Bloggin' Like It's Hot!

How My Dinner Nearly Burnt Down 

My Favorite Eating Establishment

Everybody has favorite eating establishments.  Chicken and I just happen to prefer Steak 'N Shake.  Today I went to Steak 'N Shake, ordered my favorite fast food burgers, fries, and chili.  I pulled around to the drive through, paid for my meal, and asked for extra ketchup.

Chicken: Because who doesn't love a little extra ketchup on their fries.

Bo: You mean who doesn't like a few french fries with their ketchup.

As I was patiently waiting at the window, I noticed that it seemed to be awfully smoky inside.  Then I saw a blur as a man ran past the window and even though the little drive thru window was closed, I clearly heard a woman shrieking. . .

"Get out!  Get out now!  There's a fire in the kitchen! Everybody now!  Your meals have been comped but you have to get out!"

At this point my I was stunned.  What do I do?  Then the guy who was taking care of my order calmly opened the drive thru window and smoke billowed out.  He calmly said, "Mam, I'm sorry but we have a little grease fire.  Could you pull over into one of those parking spots.  Again, I'm very sorry for the trouble."  

Then he walked away from the window.

His calm speech was followed by the woman screeching again..."Fire!  You have to get out of the building!  Everybody get out NOW!!!!"

I tried to pull forward to forward, but a steady stream of customers and employees were pouring out of the door in front of me.  

I looked in my rear-view window, so I could back up

- there was a car behind me. 

So here I am stuck by a drive thru window with smoke pouring out of it and I can't move.  Not the best place to be when there's a fire going on inside.  I tried to tell the guy behind me (without sticking my head to far out of my window and into the Danger Zone) that there was a grease fire and he needed to back up so I could get away from the window.  Mr. IReallyNeedMyBurger wouldn't budge and proceed to act like I was crazy for asking him to back up in a drive thu.  One of the servers, who were all now gathering in the parking lot some of whom were also blocking my forward exit, noticed I was stuck and came over to help me.  

She nicely told Mr.IReallyNeedMyBurger to back it up and then came to my window.  She told me I could stay but she wasn't sure when they'd be able to get my food.  I told her I'd go elsewhere but I had already paid and $22.86 may not seem like a lot to some people, but to someone on a fixed income it's like. . .$22.86.  She went back over to the servers and came back with a hand full of one dollar bills.

Bo: I don't want to take your tips!

Nice Server: No, it's okay.  I'll just tell my boss and he'll refund us.  

I felt horrible and I told her as such, but she took my receipt and reassured me that all was well.  She also told me I'd better get out of the parking lot as soon as possible or I'd get blocked in with the incoming emergency team in route.  She managed to part the sea of people and get me out of there.  

I went to the nearby Taco Bell and had to pay dinner with all those ones.  The teller at the window looked at me, raised an eyebrow, and said, "woah, this is a lot of ones."

Okay, I dress fairly conservatively so this really made me mad and I had to explain the whole ordeal from earlier just to make myself feel better AND to make Mr. NachoMcMeanie lower that eyebrow.

Chicken: Stripper Singles!  Lol!

When I left Taco Bell I looked over to the Steak 'N Shake.  I am not even close to kidding when I tell you that every police office, ambulance, emergency vehicle, and fire truck was either in their parking lot or blocking off the entire road in front of it.

I bet the grease fire probably looked like this. . .

But with all the insanity caused, it made me feel like it was. . .

As I was trying to digest this whole event, as well as digesting my dinner, I realized something.  

I was at the window when the fire started.  

I had already paid when the fire started.  

While I was waiting for my food I noticed the smoke.  

BAM!  

It hit me.  

Our dinner.  

They were cooking our dinner when the grease fire started.

And that, my friends, is the true story of our dinner nearly burnt down our favorite dining establishment.