Trying our patience

Let me preface this item by emphasizing that if waiting for takeout sushi is the worst thing about the pandemic, we really don't have much to complain about.
That having been said ... some restaurants are dealing with the new takeout delivery model much better than others. 
On Saturday we ordered sushi and the harried woman who took our order -- she put us on hold and we could hear her shouting in a foreign language -- told us it would be ready in 25 minutes. When we arrived at the restaurant, half-a-dozen other customers were standing on the sidewalk. There was no employee in sight. A kind of serving hatch was set up inside the main entrance, and we could see several orders in brown bags just sitting there. There was no clue what we were supposed to do -- no sign, nothing.
Fortunately it was a lovely afternoon and a sense of camaraderie developed among the increasingly hungry masked customers, which soon numbered eleven. We joked about the Twilight Zone situation and compared our waiting times (apparently everyone had been told their orders would be ready in 25 minutes). A father and daughter played rock paper scissors. Dearest Partner chatted with a pleasant fellow about dogs.
After about a half-hour, a woman appeared at the window and called out someone's name. We gave the lucky customer a round of applause as he collected his order and drove off. More orders were just sitting there but for some unknown reason weren't being released. No explanation was forthcoming, and one older fellow with a gray ponytail appeared ready to blow his top.
To add to everyone's frustration, a man wearing a pink polo shirt clearly had some inside information. He walked right up to the window, was given his order, and left -- no waiting! Another woman and I made outraged eye contact over our masks and wondered just how this guy apparently outranked the rest of us. 
The real loser in this situation was a Door Dash employee who was waiting to pick up an order. He phoned his customer, Elizabeth, and very politely and professionally explained the strange situation -- then went back to waiting with the rest of us. What was really sad was that he finally had to leave on another assignment -- only a few minutes before Elizabeth's order was announced. 
Finally, finally, our order appeared. We were so hungry we ate it in the parking lot. We will not be returning until the restaurant, which we like, opens for dine-in service. 
Tilda's pandemic tip: Do not get wasabi on your skin while eating takeout in your car. It really stings.