Did You Ever Work in a Fast Food Place?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
Location
USA
In my 20s I worked at Taco Bell for a couple of weeks, then quit. The work was okay, but the things I saw going on there I didn't agree with. One girl dropped a large lump of ground beef on the floor as she was getting ready to cook it, and picked it back up and used it anyway. The young "manager" was there approving that. Another day two workers were gabbing together over the pans of prepared food, and one drooled into the beans, just laughed and stirred it in. This was back before everyone was thinking about all the new diseases that we have now.

Finally, I got into it with the manager because two cops came in and I charged them for their food. I thought that's the way it should be (and still do), and I wasn't told of any policies regarding that when I was hired. It was an experience, temporary job when I needed one, and the good thing was if we made any mistakes with burritos, etc., we could take them home at the end of the shift. So, I had a couple of take home snacks during my time there. :p

Anyone here work at McDonalds, Burger King or any other fast food places? Did you like it there?
 

No, the closest I ever came to that was working 10 hours a week in the dorm cafeteria in college in 1966. We had to wear hideous yellow gingham dresses with button-on aprons, white ankle socks with white tennis shoes and HAIRNETS. Yes, hairnets. But it paid $1.25 an hour which was a lot more than the fast-food jobs paid back then, so I put up with the utter humiliation for a semester. It provided my beer and running-around money and I got to slip my friends an extra dessert here and there. Sometimes I had to work back in the dish room and that was disgusting, but at least no guys I was interested in could see me in my lovely, sexy uniform back there....lol.
 
Chains like McDonalds were not that commonplace "way back then," but I worked the night shift at a small burger and shake drive in place one summer for about 5 weeks. It was my very first job. I was the fountain girl. There was one cook and a half dozen carhops. We had a ball. Closed at 2am. The only reason I left was I got a call for a waitress job in a steak house I had originally applied for that paid much better, with tips. Was trying to make enough money to buy contact lenses that summer. Anything that got me out of the house and feeling independent would have been fun to me. Nothing bad like that happened that I know of. I do remember it was the responsibility of the night shift to have everything spotless and clean and ready for the day shift.:(
 

I worked at a pizza place for a short time in my early twenties. Not really a fun experience. Immature co-workers and one manager that was a real B word. Stated I "yelled" at her when I asked for needed change for the register.
 
I worked at an independent "drive-in" equivalent of McDonald's, although there was no drive up window. Hated it. Also worked as a dishwasher in a fancy restaurant. That was actually better.
 
Never did, but my niece's mother told me she worked at Wendy'd in the 80s for a while. She siad she came home every day reeking of an awful greasy smell all over - hair, clothes, skin, etc.
 
When I was 55 and had moved out to the country in north Idaho, I needed a job badly, and it was a small town; so not a lot of jobs available. I worked at the local Subway there, and totally enjoyed it. I came in early in the morning and made coffee and cookies for breakfast, plus there were a lot of people who bought the little breakfast sandwiches along with their coffee and cookies.
At noon, we had a lineup way out the front door because the high school kids came to Subway for lunch, plus the business people who came through. We always had extra help from 11-1 for the lunch rush.

I loved making sandwiches for people and making them with just what they liked on the sandwich.
Later, I got a job at the Academy of the Rockies, which was also kitchen work (yuck !); but it was more hours and better pay. The kids there loved it when I set up the "Subway buffet" for them, and they all came through the line as we made their "Subway sandwich" for them; so the Subway experience helped out a lot.
All in all, it was a good job for me.
 
I worked at the local Subway there, and totally enjoyed it.
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HFL, a former co-worker got a job a few yrs ago (after she retired) managing a Subway, and she also liked it. Seems quite different from McD, Wendy's, BK, etc. Personally I can't stand Taco Bell or KFC....haven't been in there in years.
 
