Exactly. The pressure to make it pretty defeats the whole purpose.

That St. Louis spot off I-44 is probably dealing with a broken grill timer or a new trainee. I worked a grill in college and the rush can be unreal, you're just trying to push orders out. A frozen middle is a mistake, but it's not them giving up. It's a system under pressure. They should have offered to remake it, but a shrug is easier when you're eight hours into a minimum wage shift.

Yeah, the salty-sweet thing is a total game changer. It's like how pretzels dipped in frosting just hit different, or why salted caramel is everywhere now. Once your brain gets past the idea that they're separate, it just makes sense. I even put a tiny pinch of salt in my hot chocolate sometimes.