I left the food industry because I was beginning to hate what I was doing. I didn't mind the people I worked with or the people I came across as customers. I started hating the work I was doing and that could very well have been attributed to the fact I want to be a fiction writer. I don't want to be working in fast-food for the rest of my life. I don't want to sell life insurance for the rest of my life either, but right now selling life insurance is bringing me closer to my goal of making a difference in the world.
Fast-food steals your soul and here's why:
1. You're always moving too slow.
The customer always has some version of time that is so much faster than it actually takes to make their food beginning to finish.
2. Even if it's not your fault, it still manages to be your fault.
I used to get in trouble for being late to work even though I let that manager I'd be taking over for know that I was going to be late and why. More often than not, those same managers were always showing up late and not getting in trouble for it.
3. As a manager, your higher-ups will always blame you even if it was someone else.
I worked overnight at McDonald's and if it was a busy night for the closer then the store wouldn't be stocked and would look a mess. My overnighters and I were often blamed for making them stay to clean up their mess even though it's their responsibility to make sure to have all their stuff done and cleaned for the next shift.
4. Maybe you were gifted (or cursed) with the manager that is everyone's friend, that's great, but when they go to discipline someone that person won't take the manager seriously.
Manager
I dealt with this type of manager twice. They were the reason I left. The first manager was best friends with everyone at work and when she had to actually discipline her "friends" they wouldn't take her seriously. Being friends with your crew is great as long as they're willing to respect you enough to listen to you.
5. Everything is always on fire and there's nothing you can do to change it.
There's one night I will forever remember to the point that I might tell my grandkids when I'm old and gray. I was overnighting with two new overnighters. One of them was better than the other and then we got hit with a rush of people from a concert. That concert was Chance the Rapper in Tampa, FL. Our drive-thru was wrapped around the building and our lobby was packed from 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM. Overnight shift was from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM and during that time we have certain tasks to do to keep busy when slow. Clearly that night we weren't slow, but we were still required to clean everything and make sure the store was spotless for the next shift. There was oil spilled on the floor and multiple people yelled at me for not having enough people to serve them. Mind you, this was during the school week on a Wednesday, I believe. Wednesday's are one of our slower days, so having a late night person or extra person for the entire night shouldn't have been necessary.
man running in forestPhoto by 
