If you got bored in retirement, would you work as a fast food worker?

[steelyman]

I worked one night while in college as a dishwasher at a Denny’s. That was it, I never picked up the paycheck. Pro-bono scrubbing.

 

[aaronc879]

I could never be bored enough to work anywhere if I didn't need the money let alone a fast food restaurant. I will retire the day I feel I can get by with the money I have.

 

[Hamlet]

I worked one night while in college as a dishwasher at a Denny’s. That was it, I never picked up the paycheck. Pro-bono scrubbing.

The general manager of the McDonald’s I worked at at high school got fired for cashing the last checks of employees that never picked them up. I always thought he was a good manager, but he apparently wasn’t as bright as I thought.

 

[steelyman]

The general manager of the McDonald’s I worked at at high school got fired for cashing the last checks of employees that never picked them up. I always thought he was a good manager, but he apparently wasn’t as bright as I thought.

Wow. Maybe my check is unclaimed property! I might have to wash it though.

 

[Lakewood90712]

You would have to hold a gun to my head, and even then , I might say no

 

[jollystomper]

I could not do it. I would likely go into "Doc Martin" mode )) with customers who are acting rude or stupid, and would not care about being fired since I would be doing it out of "boredom" and not because I needed the money.

 

[REWahoo]

No.

I would never consider working at a place who would resort to hiring me.

 

[Dtail]

No.

I would never consider working at a place who would resort to hiring me.

Nice take on Groucho.

 

[HadEnuff]

The general manager of the McDonald’s I worked at at high school got fired for cashing the last checks of employees that never picked them up. I always thought he was a good manager, but he apparently wasn’t as bright as I thought.

At the McD's I worked, in 1970 -71 (Junior and Senior years in HS), the head manager was a cool guy who'd been a drill sergeant in the marines and when he hired me he told me he'd I was not to call him "sir", but rather by his first name. The two assistant managers, younger guys, were more like Barney Fife. They had very little authority, and wanted to make very sure they used every bit of it, whenever they could.

The head manager once pulled me aside and told me that if I studied hard, and went to college, I wouldn't end up like those two guys. I really didn't need that pep talk, but it didn't hurt, either.
I often have said I learned two things working at McDs. One was that I didn't want to spend very much of my life doing that, and the second was how NOT to treat employees.

 

[badatmath]

I didn't even think that sounded "fun" in high school so nope.

 

[Hamlet]

At the McD's I worked, in 1970 -71 (Junior and Senior years in HS), the head manager was a cool guy who'd been a drill sergeant in the marines and when he hired me he told me he'd I was not to call him "sir", but rather by his first name. The two assistant managers, younger guys, were more like Barney Fife. They had very little authority, and wanted to make very sure they used every bit of it, whenever they could.

The head manager once pulled me aside and told me that if I studied hard, and went to college, I wouldn't end up like those two guys. I really didn't need that pep talk, but it didn't hurt, either.
I often have said I learned two things working at McDs. One was that I didn't want to spend very much of my life doing that, and the second was how NOT to treat employees.

Even as a teenager, I was impressed by the efficiency of McDonald’s. I was taught a bunch of tiny tricks that would seem negligible each time I did them, but since I did them over and over those tricks mattered. One example- when I poured the shake mix bag into the shake machine, there was a little residue left in the bag. They taught me to spin the bag to collect that residue in a corner so it could be poured out. An extra shake out of every bag doesn’t seem like a lot, but amounted to hundreds of shakes over the year.

Honestly, I think McDonald’s was the best run business I’ve ever worked for. They spent more effort training me to flip burgers exactly the way they wanted than any business has spent training me to do anything since. That’s a little sad, and reflects poorly on Corporate America in general, but I think it is true.

I’ve owned McDonald’s stock for 15+ years, and I think they will probably pry my shares from my cold, dead hands.

 

[HadEnuff]

I didn't even think that sounded "fun" in high school so nope.

the managers were not fun.. working with a crew of fellow high schoolers when the place got crazy busy was fun...but I don't expect that experience would be repeatable at my age.

 

[Amethyst]

Wow. Who would do this unless they were hard-up for money? Flipping burgers was the least desired job when I was a teen. Very hard work in a hot, greasy atmosphere.

Saw this article

Senior Citizens Are Replacing Teenagers as*Fast-Food Workers

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...s-are-replacing-teenagers-at-fast-food-joints

 

[gstillson]

I think I would live in my car and use a food bank before I would work in the fast food industry. Certainly I would not work there if I had money, retired or not.

