My junior year of high school, I got my first job at McDonald's. A lot of people upon hearing that would immediately ask, "Really, you work at McDonald's?" or "Why there?" I started working there because it was five minutes from my house, they were amazing with my schedule, and because my friend Abbey worked there too.
Fast food employees are often looked down on in this society—"that job is so easy, anyone can do it." Yes, anyone should be able to do the work, but most people do not, and working with customers can be one of the most rewarding and challenging parts of a work day.
The reason McDonald's opens each morning is for the customers. I make sure the customers get what they ordered as quickly as possible. Sometimes, food is not ready so we have to make more, or mistakes are made and the customer has to wait longer than they intended to for their food. This wait is still less time than one would wait in a real restaurant and takes less time than making dinner for oneself. However, for some reason, waiting for food brings out the worst in some people. When mistakes are made, customers storm back in with a vengeance because their fries are a weird color or their food was not warm enough after they drove away with it. Each time, we fix the mistake and apologize for the error, never being rude to the customer, but we still have customers who will come in and yell because their order was not perfect.
My main problem with this behavior has always been that most of the people working at my McDonald's are in high school. Some employees are not even old enough to get a driver's license, yet there are customers who probably have children of their own, who come in ready to tear these employees apart. I know that I would hate if my teenager was working and an adult came in yelling at them because of a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, especially teenagers who are probably still in high school or working there to pay for college.
The worst complaints are when people come through the drive-thru when the store is busy and complain about the long wait. The drive-thru is for the convenience of the customers, at most fast food restaurants, it is not faster than if one were to come inside.
The reason I mention these complaints is to show why everyone should work there, to understand that the "menial labor" done by fast food employees is not as menial as it seems. I used to talk to my old manager about how everyone should work a minimum wage job so that they understand what goes into it and why some of their complaints happen. The discolored french fries were discolored because of the oil we used to cook them in, there were no changes in taste or texture, just a slightly darker color. In order to fully enlighten those who have never had the opportunity to work at a fast food restaurant, I will share some of my favorite things about McDonald's.
McDonald's employees become like family to each other. Each shift I work with amazing people, from college students working to pay for books to retirees who are working for some extra money or just something to do during the day. I truly love working with customers, especially the children that come in so excited to see which toy they'll get in their Happy Meal. I developed a rapport with some of them and it always brings a smile to my face whenever they come in. I even like the job, especially when it's busy, the teamwork is amazing. The leadership, mediating, and problem-solving skills I learned will be carried with me throughout my life. Most people say that McDonald's is a menial job, not worth doing but everyone needs to experience this kind of work at least once in their life, even if it is only to understand how hard this job actually can be.
