How to wow them in fast food? (2 Viewers)

[elisabeth]

OK... I have a 'trial' evening at Oporto this friday (don't worry, I'm getting paid for it!) and I was wondering if I could draw on the fast food service expertise of people here to make sure I don't fuck up. What were your first days like?

Yes I really am -that- desperate for another job so I can quit at Best & Less...

 

[...]

i used to be a cook for KFC

i guess try to pick up the items u sell ASAP so that when a customer ask you something, u can answer back confidently without asking other people, that way, u'll gain respect from ur peers a lot quicker

umm, work hard..i mean, i've seen idiots standing around doing nothing during saturday noon and it shits the whole team off, so yea...

 

[thejosiekiller]

lol i had a trail period at oportos at north sydney a yr or 2 ago

but i didnt get along with the other ppl and the fast food industry in general

there is no way to wow them except to fit in and make burgers fast

 

[braindrainedAsh]

Be nice to the customers and the other staff. If it seems like you have nothing to do, CLEAN! That always pleases managers and is really important in food. Just clean whenever the store is quiet. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Be sure to thank the manager/other staff for the help they have given you throughout the day (it's good to butter up the other staff, because often your potential employer will ask some of their fav staff what they thought of you). Smile as much as you possibly can. Just be really friendly and try your hardest, that is what they are looking for. And demonstrate that you know basic food handling i.e. wash your hands all the time, make sure that your hair is tied back off your face etc.

 

[adsta]

Be nice to the customers and the other staff. If it seems like you have nothing to do, CLEAN! That always pleases managers and is really important in food. Just clean whenever the store is quiet. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Be sure to thank the manager/other staff for the help they have given you throughout the day (it's good to butter up the other staff, because often your potential employer will ask some of their fav staff what they thought of you). Smile as much as you possibly can. Just be really friendly and try your hardest, that is what they are looking for. And demonstrate that you know basic food handling i.e. wash your hands all the time, make sure that your hair is tied back off your face etc.

Good advice. Just remember, it is your first day there, and managers don't expect you to be employee of the month straight away. Just try your hardest, listen carefully (to managers and customers) and pretty much do what braindrainedAsh said.
Good luck

 

[Ranger Stacie]

try to be quick, and demonstrate that you are making an effort to work hard

 

[alien]

i used to be on front counter for maccas. tips: be fast. very fast. think alot. while you are getting the drinks, think about what size fries you need so you don't froget and have to recheck at the register. dump the drink and grab the fries and burger. if there are no burgers that you need, get fries and everything else. if they have a particular order of getting food eg. drinks the burgers then fries, you might have to change the order for each customer ie. if there is a line (of workers) at drinks, get the other stuff like burgers and then come back for drinks when there is no wait. get it? what else... smile. even if the customer is the most annoying person in the world, smile at them. they aren't always right, but they are the customer and pay for you to work. also, with complaints, say 'sorry for your inconvenience', but don't say stuff like 'sorry for my mistake'. if you take ownership for the problem they can sue you (most people won't though), but your boss will kill you if they hear you take the blame. do your shoelaces in double knots so you don't have to tie them up on the floor. and also, get there 10 mins early. hope it helps!

 

[biggles04]

don't.

Full stop.

Seriously, it's not worth it.

 

[elisabeth]

I'd quite like to work out front, handling money and giving food. Do they train you there straight away, or put you out the back for months until you've 'proven yourself'?

don't.

Full stop.

Seriously, it's not worth it.

I know you had a bad experience, but we've all had them somewhere...

Case study: I started at B&L having been over the moon to be offered a job there. I'd walked around there before, seemed easy, just a little tidying and working on the registers looked OK. Thought the customers would be nice, because it's not a horribly tacky shop.

Anywho, turns out I completely hate it there, the customers ignore you, the managers always put me on the crappy position as store greeter - another girl who started around the same time as me is on registers. The customers ignore you. If I'm lucky, during a 4hr shift, I'll get five people who answer my 'hi, how are you going!", three will smile back and one will actually ask how I am. The older managers are rude to you... basically, I get bored shitless there because I'm just standing around refolding the same towels while customers go through every single one.

