May I Have a Hot Cup of Tea, Please?

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a tea drinker. Many (many) years ago I tried to teach myself to like coffee. It was the standard beverage served everywhere. I've lost track of the number of dinners and banquets where coffee was offered, but tea was unavailable. What I discovered after trying coffee several times was that my body doesn't like coffee. Either it gave me the jitters, or I had to find the nearest rest room. No coffee for me. I am a tea drinker!

There are two ways I like my tea. 1) A large cup of UNSWEET Iced Tea, or 2) a cup of hot tea.

Enter....me living in the south....land of Sweet Tea.

It is winter. Hot tea is my beverage of choice. And I've discovered, at my local McDonald's that's a pretty tall order.

Day 1: I order a large cup of hot tea. The girl looks stymied, although she's trying to pretend she know's what she's doing. She finally asks her supervisor, where Hot tea is on the register. That task accomplished, she turns to pour the cup, only to discover there are no tea bags. She tells the supervisor, who goes looking for more bags. She apologizes for the wait, and I ask her if she has poured the water. She looks puzzled, so I explain to her that at McDonald's they traditionally pour the water and deliver the product with the tea bag on top of the lid so the user can dip it to the right strength. She fixes the water and about 5 minutes after I order it, I receive my hot water and tea bag. She is relieved to be done with me.

Day 2: I try the drive through. "I'd like a LARGE cup of hot tea".... There is a lengthy pause. Finally the girl has found it on the register, but I notice it says Small. I tell her I ordered large. She responds the register can only process it as small. But at the window I get a large cup of hot water and a tea bag. This experience was definitely a task for them, but they complete it much more quickly than the first time.

Day 3: I am prepared. I now know, this is going to be a challenge for them.... but I am ready to lay down the challenge. I'm on the phone with my daughter, and I warn her: "Watch me mess with McDonald's. I'm about to order a hot tea." I can almost imagine her face. She has been through this with me before. She probably already feels sorry for the girl at the microphone.  I order my large hot tea. PAUSE..... finally a small hot tea appears on the screen. I remind her I wanted a large one. She says she can only ring it as a small one. I'm fine with that, but I add..."Can you put it in a large cup?" "Sure" she answers. And at the window, sure enough, I have a large cup......half full of hot water, with a tea bag. (sigh) I hand it back to the girl at the window. "Could you fill the cup up?"
"Sure," she says. " I wondered about that."

Game On, McDonald's. By the time I am through, every person in your restaurant will have learned how to ring up and prepare a cup of hot tea.

By the way, I am not picking on McDonald's. They are local and it's an easy target. But if I went to Hardees, the best they could offer is to take iced tea and heat it in the microwave. That's not even worth the trouble.