Coffee order at arches

I have a question about what I can order with coffee at the arches breakfast shops. In the past, I have always said yes to sugar and cream with no issues. Today, however, I was at a newer restaurant I had not shopped before. When I was ordering, the employee asked if I wanted cream and sugar. I said sure without giving it a second thought. When I get my meal, I see no cream and sugar on the tray. I mention this to the employee, and they say it is already in the coffee. Sure enough, it was. (Who does that?) I look at the receipt, and it says "ADD 1 CREAM" and "ADD ONE SUGAR." Well, I'm super paranoid with these shops, and I know we can't ask for anything extra, so I started the shop over and ordered orange juice, just to be safe. Does anyone know if this would have invalidated my shop if I had used the first receipt?

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that is so weird! i NEVER allow anyone to put things into my coffee.... * ps no one has decaf anymore either!

I just looked over the download of instructions I saved from when I was recently doing a shop. For the breakfast it comments on requesting s&p but is silent on cream and sugar. I suspect you were wise to start from scratch.

Read quite some time ago it was a cost-saving move on the arches' part. Also, it means the customer doesn't have to open the cup, thus risking getting burned when your coffee spills all over! The guidelines don't speak to it, either; they just say a medium cup of REGULAR coffee. However, I know in some areas, "regular" coffee is with cream and sugar. I'm not sure, but I think the guidelines mean you can't order "specialty" coffee. Maybe you should contact the MSC and ask for clarification of this point? I don't need to, because I always just take my coffee black. And, actually, I would NOT want somebody to add the sugar and cream for me!

Well, this was a brand new restaurant. I suspect it was done automatically with a new-fangled coffee machine. But still, part of the enjoyment of coffee for me is to add my own cream and sugar until it is "just right." I would contact the help desk, but I prefer to stay off their radar as much as possible,

I've ordered coffee with sugar and cream which they add behind the counter. I've also ordered it with sugar and cream on the drive thru. I've never had a comment from the MSC.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.

I need 4 sugars and 6 creams in a medium cup of mud to drink it. Some locations use powdered cream and put it in behind the counter. When Asked, I tell them I want it on the side. Then they have to give me the sugar packets, creamers and the stir stick. I have had the cream and sugar listed on every breakfast job and never once has this been a problem.

Cream and sugar are acceptable items in a coffee. They just don't want you to order a special made expresso creation coffee that is beyond pour it in the cup.

I don't do these shops, but as a customer IRL my regular coffee order is a large with 4 creams. They add it for me and yum - a dollar well spent to me.

@Flash wrote:

I just looked over the download of instructions I saved from when I was recently doing a shop. For the breakfast it comments on requesting s&p but is silent on cream and sugar. I suspect you were wise to start from scratch.

I found this in the instructions. It seems to say asking for cream and sugar is OK and not a special order. See the end of the text. They seem to treat it like a napkin or straw.

Did you receive all condiments you requested, along with napkins and straws/stirrers (or were they available at the Condiment Bar in the Walk-In)?
If No, mark all that apply:
32. Yes/No/NA
a.___
a. Missing (or unavailable in the Walk-In) condiments.
a.___
b.___
b. Received wrong condiments.
b.___
c.___
c. Was not provided one napkin per food item ordered (or unavailable napkins in the Walk-In).
c.___
d.___
d. Missing (or unavailable in the Walk-In) utensils.
d.___
e.___
e. Missing (or unavailable in the Walk-In) straw.
e.___
f. ___
f. Missing (or unavailable in the Walk-In) stirrer.
f. ___
g.___
g. Missing (or unavailable in the Walk-In) cream/sugar.
g.___
A stirrer is needed only if you asked for cream/sugar and they were not already added when you received the coffee. Taste your coffee to see if cream/sugar were added for you. Napkins and a straw/stirrer should be provided automatically in the Drive-Thru.

Dunkin Donuts always adds the cream and sugar to the hot coffee cup before they give it to you. That, and marking the cup appropriately, was the basis of recent mystery shops. They in fact failed if they didn't do it. It is much cheaper to use bulk cream and sugar than to give it to you in individual packages.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

I always ask for the cream and sugar on the side. I never use it, but take it home as my wife likes it in her coffee. I've never had a shop rejected for this, and I have done hundreds of them.

proudly shopping in the D.

What if you ordered black coffee and then after the timings are done etc. ask for the cream and sugar.
BTW Tim Horton's always puts the cream and sugar in the coffee, so it's not that unusual

Drinking your coffee black is better for you anyways. Besides, drinking it black will help you taste how underrated McDonald's coffee is compared to other fast food chains and even some donut shops....

Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2015 11:28PM by Tarantado.

Oh, I think McDonald's coffee is pretty good. I'll go there before I'll get in a huge line at Tim Horton's

Thanks for all the answers. What worried me most the way it was listed on the receipt. The guidelines cited by siamese5555 and the personal experiences shared by others have made me a lot more comfortable ordering the coffee. I did another breakfast today, and again they asked how many sugars etc. I asked if they put it in by hand , and the employee said yes, but that I could request it on the side.

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