Popeye's-- OMG. Why do I put up with them? Because they are that good.
here is tonight's lovely Popeye's experience. I order on the mobile app. Pretty easy and I can even take advantage of an online special for 3 tenders, a side and a drink for $6.
It processes my order, gives me a number (ORDER #60). It texts me that it is a MOBILE ORDER- Drive-Thru(sp) 7:48pm. Tell your server at the drive thru your order number is #60. Ready at 8:05pm. Great.
I actually waited before ordering, because the nearest Popeye's to me is at an airport. The other 2 are in the hood (farther away). I figure, I'll get gas on the way to the airport and order from there. Done at 7:48pm.
I get to the restaurant a little late. Too many ass-holes driving slow in the left lane! I pull up to the drive through at 8:09pm. I give them my order number and the woman tells me to "come into the restaurant." Huh? Wait, what about COVID-19 and shit? Guess not. So I proceed into the restaurant. I tell them again my order number is #60. The server is stunned. She does some shit on the register and prints out a copy of my order. She then asks for my credit card. I tell her it is already paid for and show her my phone:
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She proceeds to tell me the order with take "15 minutes." What? But it's Popeye's and I have already invested an almost 30 minute drive. So I wait. It takes a full 55 minutes of being in the store before I get my order complete. In between, I am given an order which is not mine (which I give back). I had ordered the popcorn shrimp. None in the bag. I also ordered spicy chicken sandwiches and spicy tenders. They weren't in the bag either. it was another "15 minutes" to get the popcorn shrimp. By the time the popcorn shrimp were cooked, the server had taken the chicken sandwiches out of my bag and thrown them in the trash (right in front of me). "Why did you do that?," I asked her. She told me there was a time limit on the sandwiches and now she was going to have to make fresh ones. Another "5 minutes." I guess they don't give a crap about the popcorn shrimp getting old?
It was a complete cluster-fuck. Plus, when I finally have the bag order complete, I double-checked that my tenders were "spicy." "No," I am told, "They're regular." It will take another "12 minutes" if I want spicy. I am in the store almost an hour at this point. I'm out. I'll deal with regular tenders. (but, truth be told, I actually have never TRIED Popeye's regular tenders-- always spicy).
When I get the order home, FINALLY, they screwed up one of the chicken sandwiches too-- classic, not the spicy I had ordered.
Now, it gets better-- there is a link on the bottom of the app-- see it, up there? If you click on it, essentially nothing happens except you get a page that has a bunch of really weird FAQs (like "How can I apply for a career with Popeye's?"). No, I didn't read the answer, for fear that it might say something like "If you can read this answer, you're overqualified).
So, there is also a phone number on the receipt (sorry- the pic is bad, but I got so antsy I crinkled the receipt about a hundred times while waiting):
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Go ahead-- call it 1-866-425-4745. It gives you a recorded message that says only "I pee too." Or, maybe it's "IP2." Who knows? What the shit is that?
There is no other fast food franchise for which I would tolerate this level of incompetence. Only "Jack in the Box" in the 1970's achieved that level of sheer stupidity, and they killed a bunch of folks with food-poisoning. At least Popeye's is delicious. Yeah-- it was. But this venture cost me over 2 hours of my time (with travel), and God-knows how much of my life in pure stress and aggravation. When I have an aneurysm, the doctor may be able to tell with the MRI that "look, this started forming right between the popcorn shrimp and the tossed-in-the-garbage chicken sandwiches."
Pure retardedness!
PS- the food was great! And I have chicken sandwiches in the fridge for later.
PPS- that stupid tenders special was supposed to come with a drink. Never got that either.
PPS- there was an extra mashed potatos in the bag. Whoopie.
