The Decline of Teenagers in the Fast-Food Workforce

seeking.IAM

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Have you ever noticed the difference between the person in the window at a Chic-Fil-A or a Culvers versus the person at a McDonald's? Two of these companies stress good customer service; one doesn't.

I'm fine with paying fast food workers a higher wage, but I'd like some friendly, good customer service coming along with it. And, if you can't figure out the recipe for "Cheeseburger," you don't deserve $15/hr. I pulled into a McDonald's off of an interstate exit ramp. I ordered 1 cheeseburger. When I unwrapped my sandwich back on the highway, I found ketchup, mustard, pickle, and cheese, but they forgot one thing...the burger. It seems pretty basic in a burger joint, doesn't it? The burger goes on the bun. Forget the ketchup if you must. Short me one pickle. But don't forget the burger! The next turnaround spot was about 10 miles ahead and I wasn't going back. I wrote the manager when I got home, but didn't even get a post card with, "Whoops, sorry about that."

I say give the kids the job back, but let's also train them to be courteous and teach them something about customer service. And, the correct response to "Thank you" is "You're welcome" not "No problem." And please don't tell me to "Have a good one."

Goodness, I'm becoming something of a curmudgeon. :expressionless:
 
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HereIStand

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Have you ever noticed the difference between the person in the window at a Chic-Fil-A or a Culvers versus the person at a McDonald's? Two of these companies stress good customer service; one doesn't.

I'm fine with paying fast food workers a higher wage, but I'd like some friendly, good customer service coming along with it. And, if you can't figure out the recipe for "Cheeseburger," you don't deserve $15/hr. I pulled into a McDonald's off of an interstate exit ramp. I ordered 1 cheeseburger. When I unwrapped my sandwich back on the highway, I found ketchup, mustard, pickle, and cheese, but they forgot one thing...the burger. It seems pretty basic in a burger joint, doesn't it? The burger goes on the bun. Forget the ketchup if you must. Short me one pickle. But don't forget the burger! The next turnaround spot was about 10 miles ahead and I wasn't going back. I wrote the manager when I got home, but didn't even get a post card with, "Whoops, sorry about that."

I say give the kids the job back, but let's also train them to be courteous and teach them something about customer service. And, the correct response to "Thank you" is "You're welcome" not "No problem." And please don't tell me to "Have a good one."

Goodness, I'm becoming something of a curmudgeon. :expressionless:
LOL. They thought you ordered a veggie burger.

Chick-fil-A thinks of itself as a little better than fast food. And they seem to have a more loyal fan base than McDonald's.
 
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seeking.IAM

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Chick-fil-A thinks of itself as a little better than fast food. And they seem to have a more loyal fan base than McDonald's.

Well, they are a little faster than other "fast food" so I suppose they have a right to gloat.
 
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Rajni

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I sometimes have a tough time containing my emotions when I place my order over the intercom and have to repeat myself three and four times.

"Welcome to Burger King. Can I take your order?"
"Yes, I'd like a Crispy Club Salad with a Medium Coke."
"A what?
"A Crispy Club Salad, with a Medium Coke."
"You want a what kind of salad?"
"Club.. with the chicken crispy, not grilled"...
<Long silence>
"A Crispy Club Salad?"
"Yes, Ma'am.
<short silence>
"Would you like a drink with that?"...

I am not kidding. I actually had this conversation and it didn't end there. And it wasn't the first time.
I blame the intercom system for that. It's hard to tell what's
being said through those contraptions due to the bad
connection.
 
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Rajni

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seeking.IAM said:

I say give the kids the job back, but let's also train them to be courteous and teach them something about customer service. And, the correct response to "Thank you" is "You're welcome" not "No problem." And please don't tell me to "Have a good one."
I have to confess I've never had an issue with responses
such as "No problem" or "Have a good one". I say those
fairly regularly myself, and people seem to appreciate it.
There are far worse things that could be said to a customer,
and, in some cases, that customer would've had it coming
to them, too.

I also find that a key factor in inspiring good customer
service is, you know, being a good customer. Why this
seems to be such a challenge for some, I have no
idea.

And here's the kicker: The younger my customers are,
the more polite and gracious they tend to be. That's right.
The "kids-these-days" are the ones who behave decently, and
those "old-enough-to-know-better-harumph!" are the ones
who act like they were raised behind the bars of a zoo-
cage. No manners whatsoever. Go figure.
 
