This is when Patrick reveals his faster way of getting to the Krusty Krab: he had a pedicab driver take him there. Toward the end of the episode, when SpongeBob finally reaches the Krusty Krab using his "shortcut," he sees that Patrick has been in the restaurant long enough for him to have ordered food there. The main thing that sets the plot in motion is that Patrick tells him that "there is always a shortcut." SpongeBob, convinced that there is a shorter way to the Krusty Krab than the usual straight route he takes, uses much more complicated directions that cause him to be lost in Bikini Bottom. Idiot Ball: SpongeBob carries it in this episode.
Also, all of the producers credits are now shown rather in the ending credits, probably informing people that Stephen Hillenburg is back to the show. The show is no longer storyboard-driven and instead it is back to being script-driven.