The Biggest Problem in Fast Food
It's not what you think it is
Bad circumstances.
That’s the biggest problem in the fast-food industry.
Particularly, bad circumstances of its employees; most of which aren’t just bad. They’re terrible.
Bad circumstances lead to a victim mindset.
A victim mindset leads to self-sabotage.
Self-sabotage in perpetuity becomes the employees’ default; the subject in which I wrote the book on.
When an individual’s default is self-sabotage, they’re going to unconsciously find themselves in—you guessed it—bad circumstances.
That’s one helluva way to go through life.
Which begs the question: how do we fix it? How do we help an entire industry overcome its biggest problem?
I left my crystal ball at home. I can only speak from experience, but I think the answer is simple: perseverance
The guy on the left had every reason to feel like a victim. He had some bad circumstances, let me tell you.
One car between he and his wife, and it had no power steering or brakes.
Couldn’t buy groceries.
Made $13.50 an hour.
The guy on the right?
Professional athlete.
On his way to financial freedom.
What happened in less than a year-and-a-half? How did his circumstances change so drastically?
Perserverance.
Perserverance is different than having a goal. When I was a Sandwich Artist, I didn’t have the goal of overseeing sixteen stores someday. I just knew if I kept showing up and kept having a great attitude—because the job is 90% attitude—that would be repellant to the victim mindsets my coworkers had; and people would notice, including my bosses. Which they did.
Do you know how uncommon service with a smile is today?
That alone could be a competitive advantage for fast-food employees looking to change their circumstances.
Compound that for six days a week for seventeen months, and you can create a new default for yourself; one that skyrockets your career in an industry that’s starving for success stories.
More than that, the fast-food industry can fast track your dreams like it did for me
Really dude? You might be thinking. A positive attitude and good attendance? That’s what you’re selling?
Listen, I don’t mean to sound Pollyanna about peoples’ circumstances. Some people have it way worse than I did.
But what’s the alternative?
Just because bad circumstances make a victim mindset totally understandable doesn’t make it the right decision. I mean, this is our lives we’re talking about.
I’m not saying showing up every day—and doing so with a smile on your face—-is easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
But again, what’s the alternative? Fast-food employees have a choice: they can be like everyone, or they can be the one; the one who perseveres long enough to change their circumstances and hopefully… wants to help others do the same.
That’s why I’m here, at least, writing a newsletter at 9:42 PM on the Fourth of July after working at my store all day.
I’m here because I want to show as many people as I can that this industry is as redemptive as they want it to be. If that jibes with you, I just ask you smash that subscribe button. Thanks.
PS - If you’re interested in learning more about me and what I do, head over to huntercharneski.com