I could work one of those jobs like the guy that opens the bridges on canals. Push a button maybe 20 times during the day sounds about my style.

 

[CaptTom]

Honestly, I think McDonald’s was the best run business I’ve ever worked for. They spent more effort training me to flip burgers exactly the way they wanted than any business has spent training me to do anything since. That’s a little sad, and reflects poorly on Corporate America in general, but I think it is true.

Exactly my thoughts about why it would be interesting to work there... for a while.

Another good one is Subway. I'm impressed by the way they take an assembly line approach, from taking orders through to paying. I want to learn how to cut the sub rolls the way they do. They even have a custom knife that looks like a serrated oyster knife, does just what they need, but no doubt engineered to avoid safety hazards like a sharp point or long blade.

the managers were not fun.. working with a crew of fellow high schoolers when the place got crazy busy was fun...but I don't expect that experience would be repeatable at my age.

Yes, the great part about working in food service was the people. I've worked with many more professional groups of people, but never more fun groups than in restaurants.

The two assistant managers, younger guys, were more like Barney Fife.

I did make it to Assistant Manager at one small chain restaurant. But I don't think I ever let that go to my head. You learn pretty quickly that those places hand out titles like that in lieu of pay raises, and they come with no real authority, just extra responsibility. I did talk the owner into letting me drive the "company" sports car he bought, so there were some perks.

 

[MRG]

Wow. Who would do this unless they were hard-up for money? Flipping burgers was the least desired job when I was a teen. Very hard work in a hot, greasy atmosphere.

Our McDonalds is doing a 2 month remodel and still has the drive thru window open. Nice to flip burgers in a loud construction site.[emoji13]

I felt very bad for the people who are working in there. I remember working in an office that was being mudjacked, two weeks of jackhammers.

 

[Walt34]

I could work one of those jobs like the guy that opens the bridges on canals. Push a button maybe 20 times during the day sounds about my style.

Yeah, I could do that. Wake up from my nap when the horns started honking....

 

[unclemick]

Left handed INTJ.



You get one guess.

heh heh heh - were it 'ever!' to occur. You get to feel sorry for the customers. I do not suffer fools easily.

 

[Christine]

First I have to get bored. And I find that to be very difficult. Unless I have a cold or something stopping me from doing what I want.


I need a Getting Bored for Dummies book...

 

[audreyh1]

I suspect seniors who work in fast food restaurants are doing so out of (financial) necessity more often than boredom - so I’m not sure about the question for this audience. If I decided to go back to work, I’d find something other than fast food, as noted above it seems there are way more rude customers these days.

Yep - they may really think they were bored, but I suspect the stronger motivation is financial necessity.

Not my fantasy!!! I don't even eat fast food - yuck!

I did a lot of waiting tables restaurant work during my high school and college years, a little of that fast food. All I can tell you is that so much time on your feet is really hard as a teenager. I can't imagine doing it now at my age!

 

[Lewis Clark]

...Another good one is Subway. I'm impressed by the way they take an assembly line approach, from taking orders through to paying....

If you think Subway is efficient, go to Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches. They make Subway appear to be wallowing in molasses in comparison.

I prefer Subway's sandwiches, but Jimmy John's makes Subway look slow very in comparison.

 

[Starsky]

I couldn't imagine a more disgusting job.

One of my most important changes in retirement was to eat healthfully and to know what I'm eating. Looking at their nutrition charts, I quickly realized that the wasteful epidemic of fast food is poisoning us and will lead many of us to die an early death from obesity and heart disease.

 

[GrayHare]

At the food place I w*rked we didn't do deliveries, but one customer somehow convinced the manager to send someone with the food. That someone ended up being me. The customer tipped me $50! That was about a full week's pay for me. That cemented in my mind that I was in the wrong business.

 

[Bir48die]

I couldn't imagine a more disgusting job.

One of my most important changes in retirement was to eat healthfully and to know what I'm eating. Looking at their nutrition charts, I quickly realized that the wasteful epidemic of fast food is poisoning us and will lead many of us to die an early death from obesity and heart disease.

Ok. Good feedback. A little radical. Not for everyone. Just understand that

 

[like2]

Through high school in the 70s i worked at Love's BBQ pit, Dairy Queen and a fairly nice restaurant called Northwest Passage. I pretty much enjoyed it. Cleaning the rock salt out of the pit at Love's was interesting.I made a few dollars for gas and other teenage expenses.
So far 2 weeks in to retirement I have not had any thoughts of returning to any of those jobs. I did have a Peanut Buster Parfait at Dairy Queen last week though...