I was raised to treat the janitor with the same respect as the CEO or manager, but the older I get, the more I realize that not everyone else was. I have been working at Burger King for almost two years and I have encountered my fair share of ignorant people. I have also met some people who think people that work in the fast food industry are somehow beneath them because of where they work. I am so fed up with these people and I am writing this to show how wrong and rude those people are.

Say you were a lawyer or doctor and someone who doesn’t even work talked low of your profession or workplace. You more than likely would find it unacceptable and ignorant and say something along the lines of “Well I am making money to support myself and I am making a difference in people’s lives. What are you doing?” Why should it be any different with the fast food industry? You may ask how do people in fast food make a difference, and I could tell you how. We give you a fast option when it was a busy day and you need something for dinner. We bring smiles to people’s faces when we hand them their ice cream or order. People could say how can you support yourself on that salary? The same as any job, work your tail off and you will get what you deserve.

I have had people ask me why I could be tired when all I do is flip burgers. Just because you work somewhere else doesn’t mean that my work and hours doing it are belittled. To be honest I probably move more in an hour than they do in their whole shift. My job is SO much more than making burgers. On a typical shift I work broiler, fryers, and prep, meaning it is my job to make sure everything is stocked and that they have everything they need for your burgers and fries. I make multiple trips back and forth to the freezer, some days going through three boxes of fries before lunch is over. If we get slammed and something runs out I am the one who has to answer for it because that’s my responsibility. When you’re prep person you have to make sure things are all up and ready to go for the next time period, you have to know how long things are good for, and how many of each thing, whether it be chicken or hot dogs, goes into a container.

When people get mad about waiting or how their coupons can’t substitute for something totally different and lash out at the cashier, they make themselves into an instant joke because there could be so many reasons why they are waiting for their order. The main reason is that you came during a rush and they are waiting for food to be done cooking so it is safe to serve you. It is not because we are lazy good for nothings who have nothing better to do than to serve you. If you get annoyed that the drive thru gets their order before you, then let me tell you a little something. In manned fast food establishments, we are timed through how fast we serve drive thru so if needed, the drive thru will get the food before the people in the restaurant.

So next time you hear someone or you are about to say a belittling comment because you are waiting for your food, think about what the workers are going through. Remember that you are not above or beneath people because of what you do or do not do.