Working in the fast food industry is stressful to say the least. There are some days when it's a breeze, but there are quite a few more days when you just hate everyone and everything. From complaining customers to restaurant disasters, fast food is overwhelming. You can try to be as positive as possible, but sometimes fast food just downright stinks. Here's a few things I know that every fast food employee has thought.
1. I don't set the prices.
There are always those people who feel the need to comment on "how expensive" some item on the menu has become. In my opinion, if you think fast food is expensive, you should not be eating there. I don't care what you think about prices and I can't do anything about it. So don't complain to me.
2. Hurry up and get your money. Ugh.
It's really the worst when you are working drive-thru and you stand there waiting for two minutes, watching the customer dig through their purse or car looking for change. I have drive thru times to meet, and if I don't, I get in trouble.
3. Why does this customer have such an attitude?
Some days it's super difficult to keep a smile on my face when I am working. Customers with bad attitudes really make me want to scream. If I am working drive thru, and you have a bad attitude with me, I will pack so much ice in your drink that you will barely be able to get two sips out of it.
4. Can I leave early?
Some days I am just so exhausted that I am willing to get a smaller paycheck just to go home and take a nap. Fast food employees everywhere find themselves wishing that it'll be slow just so the managers have to send somebody home. The 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. shifts are the worst, and when it's time to go home you want to die. So please send me home first.
5. I'm not paid enough for this.
While I don't believe that fast food workers deserve $15/hour, they do deserve to be compensated according to skill and longevity. $7.25/hour is not enough to deal with rude customers, physically demanding jobs and other kinds of annoyances.
6. I know what my drive thru times are.
Most of the time the employee wearing the headset for drive thru is blamed for bad drive thru times and when they are good, the entire crew is praised for a good effort. One of the most annoying things ever is when one of my coworkers lets me know that my times are bad. Yes, thank you. I am aware of them and maybe they would be better if everyone was working in their position and not just standing around.