Being a college student once finals ended the hard part began; finding a job. Having little to no experience and not having a degree made my options slim, so I resorted to working at fast food restaurant. I was less than thrilled but hey I love coffee so maybe I'll love serving it just as much. Before I knew it I was hesitantly wearing a Dunkin Donuts apron and visor and learning all about the ins and outs that comes with keeping America running on Dunkin. The concepts were simple and routine, and it was easy to catch on. Although it started off fast paced and I was really getting into the swing of things, I quickly grew tired of making a medium coffee with three creams and three sugars. But, I stuck to it through out the summer and never complained about the 4 a.m. shifts because hey, I had a job. But while toasting and buttering bagels I gained a respect for the industry and realized a lot of customers forget we are people too. So from an insider view this is what we, the employees, want our customers to know:
We are working as fast as we can
Whether there is one customer or 20 the ovens can literally only work so fast. If you got your food right away then it probably wasn't super fresh. Pick your poison: fast or fresh
If you order an excess amount of food expect to wait
While I understand that you may be the one for the lunch run, don't expect to be in and out. Making 6 orders, the correct way, takes time.
Not all of us work pay check to pay check
Many people believe that if your working in a fast food joint then you're poor and not going anywhere in life. While that has some truth, don't assume I need your 5 cent tip. In my case, I saved all my pay checks until I actually needed them. My co-workers also had the same feelings, many were wives that wanted to get out of the house and talk to people while their husbands were at work and children at school. Don't assume they are working that job because they have to.
Not every worker is uneducated
As rude as this sounds, while working at a fast food place many times I heard "this is why you stay in school" whispered to the customer's children. Or the disappointing "how did you end up here" from customers you know. Well FYI I'm a college student with probably more of an education than you. No I don't need the cash register to make change for me, no I won't be here the rest of my life. This goes for a lot of workers, don't assume we didn't even make it through high school and don't assume flipping burgers is all we are good for.
It's not easy to hear you though the drive through
Between your music, the A/C, the kids screaming in the back ground, and the one in the passenger seat giving their order across the driver, it's hard to hear. Don't get upset when we ask you to repeat a portion of your order or when we repeat your order back to you. We do this so we can get you your order correct the first time. You will be even more upset when we make it wrong because of a miss communication.
We make mistakes
Working at a fast food restaurant is a lot like doctors working in the emergency room...okay so not as serious but definitely in the way that everyone does their own thing but as a whole are working together. While in theory this is great, but paths get crossed and orders get mixed up. When this happens, throwing your food back at me isn't going to get you your food! As workers, we are a lot more likely to work hard to correct the problem if you’re not screaming at us.
Not everyone hates their life working at a fast food restaurant
Honestly I loved working at Dunkin donuts! I stayed busy so the time went by fast. I also got to talk to everyone that came in! But what always ruined it was when a rush came in, people waited, and suddenly I was the dumb one who was going nowhere in life.
Although it was a job I wouldn’t like doing the rest of my life, I appreciated the money I made from the hard work I put in. If everyone had a taste of what it was like on the other side of the counter the world would be a better place!
