What if you were allergic to pickles or onions or whatever?
That's what I would have told them. Or even better, to use their own advertising against them, said I was a "Meat-aterian", and can only eat beef, beef products(cheese), and things fed to beef(grain, and thus bread). Let them say that their ads on TV are wrong.

I always order that at Wendy's, but without the cheese or mayo & extra pickles.
I do the same at McDonald's with the double cheeseburger, but without the cheese.

I'm saving them money when I don't get the cheese, so just how stupid are the people running that Wendy's in Baton Rouge?

Oh, I answered my own question, it's Louisiana!

I got kicked out of an AAFES snack bar for ordering an Early Bird without egg. The manager of the snack bar later came to my office and apologized saying the employee overstepped her bounds when she kicked me out and said that yes, you can in fact order an Early Bird without egg. And I got a coupon for a free one.

I think if there isn't a button for it on the pictoral map on the register, the burger jockeys believe it doesn't exist.

Since when is the classic double cheeseburger called a double stack?

This is bizarre...

As a matter of fact, Wendy's is the ONE place that I go to because I know that I can get a burger with no ketchup, just for the asking.

This has got to be a one-time thing... I've never had any trouble. But that being said, I think it's pretty clear that the staff at that particular Wendy's needs to be spanked and/or trained and/or fired.

It almost sounds like they were being jerks just for the sake of causing a customer discomfort. The only item on the menu, coincidentally? I don't buy it.

Not to be a Wendy's apologist but I would bet that Wendy's sees the double stack as a loss leader that is only on the menu to compete with McDonalds $1 double cheeseburger. They would rather you order one of the standard burgers instead. In this case Wendy's should just suck it up and give the customer what they want.

I've never, at Wendys, McDonalds, or even Checkers had trouble ordering with modifications.

I detest mayo and I order everything without it. Granted sometimes they put it on anyway, but they don't argue with me about it and always correct the error if I point it out.

I guess Wendy's will be changing their motto to Special orders DO upset us.

Dave Thomas must be rolling in his grave, sad day indeed.

I bet they were trying to sell you one from a recently canceled order? You called them out on it and they felt the need to stand their ground.

I'm a vegetarian. Really want to blow someone behind the registers mind? Order a Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe - NO MEAT. My success rate is about 80%. I preface my order with "I'm a vegetarian", and then make my order.

ung: as for the loss-leader argument, you know what costs money? Toppings.

Where did you think you were, Burger King? :-)

you shouldn't be eating that much fast food anyway

This reminds me of a policy we had for the King Supreme sandwich when I worked at Burger King. We could not sell the sandwhich without the Supreme sauce. The reasoning was that the sauce was essential to the build of the sandwich, upon which the price was geared to promote. Without the sauce, it became more like other sandwiches which different prices, and thus had to rung up differently. Customers could still get the sandwich build that they requested, but it would be no longer be considered a Supreme and coupons for the Supreme could not be used for it.

If the promotion is a similar issue in this case, perhaps the cashier didn't realize that the sandwich could be rung up differently to avoid the restrictions.

I'm split here. On one hand, I understand that a customer should be treated with respect and that if a service person can do something to please the customer, they should try. On the other hand, it seems that too many customers expect to get everything the way they want it and if they don't, it's time to cry and bitch until you get something for free out of it.

If they didn't want to give you you're burger the way you wanted it, order something else or go to another restaurant. Of course, having one bed experience (especially something this minor) shouldn't keep you from returning to your favorite burger chain, that's just ridiculous.

Whatever, though, it's not really a big deal. Of course then there's Greasy Thumb Guzik with his bigoted stereotyping. Nice one, ass.

@AirIntake: It's not: the double stack and the double cheeseburger are different. According to [www.wendys.com] it looks like the double stack is two 1/8-lb patties while the double cheeseburger is two 1/4-lb patties.

I wonder if the original customer would have been satisfied with a double cheeseburger instead? Maybe he just assumed that the double stack was their regular cheeseburger, and that was the source of confusion. Not that it's Brandon's fault entirely, if so; the employees should know their own menu and should have suggested the alternative.

Franchise mentality and the blind leading the stupid. Try ordering a Whopper with no bun - something someone with Ceoliac disease do - no button for it on the BK register.

I used to order Taco Bell chili-cheese burritos with plain ground beef instead of the chili sauce, and the cashier freaked out. Said I was trying to scam Taco Bell out of more meat than I was paying for. No, actually I just didn't like the spices in the new (recently reformulated) sauce. I'd done it dozens of times before, no issues, but this girl was having none of it. I eventually "won" after asking her to use the exact same ammount of beef that would normally be found in the chili sauce to construct my chilito.

I would have expected a little more out of Wendy's - they seemed to have put a bit more effort in training their employees on customer service in the past than the other chains, but I guess it's all the same now.

