Robots have taken over customer service jobs to replace humans in the alternate universe of Customer Service Bot’s Rules for the Drive-Thru, written by Cinna Jude and directed by Krystal Glover. The audience becomes the next set of bots to take over the drive-thru jobs at Smile Corporation Foods, as they are trained by Customer Service Bot Mark 3, Code 1308 (Cinna Jude). Throughout the training, the Bot grapples with different customer service scenarios (voices provided by Truthful Acting Studios) that progressively get more hostile, which leads to the bot gaining more self-awareness and becoming almost human-like by the end.
Walking into the theater space, the audience immediately comes in close contact with the only standing set piece, a mock drive-thru platform made from wood and cardboard. The entire show takes place here, as the bot confronts harsh realities revealed by the Owner (DeeDee Strauss), who claims human employees were lazy and needy, and were therefore replaced by bots. Even though this “robot” was not supposed to have feelings, it too is eventually affected by rude and uncaring customers. As the bot gains consciousness and feelings, commentary about customer service workers “being people too” takes the forefront.
The humor in this show should connect with audience members who have worked in customer service; the commentary that customer service workers are not robots and deserve kindness should connect with audience members who have not. I did feel it took some until the end of the show to get the point this piece was trying to present. But if you work in customer service and have a bone to pick with your customer base, this one is right up your alley.
Customer Service Bot’s Rules for the Drive-Thru
Blue Venue, Lowndes Shakespeare Center
50 minutes; 13 & up
$13
Get tickets
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This article appears in May 14-20, 2025.