Verbal Assault at Jack-In-The-Box!

I know we all have horrible fast-food experiences, but I had to share this one. It's by far the scariest situation I have been in (I know, I practically live under a rock). I will never EVER eat at this restaurant again.

We went through the drive thru at Jack-In-The-Box tonight, but it took us a minute to figure out what we wanted because of new menu items. The employee was rude, was mumbling all of his replies and questions (requiring us to ask him to repeat himself at least twice after EACH response), and was basically being a jerk. We tolerated his attitude for a while (it was late and we were hungry).

We had a coupon for a free shake with the purchase of the new Sirloin Burger, so we told the guy we wanted to use it. (Initially, we asked if the free shake would apply with the purchase of a combo. I'm not sure what his reply was, because he sounded like he had marbles in his mouth when he spoke.) He said "I'll get it at the window." Now, I understand that he'll get the coupon at the window. But now that they have these handy-dandy screens that show you everything you ordered, we could see that he didn't ring it up. So again we mentioned that we wanted to add the shake to the order...an Oreo one (there are different flavors, you know). He continued to argue that he didn't need to know that. Finally, we just said "forget it, you're being a jerk" and asked him to cancel the order. As we pulled forward, he yelled "f*** you" into the intercom.

When we rounded the corner to leave, there was another vehicle in front of us at the window blocking the exit. There was also a vehicle behind us, so we were trapped. The drive thru guy saw us coming, and took off running out of the restaurant into the parking lot. He came around the corner and started screaming at us, yelling profanity and threatening us. By this time, I was calling 911 (not sure why...it was my natural reaction, given that Mini-Me was in the back seat)...so most of the "conversation" between them was a blur. I know that he called Hubby the "n-word," which was sort of amusing.

You would think that a manager-type person would have recognized what was going on and controlled the situation, right? Uhhh wrong. We saw at least two other employees in the restaurant, one of whom came over to the drive-thru window to either assist the customer in front of us, or get a better view of his homeboy in the parking lot. No one even attempted to control this guy.

After (what seemed like) several minutes of arguing, the vehicle in front of us finally pulled away, and we were able to leave. I was terrified and shaking, and Mini-Me was sobbing in the back seat. I'm not sure what I thought the guy was going to do...and Hubby keeps telling me he wouldn't have done anything...but I guess you just never know. Now my biggest concern is that he wrote my license plate number down.

I've already written a letter to their corporate office, and I will continue to call and/or write until I get a response.

What is wrong with people? What is happening in the world in which we live? How can this happen in my sleepy town, 6 blocks from my house?! How do I comfort my sobbing, terrified child when I don't feel the least bit comfortable with it myself? How do I protect her from this madness?