Humor at the McDonald’s Drive Thru


Think about the stereotypical view of a fast food worker. In most media, you see them portrayed as disinterested teenagers who would rather be anywhere else. They are the DMV workers of the food industry.

Not so in this video of a trip to a McDonald’s drive thru. Watch the video and we’ll come back to talk about why the humor worked so well.

Watched it? Alright, so think about why this car pulled away in laughter. What worked?

There are a few things to take away:

  1. Attitude. First, the positive attitude of the worker is infectious. The fact that he seems to be having a good time makes you more likely to pep up yourself.
  2. Yes And. The driver’s use of humor comes from reacting to what the customers are ordering, he “yes ands” what they say and adds his own flair to it.
  3. Incongruity. Finally, he uses incongruity to create a surprise. “14-Up,” “Choccy shake,” “Diddly-do” are all different (and more interesting ways) to say things he was going to have to say anyway.

Now some of you may think, “That’s nice, but he’s probably just a naturally funny guy.” Maybe. But it’s also likely that he has hundreds of customers come through every day and that’s a lot of reps to try different things out. It won’t always get a laugh, but he’ll learn what works and what doesn’t.

To be more like the unnamed fast food worker, approach your work with a positive attitude, “yes and” what other people say as a way to build the conversation, and throw in some incongruity to keep people surprised.

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