A tale of Mucho Grande Nachos and FAFO GM
This is not a complaint about TB per se, bear with me on the back story.
Back in late 1998, I started working at the TB store closest to my house (all 4 TBs in my town were franchises owned by the same dude). I was about 4 months pregnant as a surrogate, and the general manager (GM) who was a good dude still agreed to hire me, knowing I would need several weeks off right before and after the birth. I worked my tail off, never complaining of my feet and back pain, up until about 2 weeks before I gave birth.
I came back after a total of 6 weeks off, and had to start all over with my training videos and packet because I'd been on pregnancy disability leave. 8 months later, a shift manager (SM) walked off mid-shift one night and after speaking to the GM, I was asked if I could be an interim SM until they could either promote someone or transfer someone from another store. I had begun my training videos and packet to be qualified to be a SM, but was still a few months away from being able to be promoted, but I said yes. I worked for about 6 weeks as an interim SM (with no bump in pay, mind you), before they promoted someone who had completed their training before I could.
Fast forward to 5 months later. I had completed everything and was qualified to be SM. We had gotten a new GM in that time, as the previous GM was sent to the newest store that opened. The new GM had been our Assistant Manager (AM) prior to his promotion, and he was your classic narcissist, but plagued by Napoleon syndrome and small peepee energy. A spot opened up for a new SM since the AM was promoted to GM, and one of the SMs got the AM position. One of my good friends who was hired the same week I was, had already promoted to SM. She had 6 weeks of seniority over me since I had taken leave to give birth. She overheard the GM saying to one of his nepo buddies, another SM who'd worked there far less time than she or I, that as long as HE was the GM, I would NEVER be promoted to SM.
I said fuck all of that. I'm not going to stick around here for minimum wage with no chance of advancement. So I found another job and put in my 2 weeks with TB. I worked both jobs for 2 weeks, and on my last shift at TB, I had already worked 7-3:30 at my new job, and was scheduled 4:30 to close at TB.
This was back in 2000 when the Mucho Grande line came out, and they still had XL soft drinks. I was working drive headset and register, which at that time also included helping expedite as well as getting drinks. A dude who was obviously higher than giraffe pussy came through the drive through around 6, and said, and I quote:
"Hey, I wanna order one of those big ass burritos, and a big ass nachos, and gimme a big ass mountain dew please." Swear to God. I knew what he was asking for, so I keyed in the mucho grande burrito, the mucho grande nachos, and the XL mountain dew. I read it back to him exactly as he ordered it. "Okay sir, so I have a big ass burrito, a big ass nachos, and a big ass mountain dew. Is that correct?" As all the people on the line, with headsets and without, laughed their assess off, what I can only assume was a descendant of the Dude from the Big Lebowski confirmed, and managed to pull up to the window. I took his money, gave him his food, and he drove off.
Cue the tight assed, small dicked, short and pissed off GM coming up to me. "You can't say stuff like that!" I said "like what?" He said "what you just read back to the customer!" I said "I was just repeating what he ordered, aren't we supposed to do that?" Keep in mind, I knew I was being cheeky. But it was my last shift and I didn't care. He screamed at me, "You can't treat customers like that! They might complain!" I told him, "That customer was smiling and laughing and loved that I read his order back to him exactly how he ordered it. Besides, what are you going to do, fire me? I already quit!" This dude had the audacity to say, "You can't quit because I'm firing you. You can leave now."
I looked him dead in the face and said "Dude, you already signed my resignation two weeks ago. Besides, if you fire me, you have to give me my paycheck now. You owe me 2 weeks worth of wages. Pay up, shortie." His face about turned purple, and he said "Fine, you're not fired. But I'm relieving you of duty. You're done." He looked so smug for about 5 seconds while I took off my shirt and hat and apron and threw them at him. About that time, he realized that without me working til close, he now had to finish my shift. Fuck around and find out, my guy.
All that to say, I really miss the option for an XL drink, and those mucho grande nachos were AMAZEBALLS. Back then, Taco Bell still had the enchirito, the chili cheese burrito, the original chicken burrito supreme which was totally different from the beef burrito supreme, the Baja sauce, and they still sold those individually sliced pies, like strawberry cream cheese, oreo, reese's, and they even had the Choco Tacos still.
RIP, 90's/2000's era Taco Bell. You are missed.