During high school, worked summers in a fruit cannery along with lots of other girls my age. It was fun because of the social aspect, but excruciatingly hard work, would fall into bed every night totally exhausted. The wages were pitifully low but they paid for my fall school clothes/supplies. It was true manual labour, standing all day at a conveyor belt, but we did get to chat and kibbutz around a bit.
 
Cookie said:
During high school, worked summers in a fruit cannery along with lots of other girls my age. It was fun because of the social aspect, but excruciatingly hard work, would fall into bed every night totally exhausted. The wages were pitifully low but they paid for my fall school clothes/supplies. It was true manual labour, standing all day at a conveyor belt, but we did get to chat and kibbutz around a bit.
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Cookie, my mom worked in a similar factory when I was in high school. I didn't appreciate her hard work until much later in my life. :( However, she eventually got a few promotions to easier, better paid positions in the same company. My first job was a check-out girl in a grocery store (age 16 - 18), I made $1.25/hr in 1966 and that was VERY good money! :) Got a raise I think in 1967 to $1.40/hr. But that job was a learning experience.

Was never a waitress - I think it would be too stressful and I'd probably end up walking out.

I really try to be nice to fast-food workers because I know their job is not an easy one. For some, that's all they can get to keep a roof over their heads and pay some bills.
 
Nope never worked in a fast food place but like you Rose I've had a couple of waitressing jobs in the past . Never enjoyed them except one on a Holiday Island on the west coast of Scotland. It was my very first job away from home as a teen working the 'season' and I loved every minute of it, I got to meet so many different people from all over the world especially Americans who came over on every ferry from the mainland. I also got to meet some famous folk, and made friends with several too...yup those were Halcyon days...but no thanks I wouldn't ever want to work in a fast food joint.
 
I don't think people who work in a fast food place have much choice about it. Sometimes it's all that is available to them, and people have to start out somewhere and out of necessity do this type of work. Some people are lucky enough to find a fun summer job, but one thing I do know is that these less than fun jobs teach a person what it means to work hard for your money. I used to wonder how some of the girls from my high school got to work in nice places like bakeries or shops, but it seems obvious to me now - my best friend's neighbor owned a bakery and so of course he hired her to work there. But it had its drawbacks too, she did get to eat a lot of goodies and consequently got a bit chubby. LOL
 
Good points, Cookie.

Also, we/I was “networking” even back then. My brother’s best friend was formerly a carry-out/stock boy at the store where I walked in (on my own) and applied for/got a job. Some of my hs school friends (even the wealthy ones) told me they envied me because they could only find crappy jobs or no job, and their parents were after them to get a summer job. One of my close friends worked at an ice-cream parlor, then when I left my cashier job (for an office job then college) I recommended her. She was thrilled!

I loved earning my own money, having a savings account, and being able to but nicer, more expensive clothes, etc. without being a burden on mom and stepdad.

But I learned from my older brother. When he was 16 he got a job at a large chain grocery store as a carry-out/stock boy. Don’t like to put a racial slant on it, but folks, that was in 1961 in a small, (somewhat) elitist town – hiring a black teenager to interact with customers was a BIG deal, believe me. Heck, when I got the cashier job in 1966 I got calls from a lot of my parent’s friends telling me "how proud they were". I rolled my eyes, and thought :wtf: but mom talked to me and made me understand and appreciate the opportunity. I put on my red smock and blazed trails!! :) Hallelujah!

Anyway, my younger sister got a job at McD in the 70s. Didn't last long - she sometimes forgot to wear her glasses and her register was coming up short....she was giving people the wrong/too much change AND she was also kinda lazy/chatted too much.
 
My first part time job was working at a restaurant at the PNE. Since it was sort of deli-style (order at the counter/take it to your table) I did mostly table cleanup. Some people were/are such pigs! For non-Vancouverites, the PNE is the Pacific National Exhibition and held annually. The restaurant was on the edge of the midway. Very hectic and not such a great job but it was the first one so it was a starting place for a teen.
 

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