As I see it you've got 3 choices:
1. Complain. Possibly get spit in your food.
2. Accept it.
3. Drop out and don't eat fast food.

@AirIntake: The double stack is a dollar menu item in some stores. It has smaller patties.

I used to work at my local Wendy's; it's part of the Wendy's training that you can have whatever you want however you want it (though not exactly in those words). I remember making the weirdest substitutions for things - some people wanted mayonnaise with their french fries instead of ketchup, some people wanted a cup of melted cheese for their burger instead of the normal slice...we were happy to oblige. I highly doubt Wendy's has changed its policy on this; this was just a bad case of the Mondays for that employee. See if you can get their regional manager's number and talk to him/her about it.

Take your burger the way it's given, unwrap it right there on the register, lay out a napkin, then shovel all the stuff off your burger onto the napkin. Say "Thanks, can you throw that out?", then leave.

I'd like to see more hotdog joints refuse to serve catsup on dogs.

I love wendy's. The one nearest to me though is horrible. Newburgh, IN. I've waited 30 minutes for a special order (only ketchup)before and my sandwiches look like they were made by monkeys. I've refrained from eating there anymore but anytime I am in a different town I usually stop buy another and get great service.

@Greasy Thumb Guzik: Well, some of the best food I ever had was in Louisiana, so it's not the state. However, the Wendy's Franchises in Baton Rouge are apparently owned by a tight-fisted moron who delights in frustrating those who expect decent food or service. I like Wendy's, but after a few visits in Baton Rouge, I hated it. Sonic on Highland by Blue Bayou is the place to go. One of the best Sonics in the US.

Moral of the story: Franchisees make the restaurant and corporate needs to smack down the bad ones.

I've never had a problem with getting a spicy chicken sandwich plain. Sounds like someone just got promoted to chief sandwich artist or whatever Wendy's calls them and was on a power trip.

Where's Jack Nicholson when you need him?

Hmmmm, this is baffling to me. I can only assume at that particular Wendy's they had some issue with said sandwich and made their decision. Regardless it is very dumb. I wouldn't have given my business there either. I'm sure this story will get some free coupons from them though.

I know where this OP is coming from. I love Wendy's as well and love the fact I can get a junior bacon cheeseburger plain. (Don't judge me, I like to dip it in the chili :P) Spicy Chicken burgers are good as well. I don't understand why they would have a problem. I can't stand all the crap mayonnaise that makes it all soggy, and Wendy's is all about it being hot and fresh supposedly. Weird.

@HFC: There's a difference between completely reasonable and unreasonable requests from the customer. Asking the kitchen "hey, make this sandwich but skip the vegetable part" is completely reasonable.

@jgodsey: If this isn't a pointless and arbitrary comment, completely counter-intuitive to the rules, I don't know what is.

Lets try to stay on topic.

I tend to avoid Wendy's as their service is so slow. But yeah, you should have asked for the manager.

Going to [www.wendys.com] you can see their slogan is "Fresh and delicious? Made the way you want? Served the way you deserve?"

Maybe Brandon is a bad, bad boy, and was just getting what he deserved? ;)

Wow. I'm one of those people too -- I order burgers plain also usually. But I can't recall ever having a problem like that in 30 years.

@Black Bellamy: Nice!

It's the bad attitude that kills me. Wife and I went to a full service restaurant recently and we sat at a booth. The waiter told us he would not serve us because the booth is for 3-4 people not 2. Wife and I looked around the restaurant and saw only 2 occupied tables at 8:30 pm on a Monday night. I guess the restaurant owner told the staff never ever to allow guests to get what they ask for. We got the same treatment one other time before from a different waiter (same restaurant). We will make sure they have at least 2 less patrons taking up valuable space at their booth.

I've never really gotten angry over a burger order, so I'm not really sure I can properly empathize...

Can they make it without mayo?

If yes, I would think that everything else would be easily removed.

If no, like you said, you have other options. Whether or not those options will be any different remains to be seen.

I have fun with my 3 local McDonalds.

I have a "discount card" which is basically by any sandwich & medium drink - get a 2nd sandwich of equal or less value for free.

Here are a few things which will "freak" some of the cashiers out.

1. Try to buy a large drink instead of a medium. "Sorry sir, you have to buy a medium drink to use the discount" - Um... Why don't you ask you manager if it would be OK for me to spend more money on a drink where you will make more money

2. Try to buy a burrito or wrap. "Sorry sir, that is not a sandwich"

3. I will usually get 1 Big Mac & Large drink - and a Quarter Pounder as the free sandwich. For a friend, I had also ordered 2 of the $1 chicken sandwiches..... Of course you can guess what happened next, they took off the $1 sandwich as the free sandwich instead of one of the $2.50 sandwiches.