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HereIStand

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I have to confess I've never had an issue with responses
such as "No problem" or "Have a good one". I say those
fairly regularly myself, and people seem to appreciate it.
There are far worse things that could be said to a customer,
and, in some cases, that customer would've had it coming
to them, too.

I also find that a key factor in inspiring good customer
service is, you know, being a good customer. Why this
seems to be such a challenge for some, I have no
idea.

And here's the kicker: The younger my customers are,
the more polite and gracious they tend to be. That's right.
The "kids-these-days" are the ones who behave decently, and
those "old-enough-to-know-better-harumph!" are the ones
who act like they were raised behind the bars of a zoo-
cage. No manners whatsoever. Go figure.
Interesting. Maybe some of the older customers have a sense of entitlement.
 
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Have you ever noticed the difference between the person in the window at a Chic-Fil-A or a Culvers versus the person at a McDonald's? Two of these companies stress good customer service; one doesn't.

I'm fine with paying fast food workers a higher wage, but I'd like some friendly, good customer service coming along with it. And, if you can't figure out the recipe for "Cheeseburger," you don't deserve $15/hr. I pulled into a McDonald's off of an interstate exit ramp. I ordered 1 cheeseburger. When I unwrapped my sandwich back on the highway, I found ketchup, mustard, pickle, and cheese, but they forgot one thing...the burger. It seems pretty basic in a burger joint, doesn't it? The burger goes on the bun. Forget the ketchup if you must. Short me one pickle. But don't forget the burger! The next turnaround spot was about 10 miles ahead and I wasn't going back. I wrote the manager when I got home, but didn't even get a post card with, "Whoops, sorry about that."

I say give the kids the job back, but let's also train them to be courteous and teach them something about customer service. And, the correct response to "Thank you" is "You're welcome" not "No problem." And please don't tell me to "Have a good one."

Goodness, I'm becoming something of a curmudgeon. :expressionless:

29541003_1486722798105668_6960660387251956036_n.jpg
 
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Chickfila definitely trains their staff better. I think that they also make the job less complicated by not having as many menu items. A buddy who worked for McDonald's said they had 145 items on the menu, when you counted in all the coffee drinks & smoothies, desserts. Then on top of that there's a lot of different ways to customize each of those orders. Now some mistakes are just out of carelessness, laziness, but I think others are on account of getting flustered, especially during peak times when there's lines and everybody is rushing. There's a burger chain out West called In & Out that is super popular. Their menu is very simple. Burgers, fries, sodas, shakes. It's got Bible verses on the wrappers, soda cups, so that's great too.
 
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I have to confess I've never had an issue with responses
such as "No problem" or "Have a good one". I say those
fairly regularly myself, and people seem to appreciate it.
There are far worse things that could be said to a customer,
and, in some cases, that customer would've had it coming
to them, too.

I also find that a key factor in inspiring good customer
service is, you know, being a good customer. Why this
seems to be such a challenge for some, I have no
idea.

And here's the kicker: The younger my customers are,
the more polite and gracious they tend to be. That's right.
The "kids-these-days" are the ones who behave decently, and
those "old-enough-to-know-better-harumph!" are the ones
who act like they were raised behind the bars of a zoo-
cage. No manners whatsoever. Go figure.

That doesn't surprise me in the least. It lines right up with my own experiences, my buddies & my girl's. My girlfriend works at the Starbucks on her campus. She's said the students are mostly polite, respectful. They know their order when they get to the counter. They clean up their own tables when they finish. It's the professors, administrators, campus police, doctors & nurses at the school's hospital, who are the rude ones. They'll talk loudly on their phones while in a long line, get up to the counter & take their sweet time deciding on an order. They'll stay on their phones while students are studying or talking with their voices at a lower volume. They'll leave everything on the table, expect to just be cleaned up after. If there aren't any chairs free, students will just sit against the wall, no whining about it. She had to step in when this doctor got up on his high horse wanting a group of gals to vacate a table for him & his buddy. Like they were just more entitled to it when they were all customers.

The store had to put a key code on the restroom doors specifically on account of the number of grown folks well beyond their college years who'd just come in, hog the restroom, leave it in a mess, and not buy a thing. They made it for customers only & the students understand that perfectly. The non-students act indignant about it, even though they're the ones who make a whole lot more money and surely could afford to buy themselves a cup of coffee or something.
 
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Rajni

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Interesting. Maybe some of the older customers have a sense of entitlement.
It seems that way, sometimes.

