back to article Bloke rolls up to KFC drive-thru riding horse-drawn cart only to be told: Neigh

Wheezing Brits' neck rolls up and down the country quivered with delight this week as American fast-food chains were among the first businesses to emerge from the UK's coronavirus lockdown – but future coronary patients are only to be served from the safety of their cars. If this hack's undisclosed location in the southeast of …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "I was humiliated...."

    How day making would it be to see someone crying HARD on a carriage in a drive through...? The visuals of that, I'm Lovin' It.

    "...to welcome him back in the near future."

    Are future vehicles like bicycles allowed, or are they discriminating because he doesn't have a double-drawn carriage... yet?

    1. Tim Greenwood

      Bicycles are not allowed in some instances. There was a recent twitter posting from Costa coffee confirming that all vehicles must be taxed and insured and therefore cycles were not allowed (despite such vehicles generally meeting the tax and unsurance reles fro road use).

      1. John Robson Silver badge

        Be good if someone would just have the guts to park up and wait for their food wouldn't it....

        It's not as if these places are normally multi laned affairs, and you often can't turn out of them.

      2. Cuddles

        "all vehicles must be taxed and insured and therefore cycles were not allowed"

        While it's not a legal requirement, it is entirely possible for a cyclist to be insured. Arguably quite sensible in fact, and one of the main reasons for joining organisations like Cycling UK (née CTC). And cyclists generally pay all taxes owed; the same amount paid by other low-emission vehicles like electric cars. So do Costa allow all vehicles if the owner can show the correct documentation, or are they just lying about why they don't want to serve certain vehicles?

        1. John Robson Silver badge

          Most home insurance also includes 3rd party insurance for any household member whilst they are cycling.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          > or are they just lying about why they don't want to serve certain vehicles

          More likely worried that the horse will sniff out its relatives in the burgers...

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Obviously this nasty virus

    has serious effects on basic functions of the human brain. It's not the lungs he's after, that's for sure so in this case the mask should be extended to cover the entire skull.

    1. DJV Silver badge

      Re: Obviously this nasty virus

      Nah, it was like that before Covid - in fact, I think it's a job requirement.

    2. Teiwaz

      Re: Obviously this nasty virus

      has serious effects on basic functions of the human brain

      I pondered that when the Cummings palaver came to light.

      Clearly, yes, yes it does.

  3. Richard Boyce

    Would you want to clear up the horse shit afterwards?

    1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      True, that's nothing to be sniffed at.

      That said, you'd have to stop them even coming up the driveway to fully prevent such, er, "deposits"..

    2. Teiwaz

      Would you want to clear up the horse shit afterwards?

      Probably not as shit as the service.

      And shovelling horsedung up can't be as disgusting as some of the cleaning jobs in the kitchen with the congealed grease and fat.

      1. martinusher Silver badge

        Good for the roses....

        1. jake Silver badge

          Just compost it first.

    3. chivo243 Silver badge

      Thank you Wilbur!

      Hmm dog shit or horse shit... carnivore shit vs. herbivore shit? I prefer the shove as opposed to a baggie on my hand, thank you...

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: Thank you Wilbur!

        Better than cows, and cows are herbivores.

        Look on the bright side, it's not hog or chicken ...

    4. Mark 85

      I don't know about the lad in the article but here in the States, the Amish outfit their buggy horses with a catch cloth.

      1. Zarno

        What lovely state/locale are you in, where that is followed and/or enforced?

        Round these parts, we have the "Horse and Diaper" regulations, but all equine powered transport systems tend to just leave a few piles per mile and never clean it up.

        Lovely when the person in a brodozer in the 55 zone hits one and splays it all over your vehicle...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          You sound like one of those people who live in the country and complain about the noise/smell of animals/insects along with church bells ringing.

          1. Simian Surprise

            Ugh, don't get me started on the smell of church bells ringing.

          2. Zarno
            Pint

            Bzzzzt, wrong.

            I take issue with the piles of excrement in the road, because hitting it at 55 makes a mess.

            Don't have an issue with the smell of natural fertilizer, church bells, fire horn, cicadas, or the peeper frogs.

