My sister lets her herd (all ten of them) not only order as they wish, she aids and abets the chaos by by going through the "Would like? Well, what about?" routine with... each... and... every.... child..... and...... food....... option. Mealtime with them makes you understand what being on the Titanic probably felt like.
Brad
When did this start happening? As a kid in that situation I don't remember being given much of a choice. Hamburger or cheeseburger was about it. In a sit down restaurant I was allowed to peruse the kid menu but if I didn't choose quickly the decision was made for me.
With my own kids they had to tell us what they wanted before we went into the fast food place. That way we could put the order in while they had a seat. Fortunately for one of them it was chicken nuggets or strips every time so that was easy. And, surprise, we still do it this way even though they are both capable of doing it themselves. We find it still saves time and hassle.
For drive-thrus we sorted it out before we got into the lane. And only the driver spoke during the order giving. No shouting from the back seat, no adding on. The only exception was if the orderer forgot something.