At the beginning of COVID-19, in my sophomore year of high school, I began working at a BBQ restaurant to get a car and make money. I didn’t expect that I’d still be at the same job 3 years later, and I didn’t expect the changes in my life to be altered by this job.
I’ve always heard the statement “the customer is always right” on popular media, and sometimes it’s used as a mockery of the service industry. I can say with certainty that this is never the case, nor do most service jobs follow it. Where I work, we try to ensure that if a mistake is made, we can compensate fairly, and not bend to a customer’s whim just because. In most cases, people are just unreasonable and trying to get free stuff (for no reason).
Working in the service industry has also changed my views on career options. I’ve always been under the impression that a manager in the service industry isn’t something to be desired (a fairly classist view). I’ve learned that if you’re happy and secure in a job, anything can be enjoyed and something to strive for. Different career goals don’t have to be less important than others, and we depend on the food service industry far more than we care to admit.
As a high schooler who started as a cashier, to being a shift lead now, I can attest to the dependence on younger workers. As a high schooler, sometimes I was working up to full time, and now, I work a minimum of 25 hours a week. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but being a full-time student and keeping up with my work expectations can become straining. My managers have told me countless times that I don’t work enough as a shift lead, or that I don’t have any reasons to complain because I don’t work full-time. Many service industries depend on the compliance of younger people to follow orders, which sadly happens often.