            Think of it as if someone's dog continually dropped a log on the sidewalk in front of your house, and the owners didn't clean it up. That's the annoyance level.

            Pints all round.

            1. jake Silver badge

              "because hitting it at 55 makes a mess."

              A whole mess of fertilizer. Helps keep the verge and the hedgerows green, dontchaknow.

    5. Pen-y-gors

      Horses?

      Prior to the present situation (and hopefully again afterwards) our community shop and cafe in delightful mid-Wales gets regular visits from a company that organises pony-trekking in our beautful countryside (visitors welcome - LATER). They turn up with 8 or 10 horses and stop off for tea and carrots before going off to the beach for a gallop through the surf.

      I can assure you from personal experience that cleaning up the horse shit isn't too bad if it's done quickly. After a car has driven through it and it has rained it's messier.

      Our new building actually has a couple of hitching rails in the car park, especially for them!

      1. IGotOut Silver badge

        Re: Horses?

        It's not uncommon for me to have horses tired up on the railings outside my place. I have no problems with it, better than a dozen Boris bikes or hipster vehicles anyway.

    6. vtcodger Silver badge

      If one is to believe the Colonel

      If one is to believe the real Colonel Sanders, the horse poop might taste better and be more nutritious than the food at KFC ttps://www.foodandwine.com/comfort-food/real-colonel-sanders-hated-everything-kfc-became

    7. BebopWeBop
      Facepalm

      Well I am reminded of the old joke

      Small boy sees a man collecting horse crap in a bucket: "Coo mister wotha doin?'

      Old man: 'I'm putting it on my rhubarb'

      Small boy: "Uou poor thing, mum puts custard on ours"

      boom boom

      Maybe it would enhance MacD's fruit piees?

  4. chivo243 Silver badge
    Headmaster

    Ubbereats?

    Sorry... why would anybody use one of these services with Ronny or the Colonel? Double the price and half the warmth? Nothing quite like a cold QP w\cheese to turn your stomach.

    1. Imhotep

      Re: Ubbereats?

      Yeah, make the food worse for an additional cost?

      The drive-thru windows never closed here ( south of Nashville, TN), so it's just never been a problem.

      As of now, life is going on as normal for the most part.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: Ubbereats?

        "The drive-thru windows never closed here ( south of Nashville, TN), so it's just never been a problem."

        I'm not sure why they closed here, Maybe for a short while at the start of lock-down while they got sorted out with protection processes and staffing levels, but as a takeaway they were allowed to remain open. All the non-chain takeaways did such as pizza shops, fish'n'chip shop, curry shops etc.

    2. Stoneshop
      Headmaster

      Re: Ubbereats?

      First parsed that misslepping as Rubbereats.

      Qiute apt, actually.

  5. Steve Foster

    WTF?

    I've never been much interested in burgers, even before there was a McDonald's on every damn corner, so have never consumed any of their "offerings" (though I have been inside their premises occasionally in the company of others who did partake). I'm much more partial to pizza, though I'm aware that's almost certainly even worse for me in health terms.

    Indeed, thinking about it, I wonder what the effect on the nations' waistlines might have been had the government instructed all takeaway food outlets to close for the duration of the lockdown! (I know I'd have eaten less pizza, for a start)

    1. chivo243 Silver badge

      Re: WTF?

      Pizza bad for you? Nonsense! All food groups are in there, grains, veg, dairy, meats(all kinds) and even fruit, don't forget our friend the tomato!

      But like anything excess is the killer, just like a deep dish double meat lovers with double cheese...

      1. Jim Mitchell
        Mushroom

        Re: WTF?

        Fruit on pizza should be pineapple! Hawaiian pizza lovers of the world unite!

        1. Zarno

          Re: WTF?

          Bacon and pineapple for me. With a white sauce if available.

        2. Michael Hoffmann Silver badge
          Thumb Down

          Re: WTF?

          To quote the one and only Terry Pratchett: there is no excuse for pineapple on a pizza!

          1. Zarno
            Angel

            Re: WTF?

            I don't need an excuse. I like it. I'm not trying to force others to see my way of thinking.

            I also eat cottage cheese with a drizzle of steak sauce, so we ALL know my taste buds were summarily pruned long ago.

