The food service industry has had the stigma of being one of the most undesirable fields in the job world. The phrase “flipping burgers” has been used often with a negative connotation insisting that people in this industry are unskilled and low in status. Let’s be honest, it’s rare that anybody has aspirations of becoming a server at Red Lobster or a team member at Wendy’s. Nevertheless, these jobs are being filled because people need the money, especially in this economic climate. Whether it be a teenager getting their first job or a single parent trying to earn extra money for their family, these people take the job to fund whatever lifestyle they can maintain. With that being said, make food service industry employee’s lives a lot easier by not being a jerk.
Despite the stigma around working in the food service, it is not an easy job. Sure it might not take much analytical skills to fill orders and prep food but working in the food industry takes a special type of stamina and determination. Food workers are at times forced to endure hours of non-stop rushes. During this time workers have to juggle multiple tasks like delivering and assembling food, keeping a clean work station and other tasks all while making sure that all the customer’s needs are met. Not to mention, front of house workers have to deal directly with customer backlash from things completely out of their control like a shortage of product, price change or change of policy. This type of work can be very stressful and draining to food service employees but I guarantee that most of them are trying their best. The least customers can do is be understanding and treat them with dignity.
It should also be noted that most people in the food industry are not paid enough to deal with a Karen’s crap. Food service jobs tend to pay minimum wage or somewhere close to it. This is part of the reason these jobs are considered the “bottom on the barrel”, yet people in this field do things that are worth way more than their salary. Customers should keep this in mind when interacting with the employees. If an everyday mishap happens such as they didn’t give you the extra sauce you wanted, please just nicely remind them. They have a million other orders to keep up with. If the line is super long and you only see one person taking orders, please be patient. Someone probably called out last minute and one person is doing the job of two people. Regardless of the circumstance, if they are treating you with respect and common decency, give them back the same energy.
The bottomline I wish to establish is that these people are providing you with some favorite meals and they are human just like you. They have their uniforms on right now, but after their shift they probably share some of the same everyday problems and activities as you. Just because they are employed in the food service industry or make less money than you doesn’t mean they don’t have as much value as you. Have compassion and treat food service workers with the same respect that you would wish somebody would have for you.