Fast food workers have been in the spotlight this past year, with the buzz that has been going on around fast food wage increases. There have been employee protests across the country from McDonalds, Taco Bell and other fast food chains to raise their pay. In September Governor Andrew Cuomo approved a minimum wage increase to $15 an hour for fast food workers in the state of New York, hoping that this would begin a trend throughout the rest of the country and other industries. This brings to light how important fast food workers are to the American way of life, and just how many fast food workers make up the U.S. population. According to a labor statistics infographic from AOL.com, 4.1 million people work in the fast food industry. So while the movement towards better appreciation for fast food workers continues, we thought we should crush a couple of myths that have been established over time about fast food jobs:
1) Fast food work is easy
Fast food jobs have been considered by some to be low-skilled labor, since you don’t have to have a college degree or much experience to obtain a job in the fast food industry. But there are more challenges and responsibilities that come along with jobs in fast food than many realize. These include handling inventory, avoiding safety hazards such as hot oil spills, and committing orders, prices and menu changes to memory. As a result, taking a job in the fast food industry is an excellent way to brush up on necessary skills for your career and your life, such as customer service, hand-eye coordination, multitasking and basic math.
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2) Fast food employees are mostly teenagers and high school students
This myth couldn’t be more untrue. Labor statistics show that 70% of all fast food workers are 20 years or older, and the average age of a fast food worker is over 28 years old. Many would be surprised how many fast food workers support a family with their income. About one in four adult fast food workers have at least one child. And since jobs can be hard to come by even with a college degree, 6.2% of fast food workers have a college degree, and even more have at least some college education.
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3) Tips aren’t necessary
Like waiters, waitresses and bartenders, fast food workers are responsible for getting beverages and meals to customers in a timely and efficient manner, and while tipping these workers isn’t unheard of, it should be more common. According to a Gallup poll, 8 in 10 Americans eat fast food at least monthly, with almost half reporting they eat it almost weekly. So fast food workers are invaluable to the lifestyles of many Americans, and should be rewarded for it. Since better service usually produces better tips, this will be a great motivating factor for hardworking fast food staff, and both customers and workers will end up more satisfied in the end.
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It seems that there is a higher appreciation for fast food workers being established in society. So if you are looking for work, now is a better time than ever to apply to the many job openings available in the fast food industry.
Jessica Cody
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