6:00 a.m. shifts, working on weekends, no social life, and having to answer to plans with, “Sorry, I’m working,” are all part of the job. If you’ve experienced any of these, you’ve been an employee (or rather, victim) in the fast food industry; good for you!
Working in fast food definitely wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but I don’t regret working in the industry one bit. There were times where I wanted to quit because I didn’t want to wake up at 5:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning, or because I always got bored during my eight hour shifts, but I stuck it out and I’m so glad that I did.
I worked at Tim Hortons for almost three years. When I started looking for a job at 15, working in fast food was something that I really wanted to stay away from. I was always hearing horror stories from friends that were already employed in the industry, and on top of that, my parents weren’t the biggest fans of the idea. But alas, I wanted to start making my own money and gain some experience, so I submitted my application to the world-renowned coffee shop.
However, here’s how this work experience unequivocally improved various aspects of my life, both socially and personally:
Social Skills
I was an extremely shy and introverted person before working in fast-food. I hated being social with people I didn’t know, I couldn’t make small talk, and I hated confrontation – which is still a little true but I am working on that.
Working in fast-food really keeps you on your toes; you’re constantly talking to new people and you probably see hundreds of new faces everyday. When I started, I always tried to get the customer out of the restaurant as soon as possible. A simple, “Hi what can I get for you?” and then, “Have a good one,” was what I tried to limit my interactions to.
As time went on and as I started observing my co-workers and seeing how they interacted with customers, I was able to gain a few new skills. I started feeling more comfortable with talking to customers. Just the thought that you were probably never going to see them again heavily eased my mind. I was always worrying about embarrassing myself and saying the wrong thing, so much so that I never actually tried to socially assert myself.
Within the first six months, I was starting conversations with customers in the brief encounters we would have as they waited for their coffee. I was also starting to notice the impact that my newly acquired skills were having on my social life outside of work. I was becoming more comfortable talking to new people, giving class presentations, and forming new relationships.
This job gave me the confidence I was previously lacking and I am very happy I didn’t quit when I wanted to.
Problem solving
If you’ve ever worked in fast food, you understand that there are countless problems every hour. Whether it’s that you ran out of chicken strips, have no more eggs left, or are out of hash browns, there are constantly problems arising which definitely tests your problem-solving skills.
You’re forced to solve various problems and it really helps you get ready for the real professional world.
While there are many benefits to working in fast food, the improvements to my social and problem solving skills are featured most prominently. This job introduced me to some life-long friends (hey, Maddie), and helped me make connections that I will surely be able to use in the future.