The closest Wendy’s to me had their dining room closed because of COVID–as did other fast food places–and kept it that way, well, I don’t go there that often, but well into 2021. This is anecdotal but most people I saw at the nearby grocery store also kept wearing masks during that time. In that case I don’t think it was a matter of preference so much as a matter of either necessity or respect for the safety of others, including the people flipping burgers.
This is also anecdotal but one morning not too long ago I went to a McDonald’s, because I didn’t have a vehicle and it was the only place in walking distance, and decided on a whim to order their most egregious frozen coffee beverage. The woman behind the counter apologized for the fact that their ice cream machine was broken (surprise!) so they couldn’t make it. But she put together a custom coffee drink with what was on hand. It wasn’t what I ordered but it was exactly what I wanted.
That kind of service actually makes me want to go back there, and, when traveling, when I see a McD’s, it’s going to make me think, hey, I got great service at one, I might take a chance on another.
If I know a place uses bots that can only follow prewritten instructions, though, I’m going to skip it entirely. The people behind the counter aren’t as easily replaced as the CEOs presume.
