McDonald’s. Burger King. Wendy’s. Taco Bell. Dairy Queen. Just a few of the main fast food places that plague our country and the world. Never a passing fad in our country like the countless diets or cleanses. Fast food restaurants have been around for years and will stay for many years to come. Often they are the perfect place for teenagers to get their first job at and gain experience. This is my situation. And I have learned quite a bit, not just for the job, but a lot about the kind of people we serve.

You come in and I’m the first smiling face you see. I say ‘hello’ and ask you about your day. I take your order and then your money. I hand you your drink cup and the number I’ll call when your food is ready. You patiently wait for your food. You come during a lunch rush or a dinner rush and your food takes a little more time to prepare. You begin to get impatient and come to me asking about when your food will be ready. I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to fulfill orders and take them too. And you see, that smile never leaves my face. I do all I can to make your experience as lovely as I can and as quick as I can. Hence, being a fast food joint. But you are irritated and impatient and you get angry with me. I can’t do much else to hurry your food along so I take your anger in stride and walk away when you finish. This letter is to you, my friend.

I am not robot. I have feelings and I am human, just as you are. Just because I don’t work a 9-5 job and sit in a cubicle doesn’t make me any less of a person or any less real. While I do cater to you, that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like I’m stupid or slow. It hurts my feelings. It affects how I work for the rest of the day. I get distracted and focus on how to get better while I’m still in the middle of a rush. You may think that’s a good thing, but my brain is somewhere else and I can’t focus on the task at hand. I get clumsy and forgetful because I’m still recovering and thinking of your harsh words. But I am that smiling face you first saw when you walked through my doors and I will be that smiling face and kind voice saying ‘have a great day’ as you walk out of them.

In my opinion, I feel that as many as people as possible should work a job like mine or in retail. You see up close and personal what’s like for those people. You gain a new perspective on what it is like to service people. You see the hardships firsthand and you know what happens behind the scenes. Most of all, you obtain a newfound respect for these looked-down-upon jobs.

So my request to anyone who comes to get food from any fast food restaurant: please keep in mind that I am human. I have feelings; we all do. Understand that I am doing my best to get your food out to you as quickly as possible, as I am doing with everyone else. Please respect me and my coworkers. I get your anger and frustration, I do, but please try to remember that I am human.

I will give credit though when it is due. So thank you to the people who are very kind and very understanding that it gets crazy. To the people who smile and tell me ‘it’s okay, I understand’ and smile in return. You guys are wonderful human beings. Please continue to be this way and raise your children this way. As I have said before, fast food places have been around for years and will stay for years to come. Please be kind to the people behind the counter who are working to make your day better.