$21.63

I was in the almost-big city about 40 miles from here yesterday. It was lunch time and I never pass up the opportunity to have something I can't get (or make as well for myself) at home. There's a hamburger chain, fairly new to the area as far as I know, on my way from point A to point B. I'd eaten there before and liked the service and the value. I pulled in. It was 11:30 and not very busy, but there was a line, just enough people ahead of me that I had time to lazily fill out my order form.

It is clearly stated that burgers of the beef, turkey or veggie kind are $4.95. Then there are the extras, like cheese and bacon and avocado, which add to the price, and the freebies, like lettuce and pickles and onions. Regular fries and sweet potato fries, a particular weakness of mine since no one else in the house likes them and I have to get them when I'm by myself.

I went to the register behind a woman I judged to be close to my age. She had two elementary school age boys in tow and they had been having a large discussion about what to order while they eyed the menu and sat at the counter.

I'm not sure what they ordered, but I'd think three burgers and fries and there were two water cups and a drink cup dispensed. The total was $21.63 and she exploded.

Really. She got mad. I mean $4.95 is plastered all over the place. She acted surprised, handed the cups back, announced she'd get a pizza which was far more reasonably priced, and out the door they went!

I felt sorry for the young man at the cash register. When it was my turn, I meekly handed him my ticket and said I'd crossed out my name at the top because hers had been the same and I didn't want confusion. He'd just grinned, said he was sorry it had happened but that he'd offered to help her with understanding the menu, but she had refused his offer.

I got table service, an extremely large order of fries (which I couldn't eat all of, more's the pity, either that or it was the bottom of the basket), and a blog entry.

I hope she found pizza at a reasonable price because the last time we purchased same, it would give the $20 a run for the money.