Memo I wrote a standard essay since that is the best way I know how to convey my

points. You can Iind my paper below

Stephen Brown
Mr. Borrero
English 1101
November 10, 2011
Would you like Iries with that?
What is culture? What is sub-culture? What is the square root oI 378? Two oI
these questions are actually prevalent to the point I am going to attempt to prove. I`ll give
you a hint; the third question has nothing to with anything I am going to talk about. To
get started, I will deIine 'Culture. The OxIord American Dictionary deIines Culture as
'The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements oI a particular nation, people, or
other social group. Also, They deIine Sub-Culture as 'A cultural group within a larger
culture, oIten having belieIs or interests at variance with those oI the larger culture.
What is the point oI all these deIinitions? I would like to have you take an explorative
journey with me to understand the mysterious sub culture oI the Fast Food Order Taker.
II you have ever been to a Iast Iood restaurant, as I am sure almost every
American has, you will have seen these people behind the counter or heard their voice
over the speaker box in the 'drive-thru
Wearing their respective uniIorms and speaking the required lingo, these
employees have the diIIicult job oI being the middleman between a man and his Iood. As
Iar as the job description goes Ior an employee oI a Iast Iood establishment, they are not
very deep or diIIicult. The people at Restaurant equipment and supplies wrote an article
about the roles oI employees. The main points oI the article, In a nutshell, are, be
Iriendly, be Fast, and be correct. The employees have to entice the customer with their
Iriendly smile or greeting, take their order and get it right, then get the customer their
Iood.
Fast Iood restaurants are 100 process based. Whether it is the process oI
opening and closing the store, taking an order, making Iood, or cleaning up.
In order to complete these processes, employees must understand and be literate
in the certain Iield Ior which they are required to operate.
Employees are given certain material and are also asked to bring some previous
knowledge to the table so to speak. Restaurant operations and Iood preparation are
usually taught on site, but common sense is usually requested but not required pre-hire.
The 'Bureau oI Labor Statistics did what they do best and took statistics on The
type oI people that work at Fast Food Restaurant and they Iound that a good portion oI
the employees Ior these positions are teenagers age 16-19. Usually High School and
College students, these employees take these types oI jobs just as an opportunity to make
money, or in some cases to get a head start on their degree, should it require certain skills
that are gained Irom these sorts oI places.

The processes oI a Iast Iood restaurant could all be split up and broken down, but
Ior now let`s Iocus on the process oI taking an order.
Employees usually get hands on training and training booklets beIore starting
work Ior the Iirst time that holds the key to understand the processes and aspects oI the
business Ior which they are employed. Since the main Iocus is Order Taking, a manager
or seasoned proIessional would show the employee how to run the registers and the
correct way to converse with customers.
Fast Food employees who are taking orders have certain catch phrases and
special words they use Ior diIIerent things. I will use chick-Iil-a as an example since
that`s where I did my observations. The Iamous phrase, 'My Pleasure! is a trademark oI
Chick-Iil-a, Just like 'have it your way at Burger King or '5 dollar Ioot longs at
Subway. You also have the ever-so-popular Macdonald`s theme song that ends with 'I`m
lovin` it. With these special phrases Company and Iranchises instill certain expectations
into customer, which in turn draws customers to their organization.

I was able to interview a Macdonald`s employee this past week and I asked them
a couple oI questions about the processes oI order taking. They replied with a certain lack
oI enthusiasm, as is expected, and they summed the process up in a Iew words, 'Order
taking has to be the most repetitive and boring part oI working at a Iast Iood restaurant,
along with that, it is also the most diIIicult. When asked about communication between
employees and customers, their response, ' I personally Ieel that the hardest thing about
communicating with customers is when there are communication barriers and diIIerent
dialects. I then have to hone my listening and deciphering skills just to understand the
basic order oI Number 1 with a Coke.`


Along with Catch Phrases, diIIerent Iranchises have distinct diIIerences whether it
is in Iood or service quality or even customer type. The most important part to most
people is the Order Taker getting the order right. I was able to sit down and observe a
quick service restaurant in action and I Iound out that the most important part oI the
organization is not the registers themselves, but the screens, which the register transIers
the order to. These screens serve the purpose to show the Kitchen employees what the
customer ordered, which in turn allows them to make exactly what the customer wanted.
Without these, the orders would become jumbled and be lost in translation Irom customer
to order taker to kitchen employee

Zach Brown, A Manager at a local Chick-Iil-a was gracious enough to allow me
to interview him. I asked him what goes on in the brain oI an order taker at a Iast Iood
restaurant. His response, 'Order takers at Iast Iood restaurant typical have about 300
things going on in their heads. They have to listen to the customer, plug it in on the
register, be receptive to the customer whether they are nice or not, and then give the oh
so happy` customer his or her meal, leaving them with a heartIelt,` Have a great day.```

AIter talking with Zach, I continued my observations. I discovered that the
managers oI the establishment are more instrumental. The Managers are the ones who
keep everything running smoothly during operating hours, they help with order taking,
bagging, kitchen, administrative, and most important, Customer settling. While I was
observing, a customer did not receive the correct order that she wished to have, so in
response she ranted and raved at an employee, yelling at them and telling them that they
were wrong and such. The manager was quick to read the employees body language and
tone to realize he wasn`t having the best oI luck with calming the angry eater. The
manager then proceeded to go over and settle this dispute. She gave the angry customer
most sincere apologies and coupons Ior Iree Iood should the customer wish to return. The
quick thinking and communication between employee and manager kept this argument
Irom escalating into something bigger.
With that being said, Communication between manager and employee must be at
it`s strongest; otherwise there will be chaos and disunity in the establishment.

What good does it do someone to have all oI this random inIormation that seems
to be haphazardly thrown together on a piece oI paper. This inIormation was acquired
through long, strenuous, and detailed observations about and at Iast Iood restaurants. My
intent is to give a distinct point oI view to both customers and employees as to the in
depth and somewhat unclear description oI the communication aspect oI a Iast Iood
restaurant. With this inIormation, hopeIully, an employee oI this Iield will be able to take
what they need and apply this knowledge to better serve their business.











Works cited

-Anonymous. (2011, November 5
th
) Macdonald`s Employee. Personal Interview

-Anonymous. Fast Food Franchise Worker Job Description, Career as a Fast Food
Franchise Worker, Salary, Employment - DeIinition and Nature oI the Work, Education
and Training Requirements, Getting the Job.

-Brown, Zachary. Interview with an Employee. Interview. October 2011

-Bureau oI Labor Statistics, U.S. Department oI Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,
2010-11 Edition, Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers, on the Internet at
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos162.htm (visited October 24, 2011).

-Salter, Chuck; Not all Iast Iood chains are Iast companies. Chick-Iil-A is an exception.
Website. June 2011,

-Maureen, Julia. How to take an Order in a Fast Food Restaurant. WikiHow, 2011.
Internet.

Restaurant equipment and supplies. Roles in the Restaurant. On the Internet at
http://www.Ioodservicewarehouse.com/education/restaurant-operations/who-works-in-
the-restaurant.aspx,