A TikTok exchange in the drive-thru has people debating whether the interaction was rude, clueless, or if the video was just misunderstood.
Featured VideoMany of the TikToks posted by Francesca Petrino (@frankielovespinkk) are videos of her going through the drive-thru and placing various orders. But one posted recently went viral, racking up over 6.6 million views, largely due to people finding the interaction she had with the worker off-putting.
“Oh, hello. I almost hit your building,” Petrino tells the off-screen drive-thru worker at the start of the video. After that, she orders a “Boot Daddy” drink, which prompts the employee to ask whether she wanted a small, medium, or large.
“Do you have an extra small? I guess not. Okay, then just the small,” she replies. “Could you ask them to use a fresh blender? Tree nuts happen to murder me. Apologies for that. Sorry for the inconvenience; it’s also inconvenienced my life.”
AdvertisementFrom there, Petrino continues filming herself being uncertain about whether it was time to pay, confirming her drink, and telling the employee she isn’t “worried at all” about them having to clean the machine to accommodate her allergy. However, the worker pauses and admits she can’t tell if Petrino is being sarcastic, which she promises is not the case.
“My tone just doesn’t shift very much,” she says.
@frankielovespinkk ♬ original sound – hi im francesca
An off-putting vibe
While most of Petrino’s videos prior to this seemed to stay below 100,000 views, this one clearly broke containment, racking up over 6.6 million views since it was posted. And most of the comments seem to have come from people who found the whole situation very uncomfortable.
Advertisement“U have the most offputting vibe ever,” wrote @vanessa.2.
“Have you been outside before genuinely,” @themichealcerarun asked.
A lot of the criticism of Petrino’s side of the interaction was clearly based on empathy for the drive-thru worker.
“Why not just order what she wants and say she has a peanut allergy?” @CallasLives wondered on X. “Why all the extra chatter? It’s so exhausting when you’re in customer service to have to deal with people who are trying to be funny or whatever.”
Advertisement“Let’s not sugarcoat this with tone. It’s rude,” @shan.doyle19 commented on the TikTok. “Not ONE single please or thank you and the ‘sorry’s were followed directly by sarcastic comments. Your tone managed to shift when you said it wasn’t sarcasm. This poor lady sounds so uncomfortable while she was being so accommodating.”
Others chalked it up to a TikTok-driven obsession with creating content over all else.
“Idk if ‘rude’ is the right term, but I think the ‘are we being sarcastic right now’ really reflects the interaction. Person recording seems to be trying to be quirky/funny but the worker is working and doesn’t know her, so she can’t know if she’s doing a bit or if she’s just like that,” @Erinnwilken08 suggested. “Which is a confusing situation to be in as a worker that deals with lots of customers.”
Some people, particularly over on X, were more sympathetic towards Petrino.
Advertisement“I’m too autistic for ts i thought this was a completely normal interaction but all the comments are bashing her and calling her annoying,” wrote @deerestbones.
“I mean it feels like shes tryna be quirky but i think its fine,” @konpeitro_ii replied. “it feels like one who can’t catch social cues well and one who can’t talk with others well”
“Maybe ive worked with the public too long but this wouldn’t even make a blip in my radar if anything I’d just remember her as the sweet girl w the allergy,” said @DreaTheVirgo777. “The extra small question was a little annoying lol.”
One self-identified autistic person even went so far as to create a cheat sheet of sorts for anyone trying to figure out why some of Petrino’s statements could have come across poorly to others.
AdvertisementUltimately, Petrino herself seems unbothered by the haters, even making a subsequent video that joked about how hate-views just translate into money on TikTok.
She also poked fun at the situation by filming herself going through the drive-thru in an Uber, “unable” to place her own order due to being sad about the reaction to her previous video, and shared additional footage from the original that contradicted the allegation that she never once said please or thank you.
“Everyone thinking she was rude,” @brianut444 commented on that post. “If you worked fast food she’s one of the nicest people in the line.”
Advertisement“People gotta realize this girl is a regular with like 90% of these people,” @valerienicole17 chimed in. “They talk like they know her because they do.”
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