I miss the old McDonalds

I miss the old McDonalds

I was sitting in a McDonalds yesterday eating lunch and getting some work done on their free WiFi, I had a flash back of me at the same McDonalds 25 years earlier.  It was a clear vivid memory, a bustling team of teenagers cooking, cleaning, taking orders.  All of them in their brightly colored polyester uniforms with a matching funny hat.  An assistant manager, maybe in his early 20’s was hovering over a young girl who was nervously taking orders and working the cash register.  The Manager was moving around all areas behind counter, directing traffic and encouraging the staff.  The kids working there seemed truly happy doing their job, warm greetings to customers, smiling faces and perky attitudes for all to see. 

It made me think about the kids, their first jobs, the feeling of independence that comes with making your own money.  Maybe they were saving to buy their first car, money to take their girlfriend out to nice restaurant for date or now have money to buy the clothes they wanted to buy.  They seemed to truly take pride in the fact they were taking that step to being an adult.  I remembered one of my girlfriends from high school who worked at McDonalds and how when I would pick her up after work she smelled like french fries.  She hated it, me being the corny guy I am would always use the same line that she smelt good enough to eat, but she loved working there.  I could see that kind of love for their jobs in these kids.

The point was, I was seeing McDonalds for the first time as a public service not so much just a restaurant that served mediocre food.  They were providing a place for the youth to get into the workforce without any experience, providing the basic skills of having a job and giving kids a feeling of independence.  I had never before thought of it in that way and I felt truly thankful that we had businesses like McDonalds around to provide this service.

Then I looked around the same restaurant, nothing is the same.  The lady who took my order greeted me with a “NEXT” and “what are you getting today”.  No smile, no courtesy and a feeling I was more of an aggravation than a valued customer, but it’s McDonalds what should I expect.  The restaurant was clean as they most always are, but I looked around and started comparing the store from 25 years earlier to the one I was looking at today.  There was not a team of bustling teenagers happily doing their jobs, instead it was a group of 20 and 30 year old adults meandering around doing their jobs with the enthusiasm of people forced to do community service as part of their court ordered sentencing.

My point is that in a time where there are countless stories of fast food employees, being led by unions, picketing McDonalds, harassing customers who are just there to have a quick meal, all for the cause of “I want more money”.  Claims of needing a living wage for working at a fast food restaurant are touted by the main streak media.  It seems no one has the backbone to stand up and say, a job at McDonalds is not a job to support your family on, it is a first job.  Furthermore no one seems to ask what happens when the youth of America don’t have the first rung in the ladder of becoming a working adult. I’m asking that McDonalds and other fast food restaurants please bring back the old ways.  Older people may be more flexible with their schedules, not having those pesky things like school, football practice and other teenage dilemmas to deal with, but they are wanting and willing to do these jobs.  Go back to providing that public service that this country needs.