My achy lower back is reminding me, though, that it could also be
that everything just hurts as one gets older. :D

tenor.gif
 
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HereIStand

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It seems that way, sometimes.

My achy lower back is reminding me, though, that it could also be
that everything just hurts as one gets older. :D

tenor.gif

LOL. So true. We have to stay tough though. Only sheep are nervous.
 
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seeking.IAM

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Interesting. Maybe some of the older customers have a sense of entitlement.

Or maybe some of the older customers grieve over the slaughtering of the English language and the death of common courtesy?
 
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HereIStand

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Or maybe some of the older customers grieve over the slaughtering of the English language and the death of common courtesy?
My wife doesn't cook often, so I get a lot of take out food. I encounter different degrees of politeness. I try to be understanding if people are less-than-friendly, since most service jobs don't pay that well.
 
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Or maybe some of the older customers grieve over the slaughtering of the English language and the death of common courtesy?

Older customers slaughter the English language as much as younger folks do. Not just orally, but when writing it. Posts on this forum are proof of that, lol. Common courtesy has become less common for all ages.
 
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Hank77

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Did your son enjoy it? I love working construction. Folks look down their noses on that too, but to me it's extremely satisfying work. You work with your mind & your body. It's not what I'm going to do for my career, but it's been highly enjoyable & lucrative as a summer job. I've definitely learned skills here I'll apply to my career too, so that's a good perk to boot. I've had a brainless desk job during the year; on account of that have had more time to be on here. I'm looking forward to going back up to NJ in a couple of weeks to work construction for the summer. I'll make much more & be much more satisfied.
Yes he enjoyed it and learned so much. He is a pharmacist now but he has used those skills to remodel two of his own homes.
 
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This could be a positive development. Wages may increase for these types of jobs.

"A quarter-century ago, there were 56 teenagers in the labor force for every “limited service” restaurant — that is, the kind where you order at the counter.

Today, there are fewer than half as many, which is a reflection both of teenagers’ decreasing work force participation and of the explosive growth in restaurants."

A Fast-Food Problem: Where Have All the Teenagers Gone?

Work ethics, that's what 16 year-olds get when they have an opportunity to work in any industry. Our teens are more pampered than ever, because we don't want them to be hurt in any way. So, despite being raised with every opportunity to succeed many opt out of college and don't want to work. It's all about social media and having fun with friends who are equally unmotivated. Not that they don't have dreams, they do. They just don't want to have to pursue them. Are they scared of failure? At the onset I think they are just waiting for something to fall in their lap. I'm afraid many parents are raising a bunch of sheep who will have no choice but to adapt to whatever is thrown at them as the age.
 
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Radagast

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So I think the state of our nation's youth is actually in worse shape than it's ever been, not only where work ethic is concerned but also education level... in fact, I wonder if education level may actually be partly to blame for why some kids don't feel comfortable working...

If your education system is not good enough to prepare people to work at Burger King, then you have a problem.
 
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Inkfingers

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This could be a positive development. Wages may increase for these types of jobs.

"A quarter-century ago, there were 56 teenagers in the labor force for every “limited service” restaurant — that is, the kind where you order at the counter.

Today, there are fewer than half as many, which is a reflection both of teenagers’ decreasing work force participation and of the explosive growth in restaurants."

A Fast-Food Problem: Where Have All the Teenagers Gone?

They are all going to college instead to study for Gender Fluidity Studies degrees and spending their spare time protesting capitalism before uploading their iPhones to Tumblr...
 
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Paidiske

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If your education system is not good enough to prepare people to work at Burger King, then you have a problem.

Don't be too harsh, Radagast. My first job was at Priceline (worked there in high school and through uni; ended up an assistant manager before I left).

Let's just say that the job-readiness of our various staff was highly variable. And it wasn't necessarily about how well they did at school. Often the difficulties were with things like working as a team, understanding policies and procedures (and why we all need to stick to them), having good people skills.

That's not necessarily about stuff you learn at school (which is why I encourage young people to do that sort of job, because it teaches you things that school doesn't, and really can't).
 
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When I unwrapped my sandwich back on the highway, I found ketchup, mustard, pickle, and cheese, but they forgot one thing...the burger.

that is so funny!
we don't eat out much so don't know bout this

college kids at my fav drug store where we rent movies

I like talking to the college kids; there's one that always tells me stuff re living with her parents, totaling her car, about her classes, HS, etc (she's very talkative)
 
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