            1. jake Silver badge

              Re: WTF?

              Try a little chili powder on that curds & whey ... any varietal, ranging from store-bought blends to a powdered single chili. I like either chipotle powder, or the Ethiopian blend called berbere, or my own homemade blend that I use for making so-called "texas" chili.

              1. Agamemnon

                Re: WTF?

                I sprinkle a little curry powder on mine... I'll give the chili a shot.

          2. jake Silver badge

            Re: WTF?

            Pratchett wrote a lot of fiction, didn't he.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: WTF?

              Now Jake the Arrogant is knocking, of all people, Terry Pratchett.

              Some nerve on you. What's next? Fawlty Towers is crap? Music itself is pointless? Windows is good?

              1. jake Silver badge

                Re: WTF?

                Where did I knock Pratchett? You really are a confuzled soul, aren't you? Poor thing.

        3. MrMerrymaker

          Re: WTF?

          Hawaiian pizza lovers of the world, unite!

          ... And march off a cliff!!

        4. Michael Habel
          FAIL

          Re: WTF?

          Ughh Tomattos are a fruit to ya'know.

          1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

            Re: Tomatoes are a fruit too ya'know.

            If tomatoes could write CV's you would be checking their social media accounts to see if they were making it all up.

            1. jake Silver badge

              Re: Tomatoes are a fruit too ya'know.

              If tomatoes could write CVs they'd be too smart to have so-called "social" media accounts.

        5. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: WTF?

          "Fruit on pizza should be pineapple! Hawaiian pizza lovers of the world unite!"

          You'll be telling us to put jam & peanut butter on next, you monster.

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: WTF?

            Why not jam and peanut butter on a pizza? A pizza is just an open-faced sandwich, when you boil it down to basics.

            But don't take my word for it. Ask your pre-teen if he/she would like a PB&J pizza. Better, ask 'em if they would like to help you make PB&J pizzas. It's easy, simply make your dough as usual, spread with your fruit preserve of choice, and bake as you would any other pizza. Pull it out and spread with peanut butter. Serve. (Baking the peanut butter runs the risk of burning, and it comes out of the oven somewhat similar to very runny napalm.) When my kid was pre-teen, she loved helping me make this rather easy variation on the theme.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Joke

              Re: WTF?

              That's dead horsehead talk in some quarters!!!!

              1. jake Silver badge

                Re: WTF?

                Yeah, I know. These days a kid playing with his food usually means finding a toy in his happy meal, and people get violent when you suggest they teach their kids to cook. Sad, isn't it.

                ::sighs::

    2. Imhotep

      Re: WTF?

      I don't know about the waistline, but our we3kly food bill went down.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: WTF?

      You're not and never have been interested but OH THE NORSE GODS, YOUR OPINION MUST BE HEARD!

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: WTF?

        At least he's not an anonytwat :-)

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re: with hour-long queues snaking down the road and around the roundabout.

    Yep. And we are getting all the discarded Big Mac boxes thrown from cars as well. It was bliss without their trash polluting the world for a few months.

    Around here, the numpties in the McD's queue were taking an hour and a half to get served. They were also blocking the entrance to the KFC next door.

    I've only had one Big Mac. One was enough to make me decide that the box probably tasted better than what was suposedly food that it contained.

    That was 1977 while I was on holiday in New York.

    1. DJV Silver badge

      Re: "One was enough"

      Oh, absolutely! That's also the exact number I've eaten (well, more like gagged on) in my entire life. Never again!

    2. Andy Non Silver badge

      Re: with hour-long queues snaking down the road and around the roundabout.

      On the one occasion I ventured into a McD and ordered a double cheese burger I was told I can't have one as they were still serving the breakfast menu... so I bought a cheese burger from a van on the market place outside. Jolly nice it was too, and cheaper.

      1. Glen 1

        Re: with hour-long queues snaking down the road and around the roundabout.

        Breakfast menu?

        Bacon and Egg McMuffin

        1. Michael Habel

          Re: with hour-long queues snaking down the road and around the roundabout.

          more mike (Pork) Sausage Egg McMuffin... And, you cant get that anymore in the largly diversivly ran McDonalds anymore. I guess it must have been to offensive of something? So Mc-e-dezz is like the place of last resort for me.