Now, I'm under no illusions that the customers will be any nicer. The pay will be better? HA! But my reasoning is, if I'm gonna be working somewhere, I'd prefer to be busy and actually doing something. This time I'm not expecting it to be great. If it's better than B&L, I'll stay, if not, keep looking for something better. This is all a bit premature anyway. Dunno if I'll get through the trial yet..

 

[Not-That-Bright]

GET AWAY FROM FAST FOOD AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!! RUN!!!!

Don't let them get you like they got me!

 

[elisabeth]

GET AWAY FROM FAST FOOD AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!! RUN!!!!

Don't let them get you like they got me!

If people are gonna be negative, can you at least bitch specifically about what it was that pissed you off? So I can be aware of the pitfalls

 

[Not-That-Bright]

Basically.... i've worked as a labourer... that wasn't hard at all compared with fast food, plumbing, concreting, building.... all shit like that is nothing and u get much better pay.

In fast food the management constantly tries to screw u over with pay, you have some jerk constantly barking orders at you and you can often find yourself working from 8am till 12-1am with only a 2 hour or so break...

 

[elisabeth]

In fast food the management constantly tries to screw u over with pay, you have some jerk constantly barking orders at you and you can often find yourself working from 8am till 12-1am with only a 2 hour or so break...

Yeah.. that's crap, but I've gotten screwed over with pay in both my jobs. At the pharmacy, they were paying me $6.15 because they thought I was 15. I told them, and got everything I was owed in back pay.

At B&L it's a bit different... they schedule you on for 5-9, for example. But there's a staff meeting beforehand, so you have to get there for 4:45 or you'll get bitched out for being late. Then afterwards, you stay till 9:15 re-tidying the racks again. Now that may sound petty, but that's 1/2 hr of your time... unpaid. About $4, at my wage. Is that even legal? Do they do this at other places?

 

[Not-That-Bright]

I was working at chilli's, they were paying me $7 officially but because of training (i never got properly trained, thrown into it straight away) i ended up with $4.50 or something an hour..... this was working untill like 2am some nights because other people weren't there...

It isn't legal under normal awards n shit but because most of these places have enterprise agreements they get away with it.

 

[dave_119]

dont sex ppl in the butt, i cracked onto the manager at my work, he gave in.. but a lot of the girls were jealous, now i have 2 compete with their advancements

 

[ballerinabarbie]

as a manager i can give u some advice (i know everyone hates managers etc.. but we aren't there to be your mates..)

if u don't understand something - ask - that's really important, you don't want to do something wrong just coz u were too scared to ask.
if u finish a job or whatever, ask what you can do.
smile and be friendly - chat to other team members.
make sure u don't ever stand around doing nothing - you are there to work, so work, be it wiping down a bench or sweeping the floor or whatever.
be enthusiastic about what u are doing... it's fast food and to tell u the truth, you will probably start with washing up and this may go for your first couple of months or so until you are familiar with how the store runs etc..

hope it goes well... don't stress and enjoy it

 

[dave_119]

as a manager i can give u some advice (i know everyone hates managers etc.. but we aren't there to be your mates..)

i wonder if u'll have a successful career, not becoming mates with employees, its ppl like u who make working for fast food company's a dread..

 

[elisabeth]

as a manager i can give u some advice (i know everyone hates managers etc.. but we aren't there to be your mates..)

if u don't understand something - ask - that's really important, you don't want to do something wrong just coz u were too scared to ask.
if u finish a job or whatever, ask what you can do.
smile and be friendly - chat to other team members.
make sure u don't ever stand around doing nothing - you are there to work, so work, be it wiping down a bench or sweeping the floor or whatever.
be enthusiastic about what u are doing... it's fast food and to tell u the truth, you will probably start with washing up and this may go for your first couple of months or so until you are familiar with how the store runs etc..

hope it goes well... don't stress and enjoy it

What do you need to wash, exactly? The counters and equipment and burger flippers at the back? Also, how do they pick who goes up front? Is it based on experience/personality/gender (because at a lot of places, I notice they bung all the pretty girls out the front, and the guys are out back )

 

[Not-That-Bright]

yea that's basically it... pretty girls up front... guys out back cleaning up shit out of drains till 1am..

 

[elisabeth]

yea that's basically it... pretty girls up front... guys out back cleaning up shit out of drains till 1am..

looks like I'll be out back hanging with the blokes then...