My reply - OK, cancel the 2 $1 chicken sandwiches. Oh, and I want to make a second order. How about 2 $1 chick sandwiches and a large coke (when all drinks were also $.99) - the manager was giving me darts through the window - now making her do "extra" work in doing the obvious of giving the $2.50 sandwich for free - along with now getting one of the chick sandwiches for free also. I said "Well I tried to make it easy, I'm surprised you wanted to do it the hard way" in which she finished and walked away.

.... of course when I order my breakfast sausage-egg-cheese bagel which is no longer "on the menu", but there is a hidden button on the register for it - it funny when there is a new person on the register doesn't know how to ring it up - I once had a sandwich cost over $5 because they "built" it by adding a bagel... then adding a sausage... then adding egg..... etc... When I get up to the window, I'm all ready and say can you get your manager and ask them how to correctly ring this order up.

Weird. Unless that Wendy's has stopped making their sandwiches as they are ordered, this should have been no problem.

I worked 1.5 years at Wendy's in all positions. I left well before the Double Stacker (which is a two-patty Junior burger, not to be confused with the Classic Double [which itself is now called the "1/2 Pound Double"]). Out here in Canada, the Double Stacker is topped with just Ketchup and Mayonaise, and like the OP, I routinely order it plain with no fuss.

Wendy's has undergone an enormous decline since the death of Dave Thomas, starting with the introduction of the Grill Press. I can taste the difference between burgers cooked on the old grill (taking 5 mins) and those cooked on a grill press (taking 45 seconds). I've noticed that the Grilled Chicken has become smaller and more water-filled (they never used to shrink as much), and their prices seem to go up at least three times a year. If we could run some wires into Dave Thomas' grave, we could harness the kinetic energy from his constant rolling to power most of the continental United States.

Sorry for the rant.

This sounds like bad communication on the part of the manager to me. When I worked at Wendy's a long time ago people would a "double stack add everything" which is basically a single with cheese but approximately $1.50 cheaper. We were instructed to add an extra charge of .25 for the tomato the rest of "everything" was included in the .99 price. Also, this was at a corporate store if people care.

I'm thinking the manager of the store was trying to prevent people from ordering the double stack add everything instead of the single with cheese. Unfortunately, the employees didn't understand this and took it as no special orders for the double stack. I know Wendy's loves it when you order something plain especially if it comes with tomato.

This is ridiculous!! Of course they can serve them plain! Whenever I have my dog with me when I go through drive through, they always give me one or two "expired" burgers plain for the Boxer.

I worked at Wendy's and I can tell you this is absolute bullshit. I've filled weirder requests than a plain hamburger. Like a hamburger with the meat extra dry, or a triple burger with extra cheese, bacon, and "please add salt" (ow my heart). I've added an extra beef patty to a CHICKEN SANDWICH.

@friendlynerd: Same here. I don't care where I'm at, I'm going to request no mayo.

If they put mayo on it anyway, they are making my sandwich over without it.

Mayo and I do not get along.

Never had trouble ordering "ketchup only" at my local Wendys. What a strange story. That worker sounds deranged or something.

@Roudi:
Absolutely. Over the past few years I've quit going to Wendys all together. It got to the point where I was pretty much guaranteed to have my order wrong of for the food to just plain suck. Every once in a while - sure. But not all the time.

I used to like Wendy's, but they changed their fries somehow, so they always taste like paper. The consistency is gross and I can't eat them anymore.

I don't think the OP's problem is a cost issue, as employees don't give a crap about that. They were probably not wanting to make a fresh burger, opting to argue with you to take a pre-made one instead.

Wendy's is hit-or-miss. My husband and I refuse to go to the one down the street from us, yet we're willing to go to the one that's two towns away.

I eat fast food (Yes, I know it's bad for me) once or twice a week for lunch. I've never had any problem custom ordering a burger/chicken sandwich; I don't want mayo or mustard on my food so order that way.

Currently the Jack in the Box $3.99 meal deals are where I'm spending my lunch money.

"until my most recent visit to this store in Baton Rouge, LA."

Ahhh.. Say no more. There's your problem.

I love Wendys, but it's the only fast food restaurant that will fight me on ketchup packets. They treat them like gold. When you ask for ketchup, they try to give you 1 or 2 packets. And then they argue with them if you ask for more.

Why didn't he call 911? ;)

Good luck getting those coupons from Wendy's. There is a Wendy's around the corner from my house that is notoriously slow and inept. I called the number listed on the door for consumer complaints, and talked to a very nice woman who took down all my information and promised some coupons in the mail. Its been over a year and I never received any coupons.

I like this retail strategy. If you don't feel like doing your job, just make up "rules" that you have to follow and tell the customer you can't break them. Oh if only I'd thought of this when I worked at B&N. I could have told all those Tuesdays with Morrie people that we had a policy against that book in all our stores.