  7. Lazlo Woodbine

    "the safety of our guests is really important, so we can't allow horse-drawn vehicles in our drive-thrus."

    Did they offer any explanation as to why the safety of their "guests" would be impacted by a horse-drawn vehicle?

    Some say the horse shit, but is steaming recycled grass any worse than diesel & petrol fumes spewing out as they queue for an hour?

    1. b0llchit Silver badge
      Coat

      Safety is realtive

      I'm sure it is all caused by relativism. Let me explain:

      Being hit with a blazing fast car will only distort time, ensure certain death and be over in a jiffie and is therefore safe for all intends and purposes. Being grazed by a gentle horse with the mass of a black hole will both distort time, space and cause the burger pusher to celebrate the event for an overly long and prolonged time-dilated period and the burgers will become spaghetti-fied in the process of being in the vicinity of the massive but gentle horse.

      So, car: safe, horse: danger.

    2. Imhotep

      Not that it's common, but people do go through drive-thruson their horses occasinally without a problem. I thinks it's not a problem until someone makes it one.

      1. Stoneshop
        Devil

        17 horses and McD

        One day, well over two decades back, I decided to go for a milkshake. It was a fairly warm day, dry and somewhat dusty, and I had just helped fix up the moto trials terrain with some other members of the club, so some cold refreshment was in order. My transport was an East-German sidecar rig[0], with the awesome power of seventeen horses propelling it forward. Somewhat.

        So I rode up to the intercom, ordered the shake, and proceeded to the till.

        "We can't serve you, you're on a motorcycle."

        Technically, that would be true. However, the contraption has three wheels[1]; and allows me to just sit on it without further effort to keep it balanced when stationary. Neither would I be hindered in reaching for my wallet, or the consumption, nor would I have no way to ride off except with the shake awkwardly jammed between my thighs, instead having ample room to take several dozen milkshakes with me if I had had that urge. This I conveyed to the cashier in words with as few syllables as feasible.

        "We can't serve you, you're on a motorcycle.". This was by some sort of supervisor.

        So, apparently their collective IQ was roughly that of one of their salads, and with a warm and heart-felt "fuck you" I rode off to visit the Italian ice-cream parlour in the city centre, Which I should have opted for in the first place, except that it was a bit awkward to reach as I'd have to negotiate a couple of traffic access controls to get there.

        I haven't dealt with them ever since.

        [0] with a transport tub instead of a conventional passenger sidecar, quite suitable as a replacement for a car boot. In fact, I had just delivered one and a half railway sleeper to the terrain to be used as obstacles.

        [1] about as much as a Reliant Robin has, although those are decidedly less stable.

    3. DJV Silver badge

      "the safety of our guests is really important"

      If that was really true they'd stay closed and never serve food again!

    4. KittenHuffer Silver badge

      Don't you know they're dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle - Ian Fleming

  8. ThatOne Silver badge
    Coat

    > for milk and cat food

    You sir are either a cat, or should watch your diet.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @ThatOne

      Every cat servant knows that those are the essentials. Human food comes way down on the list.

      1. chivo243 Silver badge

        Re: @ThatOne

        I have a special breed of cat, Hooverupin, she keeps the floor below the counter and stove clean! Human food is up there on her list! I can't prepare food without her underfoot. Maybe she's part hobbit?

        1. Zarno

          Re: @ThatOne

          Depending on the lore, she may not be a cat, and may indeed be a disguised kobold...

  9. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

    Does it ACTUALLY matter if you are sitting in a horse and cart, a Mercedes, a motorcycle, a bicycle or even just standing amongst a line of cars because you want your junk/comfort food and the counter is closed because of coronavirus? Is this because the restaurants want to maintain a certain level of cleanliness, and they don't want the horse to sprinkle manure on the drivethru pavement?

    1. Gene Cash Silver badge

      Re: So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

      No idea. There was a McDonald's and a Del Taco in Orlando (Florida) that didn't serve motorcycles in the drive-thru. That's ok, we just got 50-odd bikers together and filled the parking lot for a couple hours, and miraculously they changed their policy. We sent one guy in at a time to get a sandwich so we weren't loitering, we were just waiting to get food.

