I ask mainly to confirm that you want soda/tea, and the size. (Default for meals is medium) Like if someone says “large sweet tea” , I know not to hand them a medium cup. Other drinks besides coffee are sometimes charged differently than soda.

Even if you are just ringing up a meal, it makes you enter certain things before completing the transaction.. (like what drink for the meal... sauces for nuggets/tenders/burritos...)

You would be surprised at how many people get meals that are not traditional.. you can pretty much substitute/customize anything in the restaurant, for the right price...

One last thought on drinks and meals... the registers will not let you ring up a water as someone’s drink with a meal.. so the back drive person has to press “coke” and then yell “that coke is a water” across an already loud kitchen, with a bunch of people talking, laughing, yodeling, and just acting like they are in an insane asylum... I really wish they would make a “water” button that can be pressed, for people who like water with their Big Macs! (I work front drive occasionally, and end up having to remake a lot of drinks because of that!)