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I always hated the fast food place right outside of town. You know the one that overlooks the river, across from the old inn? They branded themselves as, "authentic hometown seafood," but that couldn't be further from the truth. It's all overpriced garbage with fancy, marketable names. Seriously, I could eat at any burger joint in town twice for the same price as one of their meals.
I haven't mentioned the horrible layout. Imagine any fast food restaurant you've been to, think about the layout and how convenient it is. Now think the opposite and add a layer of mismanagement and confusion. The path to the front counter from the door is through a maze of tables. The condiments and napkins are shoved to one end of the building, while the soda fountains are on the other. The bathrooms are tucked away in a corner hallway, and the only signs for the bathrooms are in said hallway. Completely out of sight unless you know exactly where to look. I've also never found the trashcans in that place. Apparently, no one else has either, because everyone always leaves their trash behind.
Then there's the smell, oh lord the smell. Think about the cheapest and ripest fish you've ever smelled. Now imagine the smell in every corner of a building. Even the "freshest" meal you can purchase in that place smells funky when you eat it. Don't forget that people never throw out their food. So, a sort of permanent funk permeates the air from all the nasty seafood left to ripen in the sunlight for about an hour or more. Until an employee finally finds the time to clean it up.
I've narrowed down everyone who works there into three categories. The clueless, the apathetic, and the aggressively apathetic. The first group is all the people who just started working there. They work random jobs that they were likely never trained in, and look like deer in headlights half the time. There's always at least two people like this in the restaurant. Apparently, they have a high turnover rate. Then there's the apathetic. They've worked there for too long, and can't even generate the semblance of a work ethic. They generally don't care about any of the problems the restaurant deals with, but at least they don't make things worse.
Finally, there's the aggressively apathetic. They do think something should be done about the restaurant's problems. As long as someone else does it. If you have a complaint, they'll scream in your face. If you have a problem, they'll scream in your face. If you have a question, they'll scream in your face. There are at least three of these people in the place, not counting the managers, who are all like this.
The worst part is people flock to that place like mad. It's always packed inside and in the drive-through, with a line of cars wrapped around the building. Everyone I've talked to the past few months has always complained about them too. Whether it was the service, the wait, the food, or the other customers.
I know, I know, I'm generalizing, but I haven't even mentioned the big one yet. A rumor made rounds recently that they make one of their fish sandwiches with cow eyeballs. It's the big, fancy and expensive one on their menu, the one they never stop advertising. I don't know where the rumor started, but it's all over the place right now. The fast food place hasn't said anything yet. I say it's only a matter of time before some smart aleck pesters them about until they're forced to respond.
I can't tell you enough how much I hate that place, but there's one thing that pours salt into the wound. Despite all the problems, all the issues, I know exactly why they're still in business. They're the only place in town open most of the time. Everything else is a mom and pop restaurant that opens at twelve and closes at three. There are no plans for any other place to open in the near future. It's horrible, it stinks, it's the worst place ever, but it's the only show in town.
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We've all known that one fast food place in town that nobody likes, yet it's always packed. At least, we've known some bad fast food place that always gets your order wrong, or takes forever to bring out food, or is full of screaming and destructive children. But sometimes, you just want your chicken nuggets...
Anyway, random stories like this will become a bit of a rarity in the near future. I'll still do funny and silly bits of fiction, but I they'll be their own thing. In the meantime, expect more fantasy, sci-fi and maybe even horror stories.
Until then, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
Until then, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
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