How to Order Fast Food

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Interesting.

Explains why I always try to bolt and leave my husband to place orders at the counter.

I'm going to tell him about this tonight so he'll stop grabbing me by my hood to yank me back

The thing is, there may be differences between British and American restaurants.

I've been to a few Indian restaurants (in England) and they all seem really similar, so I might be able to help people on that situation.

I find that the main difficulty with ordering fast food is that there's so much banging, crashing about and other general madness going on all around. It tends to make it a challenge to concentrate and be heard.

There are some really interesting tips there, a great many thanks to your son for writing it!

(I don't suspect I'll be going to a fast food restaurant soon, but when I do I'll keep them in mind)

Greyhound - By all means, please do write on this! I've never been outside the U.S. except for a couple trips to Canada, so I'm quite interested in these differences!



Tequila - I feel your pain. Can nobody hear the fry vat beeping? Or do they just not care? And then there's the orders being taken on either side of you, less than a foot away. And then some jerkwad who doesn't realize he's shouting hops on his cell phone. And then the door opens and the sounds of the street or the mall flood in. And that's not even counting the sounds of people waiting for food, conversing at tables, or getting ice (CLUNK CLUNK CLATTER)! I like to sit as far from the kitchen, counter, entrances, exits, and ice machines as possible - in the back, with my back to a wall or window.


I recalled just yesterday, as I was shopping for pants (another how-to brewing there), that the layouts of "big box" chain stores are very uniform. There is either one floor plan, or a few variations depending on the size of the store. This is a huge asset to an autistic! This means that once you figure out the floor plan at one location, you have a great chance of encountering an incarnation of the same store if you visit one miles away. The same rule, it seems, applies loosely to fast food places. Sure, they'll always be nerve-wracking, but at least it'll be in a familiar setting.

I thought all you Brits did in Pubs was get pissed and fight with Soccer Hooligans.

It might be useful to have one on learning to use public transport. I know it varies a lot, place to place, but there are widely applicable ways to learn, and some things are consistent.

i remember the very first time i placed an order at mickey d's drive thru....i couldn't stop giggling...and every time the lady would reply back to me, I burst out laughing...and i mean tears in your eyes laughing...i couldn't stop

*grins*

I worked at a McD's for 6 month's (it took me 2 weeks to get away from the fry machine, cause the durn thing kept beeping)they loved me cause I had the McD's greeting/script memorised, big ole smile and everything(and I would ask every single person would you like fries with that?), and every week that we knew we were going to have a blue shirt (their secret shopper type person) I would get to (have to) go up and run register my entire shift.

I know exactly what I like to eat there, and what to stay away from, it is basically the only fast food restaurant that I will go to by myself (unless I am having a craving for arby's sauce).... I even know in what order I need to order my stuff so that the person on the register doesn't have to go back and re-ring my specialty burger.

I don't like going into new fast food restaurants, or ones where they have changed the menu. I get to stand at the back of the line until I figure out what I want to eat.

oooo... that said... waffle house changed their menu layout a few months back and it bugged me enough that I haven't been back

edited to add:oooo look i just changed into a toucan

What to do in a pub:

Walk in
Go to the barman
Ask politely: say "Can I have a pint/half/whatever of X please?"
He/she'll say sure
They'll pour it
You'll start looking for the money
They'll put the glass on the side (if it's a real ale it will probably need 'topping up')
They'll go to the till and tell you how much your drink(s) are
You'll pay
You'll thank them and walk away to a table/sit at the bar if you feel confident enough or are well known enough

Simple really.

I like the fast food how-to - thanks. I go almost everywhere with earbuds, sometimes with no music.

A clothes shopping how-to would be great

Responding to the 'How are you?' greeting from the staff is tricky - do I ask them how they are too? Is it bad to not say anything at all?

Getting the staff to stop telling me I look good in things I've tried on would be nice - if I thought they look bad, I worry about my own judgment, and I end up buying things and never wearing them sometimes.

