Do You Have Lunch Order Disorder?

Anybody else out there have lunch order anxiety? You need to order lunch for the office and for some, this can be stressful. It shouldn’t be stressful, and maybe you’re even a little embarrassed as you become increasingly angst ridden by the decision making process.

To me, one of the most stressful situations I can find myself in is standing in a crowded quick service restaurant (that’s code for fast food) with which I am not very familiar, looking up at a menu of biblical proportions with endless possible combinations and choices to make about sizes, toppings, condiments, and so on. Compound that with the fact that I am too vain to wear my glasses most of the time. I have to squint really hard and hope for the best.

And I’m slow. I need time to review the entire menu, weighing my options, lest I miss something really good.

And there are people around - lots of people - so I feel the need to hurry it up which only makes the performance anxiety worse.

And if I’m in the drive-thru? Oh boy.

My family usually only hits the drive-thru when we're on a road trip, and we only go to McDonalds. Not because I am that brand loyal or because they have the best greasy cheeseburger or even because they have McCafe coffee drinks that I’d pay 5 times as much for at Starbucks. It is simply because I know the menu intimately, and as we are driving I can have everyone decide in advance what they want so I don’t waste a single excruciating second at the order window super self-consciously thinking and deciding.

This is the reason it took me so long to discover eating at Subway. The “fresh fit” choices they were hawking on The Biggest Loser looked good, but when I went inside and saw the order maze and menu board, the black pit of despair started filling my stomach like so many mayo slathered sub rolls. Once my 10 year old trained me on the proper order procedure and briefed me on bread, meat, cheese, veggie, and condiment choices, I can now happily say that I have added Subway to my lunch repertoire. (So what if I order the exact same thing every time I go?)

When a friend or coworker asks me to go to lunch, I always suggest a sit down place. I play like I’m all classy like that and just want linen napkins and real silverware and someone to serve me – but the truth is, I’m buying time so I can review the menu at my leisure.

By now you either know exactly what I’m talking about or you’re thinking, “This woman need serious psychological or pharmaceutical help.”

I’ll assume the former and tell you there’s good news for us. Online ordering means never having to be rushed. 24/7 menu browsing on the web is a god-send for those of us with lunch order disorder, and just plain convenient for everyone else.

So next time you’re asked to get lunch for the office, don’t stress. You know where to go.