Worked drive-thru for 6 months before realizing I was handing hot coffee lids wrong

Nobody told me you're supposed to line up the tab with the seam before snapping it down. A customer finally pointed it out after I handed her a cup that leaked down her hand. She wasn't even mad, just looked at me like I was an idiot, which fair enough. Has anyone else had a basic job task click way later than it should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellas5621h ago

Wait, that's how you're supposed to do it? I always just snapped them on any old way and figured leaks were just part of the deal. A buddy of mine who worked at a coffee shop told me the same thing a few months back, and I felt so dumb. I mean, it makes total sense now - the seam is the weak spot, so you gotta line up the tab to hold it tight. Kinda like how I used to put on my car's gas cap wrong for years, just twisting it till it felt tight. Someone finally showed me you gotta hear the clicks or it'll leak fumes. Glad the customer wasn't mean about it. Some people would've lost it over hot coffee on their hands.

robertb3019h ago

Not sure I totally agree here though. Lining it up with the seam feels like one of those things that sounds smart in theory but in practice the lid still pops off if you squeeze the cup too hard, lol. Worked fast food for two summers and the trick was more about snapping it down fast and pressing the center of the lid flat, not fussing with the seam. The real fix for leaks is just making sure the cup rim is dry and you aren't overfilling it.