I’ve worked in fast food since I started working at 15 years old. Don’t get me wrong I love my job. From the people I’ve met who have become my best friends, to only surviving on the food that is made in the store -it’s been a whirlwind of great times. In this time, I’ve come in contact with thousands of people some days I see a hundred people in just an hour needless to say things can turn crazy fast.

I’ve seen it all, from spilled drinks to needles being found in the bathroom. There are a million stories that could be told in just one fast food restaurant.

However, I’ve also learned the essence of fast-food etiquette. What’s fast-food etiquette you may ask? It’s everything in between the please and thank you. It’s the greeting you respond too when the person behind the drive-thru asks you how you are doing. It’s the tone of voice you say thank you in. It’s the way you grab your food, or if you share a smile or not. The littlest things make the biggest difference.

Granted a fast food establishment may not be the nicest place you’ve ever ate a meal at, but that doesn’t mean you can be a complete jerk to those who are trying to serve you. Yes, you read that correctly they are still “serving you”. Bad days and things happen but taking them out on someone who is doing their job at the best of their ability is just rude. Actions can speak louder than words, but it doesn’t mean those words don’t hurt.

Please don’t yell at someone over something that cannot control. Systems go down, drinks run out but there are also protocols workers have to follow. From health codes to management standards there is more than what meets the eye of a fast food restaurant.

I’ll let you in on a secret though, the nicer you are to the people who take your order the nicer they will be to you. I cannot count how many times I’ve given someone a free meal, or added something extra to the order simply because of the way they responded to my greeting, or a smile they gave me. Basic manners and a tone of voice can change everything in that moment. Serving a multitude of people in a short amount of time can be frustrating and exhausting, we are doing the best we can in the time and moment we are given.

So the next time you go through a drive-thru or walk into a fast food restaurant don’t be upset if we ask you to repeat an order because we can’t here you, or yell at us because we don’t serve Diet Dr. Pepper. Instead share a smile, or converse with us as we try and talk to you. You will be amazed at the results.

Let’s bring back basic etiquette.