“Will you be using the mobile app today?” or “Order when you’re ready,” the worker says over the intercom.
Maybe they even say a chipper, “Chicken, chicken, chicken, whatcha pickin’?”
For you, it is probably the first time you’ve heard that phrase, but for those fast-food employees, they are starting to feel like a broken record. Then, half the time on the job, they’re dealing with a hateful customer or being treated like they aren’t even human, all for a low hourly wage.
It is not that hard to treat service workers with respect. If more people worked a fast-food job or service job of any kind in their lives, the number of verbal and physical abuse incidents in fast food would be lower because of greater empathy for that kind of work environment.
“You have a newfound respect for the people who are in service after you work in service,” said Ally Spaulding, senior psychology major from Round Rock. “I think there’s just a basic form of manners that I think we’re also losing as a generation.”
Spaulding currently works at Front Porch, a coffee shop in downtown Abilene. Every day, she experiences rude customers.
According to a 2023 survey report, more than 4,600 fast-food and retail workers were surveyed about the prevalence of abuse and violence by customers. The survey by SDA found that 87% of fast-food workers said they experienced verbal abuse from a customer.
It doesn’t stop there, though. Nine percent of workers have been spat on. Twelve and a half percent said they have been the victim of physical violence. And 52% of workers reported the same customer was abusive or violent toward them on more than one occasion.
Sometimes it is all because of a messed-up order or a left-out item. Why is the $5 burger worth ruining someone’s day over?
The SDA survey reports that young women ages 18 to 25 were most likely to have experienced verbal abuse from a customer.
Katie Hall, junior criminal justice major from Weatherford, used to work at a retail store called Teskey’s Saddle Shop and said more often than not she experienced a rude customer.
However, she learned a lot at her retail job and agrees that if more people worked some form of service job, more customers would understand.
“You just learn basic respect, and you’re going to have to deal with a bunch of difficult people,” Hall said, “You have to treat them with respect, even if they’re not treating you with respect.”
Working a service job also teaches valuable skills such as communication, customer service and time management.
“You do get experience on how to tackle, like for your adult life, how to tackle being a person, having friends, having a job, having school,” said Gracelyn Powell, junior management major from McKinney. “There is a huge importance for working in the service industry, and I’m a big advocate for it.”
So going forward, say please and thank you while ordering. Have some patience for service workers because they are people too. If you haven’t worked a service job, go find somewhere to gain that experience and learn what it’s like being on the other side of the counter.