      I've also seen places refuse to serve people on bicycles.

      However, in Pennsylvania the Amish will not drive cars, so their horse-drawn buggies are seen (and accepted) everywhere. It's part of their religion, so if you refused horses, you'd have a civil-rights discrimination lawyer on your doorstep in a heartbeat. They live for that stuff.

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

        Shirley you can find somewhere better to eat in Orlando ... Oh, wait, what am I saying?

        You were all on two wheels, with the odd trike no doubt ... Shirley you could go somewhere else (anywhere else) to get a bite to eat?

    2. Stuart 22

      Re: So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

      I normally avoid Costa. But in these days when nicer cafes are shut it would still be nice to have something hot and vaguely sharing a name with coffee when out on a long ride (on a bicycle, not a horse). But we too are banned from their drive-thrus.

      It's elf & safety apparently. We constitute a greater danger to them and their other clients than folks in cars. And I thought it was the other way round. Silly me!

      https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/costa-coffee-release-full-statement-on-why-cyclists-cant-use-drive-through-lanes-457280

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

        Quite honestly, it's so the idiots in cages don't run into you while you are in line. Applies to everything with fewer than three wheels or powered by humans. Same thing's true here in California.

        I can take my buckboard through the drive-through (four wheels, not people powered), but in theory I can't take the trap through (two wheels, not people powered). My wife's big Harley is not allowed, but the foreman's wife's Tri-Hawk is. Skateboards, blades, and rollerskates are not allowed (more than two wheels, but people powered). Etc. Basically, they think they are protecting us from ourselves, as usual.

        1. Graham Lockley

          Re: So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

          >Basically, they think they are protecting us from ourselves, as usual.

          Nope. that should read 'the Lawyers are trying to protect them from frivolous lawsuits'

          Maccy D and 'hot coffee' spring to mind. No matter how sensible a company is, there is always someone who will file a claim. 'I got food poisoning and nearly died because there was horseshit outside my Macky Dees'.The B Ark isn't just for telephone sanitisers..........

    3. Chris G

      Re: So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

      I am unable to answer your question but what I can tell you, is when I kept horses on the UK, a bunch of us used to go for a good pre-lunch Sunday ride.

      One of the routes used to take us past a Little Chef, so when on that route we would have lunch there, the manageress always welcomed us, not because she particularly liked horsesbut the 5 or 6 horses tethered outside always pulled the punters in .

      1. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

        Little Chef, a part of my childhood there when travelling & in teenage years, our group of motorcyclists stopping in one (Usually at the top of Telegraph Hill), burgers & chips with pancakes & ice-cream to follow.

        Icon - Getting me Belstaff.

    4. cornetman Silver badge

      Re: So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

      > Is this because the restaurants want to maintain a certain level of cleanliness, and they don't want the horse to sprinkle manure on the drivethru pavement?

      That might be the case but I would have thought that that issue was rather academic once they had actually reached the order window.

      Most likely the robot at the window was told that only car-based people can be served and they took it rather more literally than common-sense would dictate.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: So what's with the ban on horse-drawn conveyance in the drive-through?

      It's the insurance isn't it. The more baffling rules I come across, the more the real reason for them turns out to be "lawyers".

      The Mercedes in your list will have number-plates, and (the "restaurant" is entitled to assume) insurance. As they are on private land, the restaurant's insurance provider has some liability for accidents. If one does occur, say between vehicles, then they just need to grab the CCTV footage, read off the numberplates, and cook up a deal between the various insurers.

      A horse-and-cart, bicycle or pedestrian waiting in line isn't identifiable (and isn't required to have insurance). Motorcycles don't have front number-plates, so this probably tells you which way the CCTV is facing in the queue. In case of an accident, they could quickly exit stage left, and the restaurant's insurer would lose out.

      I don't recall seeing number-plates on mobility scooters, even on ones which can go on-road. Perhaps they fall into the same trap as motorcycles, even though the article notes that at least some users have insurance. A cyclist with liability insurance (it exists) may also be able to argue that they should be allowed through. Although the number of cyclists keen enough to get insurance, and self-loathing enough to eat Mcdonalds, is probably rather small.

