How to Succeed as a New Fast-food Restaurant Employee

Fast-Food is the #1 employer of America’s youth, and it serves as a first job for a very large portion of the population. I’m sure you know several students who currently work in fast food,and you may even know several adults who are managers at local fast-food chains. This article is intended to teach those who are applying for a position, those who were newly hired, and those who are in the training process the general basics of how to do well in this business. I am writing this because I searched for an article when I first started at McDonalds a while ago and could not find anything similar.

In your application make sure to be honest. Anything you lie about will be discovered and you can be fired for it later on. They’re not looking for college-educated students, in fact a college education might not put you above anyone else. Fast food restaurants are looking for hard-working, self-motivated team players. If all you’re looking for is to clock in, get your work done, and get out, definitely do not let them know this during the interview process (and you’ll probably learn how to be a better team player when hired).

When you show up to your interview, remember that you don’t want to overdress or underdress. Obviously, appearance is important in an interview, but you don’t want to show up wearing a suit and tie. I would recommend plain black dress pants and a plain white or otherwise plain dress shirt. No tie necessary. Do not wear tennis shoes either, dress shoes (or church shoes if you can) are impressive. Make sure to let the person interviewing you know that you are ready to work, and work hard. If you throw in that you’re ready to be called in at any time to cover shifts, you may impress further. Don’t seem over-eager though, they are looking for social etiquette as well, because most fast food teams are very social.

Once you’re hired, you will likely begin orientation or training. This process is fairly simple, just go where you are instructed, and dress appropriately. Trying to shine out early on is very impressive to your trainer as well. If you are trained in a group setting with several other newly hired employees and are asked to do something, make sure you are the first to stand up or volunteer for the job. Most of the time the way you act shortly after training and how quickly you take to the restaurant policies will reflect your scheduled hours. Orientation flies by, so don’t let any criticism or shyness in the beginning get to you.

After you’re hired in and trained, you’re ready to man your station! At McDonalds where I work, there are several different positions, but right away, you will be trained for either service or grill, and probably will stick to mostly one or the other for a while. If you are assigned to grill, you will be doing the cooking and assembling of the food. If you are assigned to service, you will be taking and running orders, as well as dealing with customers. In the grill area, you will be assigned to cook meats, cook fries, assemble sandwiches, or initiate sandwiches (2 people on the assembly table). In service, you will probably be assigned to either taking orders on front counter initially, or running orders to customers. You may also be assigned to front or back drive (where you either take orders or money to pay for them).

As a primarily grill team member, I am quite happy doing either meats (grilling meat products) or table (assembling all of the sandwiches, salads, etc). When doing anything in grill, especially the handling of food, make sure that you follow very strictly the procedures of food handling and preparing for your restaurant, especially in the beginning of your employment. Once you have figured out how everything works, I’d recommend just watching how other employees do things and matching them. You’ll eventually find your own way to do things. The most important thing you can do in grill is stay busy. Even when the orders aren’t high, your personal labor needs to be. If you are on grill and don’t need to cook any food, make sure to sweep, mop, fill towel buckets, ask if any pies or cookies need to be baked, assemble salads, restock, or change trashes. There is always something that needs to be done, and the more you can learn (especially the above list) the more useful (and impressive) you are to the team. Stay busy, and you will be greatly appreciated.

Service is a more tricky one for some, as I personally don’t prefer to deal with customers face to face. If you are trained for service at the restaurant you choose, you will likely be taking and sending out orders. Just remember to always be friendly with the customer. Mistakes happen – Make sure you correct them, and if you aren’t sure what to do in any situation, don’t hesitate to ask your floor supervisor (who will typically be up front with you anyways). And again, make sure to stay busy even when the customers aren’t pouring in.

Above all, stay in a good working mood. Don’t show up expecting not to work, and make sure to stay friendly with customers and team members alike. People will like you if you work hard and stay in a good mood, even if no one else seems to be happy or talkative. You’ll be a fully functional fast-food employee before you know it!


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