As presidential candidates jostle for blue-collar kudos by claiming to have worked at McDonald’s in Harris’ case, and donning an apron posing for photographs handing out fries à la Trump, conversations have stirred online about working in the fast food industry.
Those espousing the virtues in working as a server or porter as a teen or college student are now usually high-level executives keen to craft a LinkedIn post or soundbite that resonates.
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With McDonald’s claiming one in eight Americans have worked at its restaurants, this seems like shooting fish in a barrel.
Well-known former burger flippers include Jeff Bezos, Ohio congresswoman Marcia Fudge, George W. Bush’s chief of staff Andrew Card, and former speaker of the house Paul Ryan.
It was at a 2012 rally in Lakewood, Colorado, that the latter gave clear references to his working past.
“I don’t know about you,” Ryan told the crowd “but when I was growing up, you know, when I was flippin’ burgers at McDonald’s, when I was standing in front of that big Hobart machine washing dishes or waiting tables, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. I thought to myself, I’m the American dream on a path and journey so that I can find happiness however I can find it myself.”
But what do former hospitality workers actually say they learned from their experiences?
Work ethic
Being on your feet for hours, managing multiple timings, orders, and tricky customers is not easy. Working on the floor is physically demanding, and the daily quotas and focus on punctuality by clocking in undoubtedly shapes your work ethic.
Interpersonal relationships
Communication is everything in a fast-food environment. From order specifics, to meeting and managing customer expectations, you learn how to provide excellent service.
Dealing with difficult and sometimes rude customers also teaches you tactics for engaging with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders effectively.
And for further relationship building, talking about your experience in hospitality can also be a good talking point in a job interview, often giving you a point of shared experience with the interviewer – one in eight remember, and that’s just one chain.
Team work
In the fast-food industry, team work really matters. Preparing orders from multiple stations in a timely fashion that ensures hot food is hot, and cold items remain cool, requires coordination and mutual support.
Equally, it’s a sector where physical presence really matters. Shift swapping is commonplace so building and maintaining relationships with coworkers is an essential skill you develop.
Time management
When a kitchen has a glut of orders, servers and food preparers must prioritize and complete tasks within time limits, and make quick decisions. There is no time for procrastination. This pressure helps build time management skills that can lead to better productivity.
Adaptability
Change is the only constant in this industry. Menu items shift, inventory changes, new cooking methods and technology are introduced, and peak times fluctuate. Fast food workers do not have time to be flustered by change, and this adaptability is a much-valued soft skill. If you can take on new challenges, learn new technologies and remain productive, employers will always be impressed.
Humor
Fast food restaurants can be high-pressure environments. When it gets busy, delays can tip already hangry customers over the edge, and as the old saying goes, ‘haste makes waste’, meaning mix ups and errors can be more commonplace during these periods. You soon learn that if you don’t laugh you’ll cry, and this attitude can really serve you throughout your career.
As you can see, flipping burgers may sound simple, but hospitality roles build a solid foundation in the working world, no matter what industry you go on to work in.
But you don’t have to succumb to Big Cringe by posting on social media about your experiences working in a fast food chain – especially if it was decades ago. However, if it comes up in a meeting or interview, and it feels natural to mention, do. And next time your order is messed up, or you’re waiting in line for what seems like forever, try to remember just how much fast food workers are juggling.