  10. Danny 2

    Slow fast food

    My 89 year old aunt has just been sent from hospital to die at home from heart failure. Due to Covid we haven't been able to visit but my cousin drove her by so we could wave goodbye. She said she is looking forward to two things, sleeping in her own bed without someone sitting on it (apparently a dementia patient on her ward) and a fish supper.

    I'm vegetarian but I would die for fish and chips now.

    Folk are crazy, increasingly crazy. When the local McD's reopened the queues jammed up the town centre. Before that when the local dump reopened the queues jammed a main arterial A road into Edinburgh. Hold your horses - no offence Jon Jon.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Slow fast food

      Here in the U.S. the drive-thrus at restaurants have been open all through the lockdown. It's the counters and dining rooms that have been closed. So we haven't had an forced fast food deprivation and sudden relaxation that creates traffic artery clogging in search of circulatory artery clogging.

      1. Stoneshop
        Devil

        Re: Slow fast food

        So we haven't had an forced fast food deprivation

        There would have been a noticeable number of rampages otherwise.

    2. BenDwire Silver badge
      Flame

      Re: Slow fast food

      Folk are crazy, increasingly crazy. Folk are stupid, increasingly stupid.

      Sitting in a car for an hour for a burger? You could walk to a supermarket, buy all the ingredients and cook a burger from scratch in less time. It would be tastier too, and the walk would be of some benefit too.

      But the pillocks who toss rubbish out of their windows are probably too thick to use a fork, which might explain a lot. Bring back home economics in schools I say!

      1. BeerTokens

        Re: Slow fast food

        "Sitting in a car for an hour for a burger? You could walk to a supermarket, buy all the ingredients and cook a burger from scratch in less time"

        Yep, took the kids and wife to md's at the weekend as it was next to where we were going and they wanted a treat.

        £18.54 later and I could not shake the thought that only a week earlier I had brought some fillet steak, Tom's , potatoes and wine from the farm shop for around the same money.

        I understand the convenience in some situations but to go out of your way to buy it just doesn't add up.

        Already missing the quiet lockdown roads

      2. jake Silver badge

        Re: Slow fast food

        Getting all the parts and cooking it for a family of four would also be cheaper than the drive-through. I can't believe how many people world-wide consider such places a valid form of nutrition ... the poor bastards are getting taken six ways from Sunday. And now the idiots are waiting upwards of an hour and a half to get fleeced? The mind boggles ...

  11. Pen-y-gors

    Burgers?

    A good burger is a fine, occasional, treat. Which rules out MacD (but Burgerking aren't too bad) - but queuing for an hour for one?

    I actually had my first burger in 12 weeks last week from our local Kebab house in Machynlleth. No one hour queue. No queue. They have a table at the front door, you wander up and shout your order then wander away for 5 mins. Then they pop your order on the table and you pay with contactless. Easy (and safe). I'm sure many independents are doing the same.

    1. Jens Goerke

      Re: Burgers?

      > A good burger is a fine, occasional, treat.

      Too true - I still remember a nice cheeseburger from half a decade ago, made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients, including Angus beef, served with homemade fries and a salad of the same top quality.

      These days kebab shops usually provide the best quality concerning fast food at affordable prices.

      1. Dave559 Silver badge

        Re: Burgers?

        One of my then local kebab shops used to sell, well, I'm not quite sure if they were exactly roast potatoes, but they were sort of similar. Deliciously fluffy and (I'm hoping) a bit healthier than chips, it was a favourite post-pub nosh for me (even better with a bit of grated cheese when you got home). Unfortunately, I moved to another part of town, and the last time I went back there, they had stopped selling them, sadly.

        1. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
          Pint

          Re: Burgers?

          I have just come back from a shopping trip & was able to enjoy the "eat-in" (10 tables provided for the purpose) experience for the first time since February in Five Guys.

          1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

            Re: Five Guys

            You know that they've got to change their name in line with social-distancing rrules...

            Guy...Guy...Guy...Guy...Guy

    2. jake Silver badge

      Re: Burgers?

