Not bosses or coworkers: Fast food workers agree on the worst part about working at quick service restaurants

Fewer teenagers are going out and getting a job these days, but many who do get their first taste of a work environment at fast food restaurants. Despite the typically low wages, these jobs give them financial independence or a way to save up money for college.

The food service industry also gives them lessons they carry through life, dealing not only with work schedules and managers but also customers. While experience involving the former two often depends on the who owns the restaurant or is running the show, according to comments on a Reddit post, most former fast food workers agree that customers tend to be the most difficult part of working in fast food.

“Working with inmates has generally been better”

Beside being on one’s feet for long periods of time, slippery floors, and constantly smelling of food grease, many of the commentators on a post asking about working conditions in fast food had something to say about the customers.

While some had better experiences than others, thanks to their establishment being visited by regulars or attracting a higher class of clientele, as one user stated: “Sh**ty people are sh**ty regardless of background.”

That user said that they became very adept at identifying who was going to be “terrible” and who was going to be “kind.” Another mentioned that those customers who felt entitled “were definitely the worst.”

Yet another commentator who worked her way up to manager said “seeing customers verbally beat up on high school students brought out the lion in me to the customer.” But she also said it hurt her to her soul to see when the kids took it personally and felt like failures.

Others made some surprising comparisons about the people they have to deal with in their current job, pointing out that they are much easier to deal with than customers from their fast food restaurant days. One is now a middle school teacher, the other a non-custody staff member at a prison who said, “working with inmates has generally been better.”

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