Most of all, what to say when you decide not to buy things and have to give them back to the staff is hard. I've gotten stuck in changing rooms trying to think of a good excuse why I won't buy something which won't prompt them to make me try another size, colour etc!

Perhaps I should make tshirts which somehow wittily imply that I will strangle any shop assistant who tries to 'assist' me.. .

You'll say:

(breezily) "Yeah I'm fine. How are you?"

And they'll say "Good" so that's how it works.

Cool, thanks Tequila! I suppose you're pretty sure they won't actually start a conversation.. which is what I really want to avoid. Now I just have to think it over enough times that it'll come out automatically at the right time

But there's all that stuff about buying rounds and things.

If we're there just for a drink (i.e. no quiz or anything), I say, 'I'll buy my own thanks'. If I'm there for some other reason (not specifically for drinks), then when I'm offered I usually say 'no thanks' or 'I'm okay thanks' and when they've taken a few sips of theirs, I say 'actually, I think I amquite thirsty' or something like that and go and get my own. That way, they didn't buy me any because they've got them and I'm not obliged to offer them anything (again, because they've got something).

Alternatively, I could go up to the bar and order something as soon as I enter the pub and then find my group, but I haven't done that, because I don't know if it's 'the done thing' or not.

Having said that, someone sent me this a while back which did boost my confidence http://www.sirc.org/publik/pub.html

*nods* I find a HUGE difficulty in riding the bus is in preserving your personal space - enough so that it keeps some NT's from riding the bus. o_O Sideways stance if standing, keeping earbuds on to avoid conversations, and having your exact fare in your hand before you board helps. I also grab a copy of the schedule for that bus at the front. That way I have a timetable and map to look at if need be. If you are unsure about getting out at your destination, acquaint yourself with the driver and sit up front: "Excuse me, I need to get out at X and Y street. Could you let me know when I need to get off?"




Standing off to the side is a great strategy for a new menu... provided the place isn't packed. 'Cause then you spend so much time worrying about being in the way, that you can't read the menu! (At least, in my experience.)



A pub doesn't seem so bad. It's a lot more civil (and I imagine less noisy and crowded as a rule) than many bars over here in the US. (At least I come to this conclusion from what I've seen on TV, and from the link Greyhound posted - which I cannot stop reading!) If I brave a bar, it's always with a friend, and I make him order the drinks - especially if it's standing-room-only. Even then, I have to step outside now and then and get fresh air so I don't melt down.



^_^ I'll let people know when the clothes-shopping how-to is closer to done, but I'm working on one as we speak. Granted, I am a guy, so my experiences shopping for clothes are going to be quite different. A good practice is to bring a wingman (wingwoman?) when you shop. That way, if you panic, you have someone looking out for you. Plus, they can ease or block certain unwanted social interactions.

One thing I've found is that social people tend to ask questions they don't want fully answered. When they ask "how are you?" they are simply communicating that they are friendly, and are initiating conversation despite a lack of a legitimate premise. Do not feel answering this question means you have to disclose any more of your history or current state of mind than you feel comfortable revealing to a stranger. "Pretty good," "I can't complain," and "Fine" let me respond automatically and honestly while retaining my privacy, yet further the conversation. It is polite to inquire after their health. I just say "[How about / And] you?"

Men, at least where I live, have the luxury of being left alone while clothes shopping, for the most part. I have never had an attendant make suggestions or offer compliments, etc. I imagine if I were put in your place, I'd just be vague, but appreciative: "I dunno. I'm just not feeling it," "Let's see if I still like it at the end," or "I think I'm just going to try on a few things on my own. Thanks." etc. The trick is to be friendly, but disuade further conversation without dismissing the other person outright.

If you value the fashion advice of your wingman/wingwoman, you might want to ask them if you're unsure.

I often eat at the Mc D's I work at if only for the fact that if I screw up while ordering they know me there

and avoid places like subway because they take too much concentration