      "A good burger is a fine, occasional, treat if you make it for yourself."

      FTFY

    3. Stoneshop

      Re: Burgers?

      I'm sure many independents are doing the same.

      Quite. There's an excellent burgers[0] & pancakes restaurant right at the border with Germany here; they've been open for takeaway that way, except for the first few days of the lockdown I think. With the easing, and current weather cooperating, they're now allowed to use their considerable outdoor seating area.

      [0] beef, fish and veggie.

  12. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
    Pint

    So...No Then To Disability Scooters, Not

    Only Foals & Horses.

    Icon - Pint Down The Nags Head with Trigger!

    1. Zimmer
      Coat

      Re: So...No Then To Disability Scooters, Not

      Confused...

      Would that be Trigger, the star of TV Westerns? Or Trigger with his broom (helping sweep up the mess left by the former Trigger )?

      I suppose the comment works despite the ambiguity...

      *The coat? Like the earlier commentard at the Little Chef, Telegraph Hill, it's a Belstaff . In my case it used to be The Wimpey kiosk on Cannock Chase: better burgers!

      1. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
        Pint

        Re: So...No Then To Disability Scooters, Not

        Now you have me nostalgic for a Wimpy burger with ketchup & the finally diced onion, I always try to seek one out when I am back in the UK & or a roadside diner that has Westlers hot dogs boiling away (Another guilty pleasure because mum wouldn't let me have one when taking me to the Odeon).

        here in Canadaland, Harveys has a similar logo to Wimpy's in blue, the onion is cut chunkier & alas the burger uninspiring.

        1. Graham Lockley

          Re: So...No Then To Disability Scooters, Not

          Westlers ? Jeez I thought we were discussing food here ?

      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: So...No Then To Disability Scooters, Not

        "Would that be Trigger, the star of TV Westerns? Or Trigger with his broom

        That would be Trigger who "pulled the fastest milk cart in the west"

  13. Dr_N

    Corporate policy to refuse service to non-standard conveyances?

    After Mark Thomas trolled the **** out of the McDriveThru[sic] back in the 90s with cows, clown car and such-like.

    1. Stoneshop
      WTF?

      Re: Corporate policy to refuse service to non-standard conveyances?

      Mark Who?

      1. Dr_N

        Re: Corporate policy to refuse service to non-standard conveyances?

        https://lmgtfy.com/?q=mark+thomas+mcdonalds

        1. Stoneshop
          Holmes

          Re: Corporate policy to refuse service to non-standard conveyances?

          It may be the case that British comedians aren't as universally known as you might think.

          And of bloody fscking course I could have startpaged him, but it was an expression of the above statement.

  14. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

    He ordered the set meal

    If he'd ordered à la carte there would have been no problem.

  15. FrankAlphaXII
    Pint

    This wouldn't be too unusual in Lancaster, PA

    I get how it might be odd in the UK, but there are places that this wouldn't be all that unusual like Lancaster in PA or parts of Farmington in NM. In Lancaster they actually have pretty serious problems with the Amish drinking too much (they may not have much technology but they do like to drink) and getting into buggy accidents after passing out behind the reins. A few people die a year from it as a matter of fact.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: This wouldn't be too unusual in Lancaster, PA

      [...] getting into buggy accidents after passing out behind the reins."

      In British rural areas going to the pub with horse transport was once considered essential. The horse could find its way home afterwards without any input from an inebriated driver.

      There were the days when a horse and cart made daily household deliveries. The horse could be trusted to keep re-positioning itself along the street - while the driver just ferried the goods to the doorsteps.

      1. ICPurvis47

        Re: This wouldn't be too unusual in Lancaster, PA

        My grandfather was a roundsman for Lyon's Tea Houses in London, and drove a horse drawn four wheeled van. His horse, Pimple, knew the round so well that Grandpa never had to climb aboard, he would just whistle and Pimple would move on to the next drop. The only trouble came towards the end of the round, Pimple would be so eager to get back to his nosebag that he wouldn't wait for the command, but would take off on his own, leaving Grandpa to follow on foot. Grandpa used to have to tie the reins to a lamp post if he wanted a ride back to base. Then he was issued with a motor van, which kept breaking down in embarassing places, like at the top of Pentonville Hill, just near The Angel, Islington on a Saturday lunchtime.

