Discussion » Questions » Jobs » Why do we, the general public, in general, "look down upon" the profession of fast food and/or restaurant workers?
WelbyQuentin

Why do we, the general public, in general, "look down upon" the profession of fast food and/or restaurant workers?


My thoughts:

I worked in a fast food restaurant, and tried very hard to do well but I was fired within two weeks. (My employer could not have been nicer in his treatment of me with the termination. He knew I was trying hard to do well for him.)

I see the challenges of the jobs and I also see how often "we, the public" treat these workers in incredibly disrespectful ways.

These jobs are not so easy that anyone can successfully do them.










Posted - October 24, 2021
Tags : None

Responses


  • 19937
    My initial reaction is they think that way because it is generally a low-paying, unskilled job - no real education required and there is little, if any, opportunity for advancement.  Putting others down is also the mark of someone who has little self-esteem and by putting others down, it makes them feel better about themselves.
      October 24, 2021 8:38 PM MDT
    2

  • 23650
    Yeah, I get it.
    Thanks, SpunkySenior. I don't think I've ever really expressed my thoughts on this before posting this question. (Haven't really expressed it in my "3-D" life, either, I don't think.) I hope you saw my description I added under the question, too.
    I think I'm going to let your and others' answers just sink in and I hope to come back again. I think I'll post this same response to everyone for now.
    I appreciate your answer! Thanks!
    :)


    This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at October 25, 2021 8:58 AM MDT
      October 25, 2021 7:45 AM MDT
    2

  • 19937
    I did see your description.  Not everyone is cut out for every job.  I'm not sure I could do a job tht required me to deal with the public day in and day out.  I had a summer job in retain in a ladies shop when I was in school and it was all I could do not to shriek at most of these entitled bit**es.
      October 25, 2021 8:56 AM MDT
    2

  • 23650
    Got to run off for work for day but thanks! Hope to come back - - saw your reply just now as I was signing off computer.
    :)
      October 25, 2021 9:00 AM MDT
    2

  • 19937
    No worries.   Have a great day. :)
      October 25, 2021 9:10 AM MDT
    2

  • 23650
    Thanks for your answer and your other replies.
    Like I shared with Shuhak, your answer, too, is similar to many people with whom I come in contact, as in, -- I observe not so much your respectful thoughts but more of the derogatory views that many people seem to have that your shared in your answer.

    And your comment about not everyone being cut out for every job was similar to my boss talking with me when I was let go.  :)

    And I will share -- that restaurant job was my first job as a mid-to-high teen. Months later, the next job I got I was a huge success -- I was hired to watch/"babysit" two young sibling children every day for seven-to-eight hours while their parents worked. The parents loved my work with their children. The children really liked me, too. (Who wouldn't? Ha!)
    And, I admit, I was good at it. :)
      October 29, 2021 7:14 PM MDT
    1

  • 19937
    When we find our niche, we succeed.  I'm sorry your first job didn't go as well as you might have liked, but the positive aspect is that it got you to your next one which brought all of you joy. :)
      October 29, 2021 9:44 PM MDT
    1

  • 23650
    :)
    True, thanks.
      October 30, 2021 6:32 AM MDT
    1

  • 10664

    We, meaning the general public, don't see fast food jobs as "real jobs".  To "us" a "real" job is one that either requires a skill/ability (doctor, plumber, electrician) or is a 9-5 job in a "real" company (going to "the "office").  "We" think that people who work in these menial jobs must have "problems" or they'd have a "real" job".  Therefore they are beneath "us". 

    Personally, I believe anyone who thinks this way can go take a flying leap.  That human being behind the counter taking your order does more work in a day that most CEOs do in a month.

      October 24, 2021 10:20 PM MDT
    3

  • 23650
    Yeah, I get it.
    Thanks, Shuhak. I don't think I've ever really expressed my thoughts on this before posting this question. (Haven't really expressed it in my "3-D" life, either, I don't think.) I hope you saw my description I added under the question, too.
    I think I'm going to let your and others' answers just sink in and I hope to come back again. I think I'll post this same response to everyone for now.
    I appreciate your answer! Thanks!
    :)



    This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at October 25, 2021 12:00 PM MDT
      October 25, 2021 7:46 AM MDT
    2

  • 19937
    You are correct and they do that job for a heck of a lot less than the CEO!
      October 25, 2021 8:54 AM MDT
    3

  • 23650
    :)
    :)
      October 29, 2021 7:03 PM MDT
    1

  • 23650
    I admit I love your answer. Your thoughts are the same that I tend to observe in most people with  whom I come in contact.
    Thanks for sharing. :)

      October 29, 2021 7:05 PM MDT
    1

  • 11160
    I know a few people that now have good jobs and part of the reason is because they had working at McDonald's (or other similar fast food place) experience. Employers look  at that kind of experience as a sign that a person is dependable, hard working and able to work with the public. Cheers! This post was edited by Nanoose at October 25, 2021 8:05 AM MDT
      October 24, 2021 10:38 PM MDT
    1

  • 23650
    Yeah, I get it.
    Thanks, Nanoose. I don't think I've ever really expressed my thoughts on this before posting this question. (Haven't really expressed it in my "3-D" life, either, I don't think.) I hope you saw my description I added under the question, too.
    I think I'm going to let your and others' answers just sink in and I hope to come back again. I think I'll post this same response to everyone for now.
    I appreciate your answer! Thanks!
    :)
      October 25, 2021 7:48 AM MDT
    1

  • 23650
    I will add that I believe restaurant and fast food jobs are good jobs, too.
    :)
      October 25, 2021 8:59 AM MDT
    1

  • 11160
    They can be good jobs and or a stepping stone to a great job. My oldest son started working in the fast food industry now he has a government job. Cheers!
      October 25, 2021 9:38 AM MDT
    1

  • 23650
    Yes, thanks, Nanoose - - you clarified well but I was still with you even with your first answer. :)

    In some ways, the job I achieved by going into higher education and post-higher education was, in the long run, easier for me than that fast food restaurant job I had for less than two weeks. (Granted, I went into a field that I am truly passionate about and gifted, so, that's why it was easier.)

    I still retain a huge respect for restaurant workers. :) I was so challenged with it all.
    :)
      October 29, 2021 7:03 PM MDT
    0

  • 13277
    Are you generally sure you generally mean the general public in general? LOL, in a general sense!
      October 25, 2021 9:01 AM MDT
    1

  • 23650
    Generally, that made me laugh! Ha! I think it may have come across a bit better (maybe) if I had said, "Why do we, the general public, look down upon, in general, the profession of . . . "

    Maybe.  :)
      October 29, 2021 6:53 PM MDT
    1

  • 6023
    Given personal interactions with them ... where they are incapable of making change without the computer, or getting a simple order correct ... I think it is perfectly understandable why they are looked down upon.

    We also look down on people in other professions who are incapable of doing their job.
    However, if (say) a plumber or lawyer is known for being incompetent ... they don't last long in those professions.
    Fast-food restaurants, on the other hand, seem to thrive on incompetence.

    Just my personal observations.
      October 26, 2021 3:22 PM MDT
    2

  • 23650
    Thanks for your answer, Walt O'Reagun. :)
    I'm happy to report that my experiences with fast-food restaurants and fast-food workers have been much more successful and positive than yours.
    :)
    And, so, for me, it's still not perfectly understandable for me to look down upon them.
      October 29, 2021 6:57 PM MDT
    1