Ever work in fast food?

[Archae]

I did.

Several times.

(shudders at the memories)

Manager half my age and zits yelling at me near end of long shift, "If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean!"

[In_The_Wind]

1. Oh. You worked for someone who read the McD training manual.

Yes, I've worked in fast food. Oh, and managed an ice cream bakery.

[antiquie]

11. Isn't that oxymoronic?

Ice cream bakery?

[In_The_Wind]

12. Try telling that to these folks ...

[antiquie]

13. ...drooling

[In_The_Wind]

14. The Carvel treats are so easy to make at home.

[antiquie]

16. Did I hear correctly?

Kewpie puss?

[In_The_Wind]

36. Have you seen my whale ...

[KamaAina]

35. Sarah palin has a similar recipe

half-baked Alaska.

[IrishEyes]

2. Yes, McDonalds for a summer.

It sucked, of course. Now I'm a vegetarian.

[maryellen99]

3. I worked for Burger King the summer of 1988 when I was a junior in HS

First job ever.

[HarveyDarkey]

4. Junior in HS?

Damn, my first job was helping to bale hay at age 11. 25 cents per hour, although it was long before 1988.

[maryellen99]

5. yes nt

[Chan790]

27. Did your parents do that to you too?

Picking potatoes after school all fall and winter. Every summer was spent working in the kitchen at the restaurant my mother managed. The owner didn't care because my mother told her she didn't have to pay me, I was there to make sure I wasn't unattended sitting on my ass all summer, diddling the girl next door or smoking pot. (All of which strike me as perfectly normal and life-affirming things for a teenage boy to be doing with his summer.)

[HarveyDarkey]

28. Wasn't my parents

Was a local farmer I worked for, his son was, and is, a good friend of mine.
The late 50's, early 60's, were a different time.

[Squinch]

29. It was my first job too, but years earlier. We used to go to McDonalds in our BK uniforms for lunch.

[AsahinaKimi]

6. I worked at a movie theatre for less than three months..

Took tickets, did concession stand, cleaned theaters. Once I found a unopened bottle of water that was left in the Theater. The manager took it and was going to resell it. (Making money off it twice.) I told him that was probably illegal, and he said.. who is going to report me? You? I was fired later on. I had heard they only keep employees for three months, and then rotate new ones, so they don't have to do the insurance thing. Hardly anyone was promoted to full staff, because that position was always filled by two people. It seemed like a total scam to me.

[Archae]

8. Article here from a guy who worked in a theater.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-unexpected-downsides-working-at-movie-theater/

Over 30 years ago I was a projectionist/concessions worker at a drive-in.
We had actual FOOD in addition to the overpriced candy and popcorn. (Burgers and hot dogs.)

What was fun was the day after the big triple features on Friday and Saturday night, walking around fixing the broken speakers, (somebody always drove off with the speaker still hanging on the window,) and cleaning up the garbage.
Which as you can guess, included some rather gross items.

[AsahinaKimi]

9. Oh yeah he has it down pat.

When I worked at the theater I was suddenly everyones best friend, who could get them into movies for free, especially a premier. No, sorry it doesn't work that way, they never gave me discounted tickets, nor was I allowed to give anyone free popcorn, or a slushy drink.

In fact, someone stole three giant packets of M&Ms from the concession stand when I was not looking, AND those came right out of my pay check, you BETCHA!!

[tabbycat31]

33. I worked concession at a movie theater in HS

I suppose it's like working in fast food. We had to clean whenever we weren't helping a customer.

[angstlessk]

7. Yes, Burger King for the lunch crowd..the mommy shift..when kids were in school

before they served breakfast...it was fun..I loved the lunch crowd..many were regulars..but yes..one must keep cleaning..and I bet the counter had fewer bacteria before we wiped it down than after...but luckily our manager was a cool dude...after shift he and a few of us would sit together and just chat...

Then there was McD's as a second job...not for the money but for something to do, and when I told the manager I was quitting, he was sorry because I never complained?? Why should I complain I took the job...and knew I would have to do whatever I was asked...within limits

Back then, at McD's, for every 4 hours you worked you were entitled to a FREE hamburger, small fries and a small drink...not sure if they do that any longer?