  16. IGotOut Silver badge

    Odd...

    ...considering "driving" was an agricultural term long before the horseless carriage came along.

    In fact, when using a horse and carriage/car/trap you are actually driving.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Odd...

      My Finnish Swedish-speaking friends from Åbo corrected me when I said in my best Stockholm Swedish "Shall we drive?" (Ska vi fara) - in their usage you say "Shall we ride?" (Ska vi åka).

      Here is an academic paper covering the distinctions in several languages.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Feeding the masses

    Is this the future for mankind?

    A drive thru window for State provided meals, like pigs to a farmer's trough.

    Too fat to walk, too lazy to cook.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Feeding the masses

      Soylent green?

  18. daftdave

    Heard of Uber Eats?

    I do a part time delivery job for a well known take away firm, and we recently "partnered" with Uber Eats, right at the peak of the lockdown-induced rush.

    So here's what happens. Something pops up on a device telling us the order and the ETA of the driver. Except, that the driver might not actually turn up for hours, if at all. Often, food goes in the bin and the customer gets a refund. To circumvent the situation where customers end up with cold food, we now prepare the food but don't cook it until the driver arrives.

    This of course, just pushes the frustration onto the drivers. So in turn, they now press the button that tells us they've "arrived" when in fact they haven't.

    This is the problem with Uber, it's not a coherent organization, it's just an app that attempts to stitch together different organisations and individuals in an ad-hoc way. As a company they take no responsibility for the ensuing chaos, the wellfair of their "self employed" employees, the integrity of said people or the wellbeing or concerns of their customers (as has been proven time and again with Uber taxis).

  19. This post has been deleted by its author

  20. spold Silver badge

    Let's clear the fences and not get stuck in the ditch

    At Kentucky Fried Colt you cannot bolt to the finish line. At Mad Cow Donald's horses are permitted to be ON the menu and at the drive-thru.

    This helps to ensure the Mad'CD's customers in the neigh-borhood have a stable diet. Their straw-poll of customers confirmed it. Nay-question no 4 faults on their part.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    For everyone's safety...

    "For everyone's safety, our restaurant team were checking that mobility scooters were permitted in the Drive Thru lane and, due to its road-going nature, in this case it was."

    Safety? Huh? What, did you think it was going to explode? It's an electric scooter for heaven's sake. It's a Nissan Leaf with less bodywork.

    It seems all the stories about brain cells being outlawed at McDonalds recruitment drives are true.

  22. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    Silloth? Near Calisle?

    Yer 'avin' a giraffe mate! Silloth is nearly 25 miles away. That's at least a couple of hours by horse and cart (and that's assuming it's one of those single seat pony trotting things and not a Clydesdale pulling a fully load haywain!)

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Silloth? Near Calisle?

      "one of those single seat pony trotting things"

      Just saw it today on our local BBC news and that's exactly what it is.

  23. osxtra

    Hungy Hungry Humans

    On behalf of all Americans, I apologize for the way our fast food industry has infected the planet.

    Had been weaning myself off of fake food anyway, but after seeing Michael Keaton's excellent portrayal of early Ray Croc in "The Founder", have stopped visiting that type of establishment.

    If I can't cook it, or be served an actual, metal fork with my meal, I'm not a customer.

    In the early 70's we moved from Chicago to a small town around an hour away. (Funny that dad wanted to get away from the "dangerous" city of our births, but we ended up in, shall we say, a real "family" town that used to be the summer getaway for folks in the Capone era. Go figure. The town was actually quite safe, so long as you "followed the rules".)

    The area was just full of lakes. A new Burger King went in, and yes, they had a boat-through for folks that couldn't be bothered to actually come inside for their heart-stopping-good "meals".

  24. Toni the terrible Bronze badge

    RSPCA

    It's quite cruel to use a horse (ride /cart) to get a MacDonalds, after all it may be the horses relative in the meat patty

  25. Jamie Jones Silver badge

    It happened in Swansea 10 years ago

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRo2WsH6TbE

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