I regularly swear off going to fast food restaurants mostly because the service is just so bad and my order is never right. Well, after a couple of incidents this weekend I am not going to spend my tired dollars anywhere but at good sit down restaurants or at the grocery store, even if it means I have to cook.

I am tired of being rushed through fast food drive throughs only to find my order is wrong, my fries are cold and my ice is melted. I understand that speed is the driving factor behind fast food restaurants, but speed should not come at the sacrifice of quality and good customer service.

Fast food employees need to slow down, take a breath and complete the order properly - even if it takes just a few moments longer.

I understand why it is important to get the drive-thru food orders complete on time, and I totally sympathize with employees of these restaurants. It is not an easy business to be in. However I am just plain tired of the increasingly poor service.

Let me give you the latest example of what I am talking about. Last Saturday, I sent my 17 year-old son with two friends to a local fast food restaurant. They were gone at least 45 minutes. Long enough to make me start the worrying process.

When they returned, all three were mad. They placed their orders, three sausage sandwiches wrapped in a pancake, two orange juices and two sausage biscuits. Sounds simple--not even a special order.

They got their order and had biscuits with nothing inside them.

They went back in the line, gave the bag back to the window worker and were told to pull up and wait for a corrected order. They did so for over ten minutes. Meanwhile car after car went through the line. Finally one of the boys went inside to the counter to complain. He was ignored for two minutes until he raised his voice.

When they did receive their food, they got no apology, not even have a nice day. It was just handed to them with no comment.

Oh, the sausage biscuit was for me and it was a sausage muffin instead of a biscuit. And, by now, it was after 10:30 a.m., so it wouldn't do any good to complain because breakfast stops being served at exactly 10:30. Never mind if you have been sitting in the line for 15 minutes waiting to order.

Yes, this too has happened to me. After sitting in line for ten or more minutes then getting up to hte speaker to order only to be told breakfast is no longer being served.Nothing like taking care of your customers, is there?

I try to be understanding since I know how hard some fast food employees work generally for low pay and little thanks. Everyone makes mistakes but time after time after time something is always wrong. I'm tired of being understanding.

I'm not complaining about just this one incident but two nights prior my husband was in the "quick" line. He checked my burger because I often ask for a special order. It was correct. His however, wasn't even a burger. That's pretty bad.

And, did I mention this restaurant has that "condiments upon request" policy. They toss your bag to you and slam the window. Uhh, can I get some ketchup please? My husband actually had to honk his horn to get straws for our drinks. Heavens, what if we wanted salt or ketchup?

We're a family on the go. Between jobs, meetings, sports and other activities my family use to hit the fast food places around here fairly often. Sadly, our orders are more often wrong than right.

Then there was the evening I ran through a fast food line on my way to a meeting. Only to discover I had no silverware or napkins. It's a little tough to eat cole slaw with your hands especially with no napkin.

I refuse to do it again. No more. I expect to not only be healthier but a lot less stressed by not having going to the drive through, then going inside to get whatever is wrong corrected or throwing it away because it's too much hassle to deal with the manager inside.

I know fast food will never be perfect. It's cheap and it's quick. Isn't that the whole purpose? But there is too little emphasis on service.

When employees are rude, overly hurried, serve poorly prepared food, deliver incorrect orders and shrug their shoulders, then its time to make a change. Since the fast food joints aren't making those changes, I will make my own. I just refuse to spend my money someplace that won't give me good service.

In fact, it's lunchtime now. I think I'll slice up an apple and eat it with a little Colby cheese, a couple of wheat thins and a bottle of water.