McDonald’s turns away customers after taking an order of 45 items at 3am

From time to time, stories of massive fast-food orders make their way onto social media, sparking debate about restaurant worker overload, along with calls for menu item caps on a single order.

These large orders not only put tremendous pressure on the staff, who work against the clock to meet all customer requests in a short amount of time, but also put other customers at a disadvantage to stand in line behind a customer who buys quick food in bulk.

For TikTok user Pwuff (@puffkillz), that meant he couldn’t satisfy his late-night craving for McDonald’s. A drive-thru employee told him he couldn’t take over his business because he was working to complete an order of 45 items for another customer who arrived shortly before he arrived.

@puffkillz I wanted a burger but we felt bad and told the people behind us they weren’t taking any more orders #mcdonalds #mcds #burger #fastfoodworkers #retail #greed ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

A text overlay on the video reads, “Couldn’t get McDonald’s because the person in front of us ordered 45 items at 3am.”

In the clip, an apologetic McDonald’s employee can be heard speaking to Pwuff over the drive-thru speaker. “I have no idea I would have told them no. To be perfectly honest, I wish I hadn’t said it sooner, but I started ordering and I was damn sorry,” explains the clerk. “I don’t know who they’re trying to feed.”

Pwuff says, “Alright, good luck, man.” The employee replies, “I appreciate it, I’m going to need it.”

The TikToker wrote in a caption for the video: “I wanted a burger but we felt bad and told the people behind us that they weren’t taking any more orders.”

The Daily Dot has contacted Pwuff via TikTok comment and McDonald’s via email for more information.

It’s no secret that labor shortages have overly affected workforce numbers in the hospitality industry compared to other industries. Chains with extended hours also tend to have fewer workers on night shifts, so an order for 45 items at 3:00 p.m. could be better served by a larger workforce than one at 3:00 a.m.

TikTokers who saw Pwuff’s tweet sympathized with the employee. Some said that the worker should have told the customer with 45 items to reduce the order as it would be difficult to complete at that time.

Other fast food workers in the comments shared their own experiences with big orders. “Well someone ordered 5 taco party packs at work the other day and me and another person made all 60 tacos ourselves lol,” recalled one user.

“People following us in the drive the other night ordered 125mc Doubles and 125mc Chickens at around 12am,” claimed another.

Some have argued that there is some decency when it comes to drive-thru orders. “Drive-Thrus are orders for 1-2 people, I’ve always said. If you have more than that, you come in. If the inside closes that late, you’re out,” one viewer suggested.

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