Food Order--A Real Time-Saver...Usually

Today was a crazy end to a crazy week, so when the subject of what to do for our Date Night tonight, my wife and I weighed our options. We both agreed it was a take-out night. We got on-line and put in our orders. And fifteen minutes later, I got in my car and headed for a pizza place close by.

I parked the car and ran inside. We called ahead because this place is usually packed--they have fantastic food! Since we called in our order, I walked passed a line of about twenty people to the register and told them I was ready to pick up our order. I turned and looked at the long line of people and thought, 'those poor suckers.'

Probably shouldn't have thought that.

At most places when you call in an order, you go in, pay, and take it home. This place is a little different. You prepay when you order, and since it's a type of fast food pizza place, they won't cook it until you get to the restaurant--guarantees a freshly baked meal. So, the way it's supposed to work, once I told them I was there, they put in my food and cook it. If they bypass that all-important second part, the food doesn't get cooked and we get no dinner.

That's exactly what happened.

One thing I did do when I got there was ordered a Coke. And because I didn't know our food wasn't cooking, I kept drinking my drink. Yes, they have free refills so I kept topping off my drink as I watched pizza after pizza come out of that oven and none were ours. Eventually, I asked one of the workers why our two pizzas were not ready. They realized our order hadn't been cooked and quickly shoved them in the oven.

I remembered looking at a rather distinguished taller man with graying hair at the very end of the line when I walked in. He was the poorest of poor suckers I observed. Right before we got our food, that man received the pizzas he'd ordered. So, it turned out calling ahead saved us absolutely no time at all. I thought about complaining, but, really, what would have been the point? Those workers were hopping the whole time I was there, and it was just something they missed--no big deal. After all, I did ended up drinking like two full glasses of Coke, so at least there's that. Next time, if we order ahead again, I'll know better and not wait so long if the same thing happens.