'Pay It Forward' Can Be A Drive Thru Downer. Here's What To Do Instead

Maybe you drove into a fast-food parking lot at an entrance that had you perpendicular to the drive-thru line, and someone generously let you in. Maybe you noticed the person behind you looking frustrated or cry-singing to Celine. Maybe you are just in a good mood and want to do something kind, so you tell the person at the window that you would like to pay for the person behind you. It seems like such a nice thing to do, right? Well, maybe not so much. Instead, consider making the day of someone that could always use the boost – the person working the drive-thru. This is a sure bet at places like Starbucks and Dunkin', but not all fast-food restaurants allow workers to accept tips. Just ask if you're not sure!

Of course, it's generous to pay for someone's drink or meal, especially someone you do not know, but it actually can cause quite a headache for the employees working the drive-thru. Imagine a busy morning at a Starbucks full of irritable caffeine seekers, and now baristas have to juggle who paid what in addition to the orders piling in. Do you really want to add to that chaos?

If you have never worked in the service industry, you might not think that paying for the person behind you is such a big deal. However, to receive your order quickly and without errors, it takes an incredible amount of speed, detail-orientedness, and multitasking. Especially when workers are busy, any small change or mistake has a domino effect.

Accounting for a customer paying it forward throws a wrench in the routine of the employee. At best, it is a well-intentioned annoyance. Depending on the goodwill of the people in the drive-thru line, the employee might now be dealing with a chain reaction of customers paying it forward. While a worker may keep the good vibes going for a few cars,  for workers to cut it off at a certain point to save themselves the hassle by saying that the next person in line has an online order that they have already paid for. You may even get a thank you from a happy barista if you cut it off yourself.

While in the past, it has not been considered customary to tip at fast food restaurants, the etiquette for tipping is changing. Starbucks, after pressure from Starbucks Workers United, enacted a new policy where customers now have the option to tip workers on credit card payments, even in the drive-thru. Sonic instituted a tipping option on their app after requests from customers in 2021, and many fast-casual places like Panera and Five Guys already prompt customers to tip.

The fast-food restaurant industry is notoriously challenging — low pay, high stress, poor benefits, and a lot of disrespect from customers. Customers and employees alike have noted that companies should just pay their employees a fairer wage — and that prompting a tip at the drive-thru especially can be awkward, but inarguably, the option to tip makes a huge difference for employees. Tipping culture aside, fast food employees work hard and could always use some extra cash. So, the next time you're in the mood to be generous in the Dunkin' drive-thru line, maybe tip the employee instead.