September 21, 2023 39.792085,-84.2437919
The drive-thru line at this Wendy's is typically a deterrent, but today the wait was nonexistent! I placed my order and was directed to the second window. There was a brief moment in time when all the drive-thru fast food restaurants had a surplus of labor, and, to separate the act of exchanging money from the act of delivering food, constructed a "first" window. These are hardly in use any more, which is fine I suppose. I'm sure the people who worked the first window were always under stopwatch quotas by upper management.
At the second window, I was given my Coca-Cola. They used a good amount of ice. After a couple of minutes waiting, I was asked to pull forward a little so the cashier could complete the transaction of the person who had arrived shortly after me. A ticking clock above their head, I bared them no ill will and did as I was asked. However, just past the window was an individual standing and smoking a cigarette. This itself was none of my business, but standing in such close proximity put me in a situation of debating whether to roll my window up or not: potentially delaying the worker who'd be walking my food out, but also potentially leaving an undesired aroma on my person. The smoking individual left in short order, so I did not have to deliberate long, and my food was delivered shortly thereafter.
I was glad to wait: I could tell through the temperature of the bag that the French Fries and the Chicken Nuggets were both recently prepared. I appreciated their taking the small amount of extra time to do so, and exited the drive-thru. While still in the car, my first taste reaction was positive (and, to cut the suspense, so was the experience entire!): an appropriately-salted French Fry, crisp and hot. On occasion at this Wendy's, the salt can be overly-applied for my tastes, but today it was well-balanced. I then took a short drive to a nearby park to enjoy the temperate September afternoon and complete my meal al fresco.
If driving on Salem Avenue in the mid-afternoon, please do not hesitate to stop by the Wendy's Drive-Thru!
