It may not always be the best idea to peek behind the curtain when it comes to fast-food, but sometimes the curtain pulls itself back, and all you can do is look. Ever wondered what kinds of industry secrets Taco Bell employees would love for you to know?
There is a treasure trove of Ask-Me-Anything posts on Reddit from former Taco Bell employees, each divulging tons of privileged information, and I dug through every one I could find. Do you frequent the Bell? Here are 10 Taco Bell secrets the employees want you to know about.
Large Orders Destroy a Drive-Thru
Usually, the reason the drive-thru is taking so long isn’t because the employees aren’t hustling. People are prone to placing gigantic orders in the drive-thru, and since everything is assembled to order, this can hold up the line for a really long time. Some party packs and group meals come with 12 items in a single order; if the car in front of you ordered two of those suckers, you’re waiting for 24 items to be made before you can get to the window.
There’s a Reason It’s Not Always Clean
Ever wonder why there might be some boxes in the corner of your Taco Bell dining room? Or why there still might be a napkin on a table from the night before when you visit in the morning? Sometimes employees aren’t even allowed to clean up. As one former employee explained in a thread, “At the end of the day we’re supposed to clean the whole store but the lobby was often ignored because we’d get in trouble if we stayed longer than like an hour after closing, as they didn’t want to pay us more. We really just had to make it look clean rather than actually clean.”
Customizations Are Easier Than Large Orders
The vast majority of questions asked were about whether or not it’s complicated to make customized items. The truth is, basic customization is never as bad as multiple orders of the same simple thing, even when they’re tacos. Because Taco Bell can only steam, fry, and grill so many items at once, an order of multiples can really gum up the works.
Extra Sauce Is a Pain
There’s one customization, however, that employees mentioned was a pain across the board. This appeared in every single thread I read, mentioned over and over again by employees.
Adding extra sauce to a burrito is hard. The burritos are already built to withstand the maximum amount they can hold, and adding more liquid into the mix just makes them break, crack, or get soggy. Swapping a sauce? No problem. Just try not to double up.
Do the Survey
The simplest way to thank any hardworking employees at Taco Bell is to fill out the survey. Saying nice things about an employee can score them discounts, free meals, and more.
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Employees Are Clocked on Drive-Thru Times
Think you’re the only one worried about how long the drive-thru is taking? Employees are watched and clocked, and though it varies by store, many employees are supposed to get each car out of line within a certain time limit. One former worker said their time was supposed to be 3:30.
Pickup In-Store, Not the Drive-Thru
This one’s for your own convenience: If you place a mobile order for pickup, do it inside. If you set it for the drive-thru, they won’t start making it until you get there. This is fine for small orders, but if you’ve got a big one that you want them to get started on right away, pick it up inside.
Chicken and Beef Are Risky
You’re not gonna love this. Says one employee about the way the food is heated: “It’s put into water that is like 196 degrees or something, and we have to leave it for 30 minutes for it to heat up. With the grilled chicken and steak, you’re supposed to puncture the bag and put it on this rack thing but if the water is too high, it can get into the bag, but they still use it anyway.”
Black beans it is!
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Taco Bell Would Prefer the Trash — Not the Employees — Eat Messed-Up Orders
Wanna hear some nonsense? Taco Bell’s corporate position is that they’d rather have messed-up orders thrown into the trash than given to employees to eat. They probably think they’re stopping employees from messing up orders on purpose, but if you’ve been in a Taco Bell since the pandemic, you know these people don’t have time for that kind of thing. That’s some sinister stuff, Taco Bell.
You Can Say Hello Back
Another incredibly common issue that Taco Bell workers reported (and, in my opinion, the most egregious)? Most customers in the drive-thru don’t treat the employees like they’re people.
Many employees mentioned that people will respond to the question “How are you doing today?” with an answer like “Three soft tacos and a Pepsi.” These are human people. You can say hi back, and if you’re really feeling crazy, you can even ask them how they are, too.