I never had a bad experience, but I am certain, even back then I could not have been able to support myself on the pay even if I worked full time...which some did back then.

[olddots]

10. I worked at a Ma & Pa fast food place before there were chains

75 cents an hour 14 years old , you could only be part time .

Everyone there learned the business from ordering food to health codes and profit & loss .We didn't cook but we learned about it from the pros who actually could cook.

Sadly that was in the early 60s where you felt like a part of something at a job , time flew and people felt like there was a future .

[pinboy3niner]

15. By any chance, is your name 'Owen'?

[Archae]

18. No, why?

(I have a hunch as to this joke, "Fast Times At Ridgemont High," right?)

[pinboy3niner]

19. It's closer than you think...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018459152

[Archae]

22. LOL!

Remember the apple and cherry pies McD's had, (still have?)

With the molten inside?

[pinboy3niner]

23. You did THOSE, too?

Man, you get around.

Nice work, Owen!

[Archae]

25. The pies were cooked in the same hot oil deep-fryer the fish was.

Not the same sections, there were two sections, one for pies, one for fish.

Maybe it's different now.

[Bertha Venation]

17. Del Taco, '79-81. n/t

[Bertha Venation]

20. my dad's first job, age 14

Flipping burgers and opening bottles of beer. He lasted one day. His boss told him he could screw up a wet dream. Not a nice thing to say to a kid.

[NightWatcher]

21. Burger King, Blimpie, McDs (4 hrs), Gyro King, Short Stop Burgers...

Then a few "sit down" restaurants. Bennigans, Ruby Tuesday, Upper Crust.

I know there's more that I've forgotten.

[MerryBlooms]

24. No, but I worked pear packing houses and

schlepped beer and pizza.

[petronius]

26. I did, back in high school, selling burgers and ice cream at DismalLand,

i.e. the Tragic Kingdom, aka Disneyland. The highlight of the job, as I recall, was going out back every night and watching Tinker Bell come crashing to a halt after her long slide down from the Matterhorn...

[ConcernedCanuk]

30. Sort of, I worked night shift clean-up at McDonald's in the mid 80's

.
.
.

There were only 2 of us, no supervisors, no customers.

I cleaned up the Kitchen area, the other did the eating area, floors and washrooms.

The person in the kitchen/food area was not allowed to work in the eating area, and vice versa.

McD's is very careful about sanitation, they had 1200 stores at that time,

one store messes up, it's gonna affect a billion dollar income.

I got a free meal before shift, was allowed to pick what I wanted for snacks during the shift,

and breakfast if I wished before I went home.

I actually learned a few things about cooking there.

Want real fluffy scrambled eggs?

Take them out of the fridge the night before.

Deep frying?

Cook veggies/french fries in lard, meat/poultry in vegetable oil.

One of my jobs was to drain and filter the oil in the fryers every shift, scrub them spotless,

then do a test on the oils with sort of a litmus paper thing.

If it turned a certain color, it got dumped and new oil or lard put into the appropriate deep fryer.

Ice cream/sundae machines got almost totally dismantled every shift,

cleaned, sanitized and reassembled, all parts air dried, no towelling.

There was no spare time - I was a busy guy!

CC

[u4ic]

31. At 16, I worked at Harvey's

in a tacky orange gingham shirt and brown pants. I used to come home and stink of frying oil, even though I never worked in the kitchen. I could never get it out. The manager was an asshat, I made a whopping $3/hr in 1983.

I have never worked in fast food or the restaurant industry since, and I'm happy with that.

[B Calm]

32. I was a curb hop at Steak & Shake way back when I was in high school.

[bluesbassman]

34. Well sort of. I worked at a Chinese restaurant delivering food in my '70 Challenger 440 Six-Pack.

It got there REAL fast.

[frogmarch]

37. I was a car hop on roller skates

in the early 60s. It was then I realized I could be a good food server OR a good skater, but not both together. I still have scars.