Why do people work in fast food as a career and never leave?

[Tonita91996]

[Effably]

In economy we had to make sense of this. Why are people not pursuing the optimal outcomes? Of course what they are differ, but the question matters.

The answer was many experiments followed by a new word. Satisfice. Where Satisfaction is to get something good satisfice is to get something that is good enough. The minimum you are okay with.

Most people, the majority of us, will be okay being satisficed. This is why the world looks like it does. Why there is no revolt every time inflation exceeds salary increases, so on. Most people are willing to settle for the minimum.

Now I am quite happy people work fastfood. It is also a demanding career and job. But comparing something like Macdonalds or subway to your typical officejob is so unfair. The fastfood worker is, easily, working twice as hard. Probably five times as hard.

[jennifer_bloom]

I used to work fast food and loved it!

No thinking was needed - no effort was needed - no job stress - no controlling bosses - no boring tasks - no down time where you are staring at the wall and doing absolutely nothing for hours and hours while you wait for customers to come to you - and I could spend 6 hours a day socializing with my co workers and get paid for it. It was like going to the school cafeteria for a very long lunch. I also got infinite access to free non alcoholic drinks at work.

And got infinite solid foods I could take home for me, my friends and my family every time I finished my shift. They would give me 20 meals worth of free food every time I finished my shift and it tasted amazing. And my co workers would drive me home for free if I gave them a free can of beer after I was done my shift, because I lived very close to my job.

[Amy_Mi]

Because not everyone measures success the same way.

Some people stay because it’s stable, a guaranteed paycheck, familiar routine, and security in a world that keeps changing.

Others genuinely enjoy the social side, the teamwork, or even the management path within the industry.

And sometimes, it’s not about “never leaving” it’s about building a life that feels safe and consistent, even if it doesn’t impress anyone else.

Stability can be a quiet form of success too.

[Purpleronnie]

I’m sure each person working in fast food might answer differently but you could ask the same question of anyone working in the service industry as a whole. I would say for some it would be about the team and social aspects of the position. Maybe the shift work has its advantages too? .


It’s not like i or any of us could answer for all of them.


Finally staff turnover within fast food is extremely high , often exceeding 150% per year although it’s dependent on country / region and brand. So I’m not sure that many if any stay “forever”

[AI Opinion]

Some individuals choose to work in fast food as a career due to various factors such as job stability, flexibility, and opportunities for advancement. Fast food establishments often promote from within, allowing employees to advance to managerial positions. Additionally, the familiarity and comfort of the industry can be appealing. For some, the fast-food sector provides a supportive community and work environment that aligns with their lifestyle or personal goals. The ability to learn various skills, such as teamwork and customer service, can also make it a fulfilling long-term career choice for many.

[boundless]

Low entry barriers and a lot of opportunity. The more educated, qualified, and specialized you are, the harder it is to land a job because there are far less jobs available for your skill set and thus far less job security. If you lose a fast food job, you can land another one the same day by just walking into another spot and saying you want to work.

[Cidknee]

The restaurant group is a different breed. They are like the people who are in the circus. They have night lives and like to party it up. It was a time when smoking weed got you fired from the "good job". You get to know many people and you always see that managers job down the line that pays very well. I had a lot of fun doing it at two different steakhouse in the early 80s. I wouldn't trade those memories. If I could go back and stay in that time at that age it would be heaven

[Iron_Man]

Because they know nothing else and they haven’t been fired from their job so they feel secure finally and that they’re afraid of change and don’t want to leave and they’ve raised the minimum wage but it’s still not enough money

[OlderAndWiser]

It's easy to remain in the rut and simply complain about minimum wage instead of getting an adult job and earning adult money.

[itsannalee]

You think they have better options? And don’t want to leave if they have options?

[Shiprex]

Because it satisfies their desire and economics fir work

[jahaims]

They have no skills and or ambition

[Anonymous]

Because it's their personal choice.