Fast-food jobs are popular for new workers to get up their work experience and build their working skills. But some are hesitant to even consider working in fast food because of the negative stigmas surrounding it. This begs the question, is working in fast food a good job?

There are lots of opportunities to learn a variety of skills and advance in the fast-food industry which can make it a good job. It is a career that offers scheduling flexibility to suit people of all working ages and it pays well. The skills learnt can be applied to a range of careers in the future.

We’re going to take you through the ways that a fast-food job could be beneficial to you and your career.

Is fast food a good career?

Working in fast food is considered a good starting point for your career because of the range of skills you learn while working under pressure. But, while most people don’t expect you to stay there for long, you can make a good career out of fast-food work. If you enjoy working for the company and doing everything you can to help them succeed, you will become a standout employee.

This will mean that the managers throughout the company will be keeping an eye on you and looking to move you up the ranks. You can start out as a cook and move up in the industry all the way to a director of operations where you could earn $75,000+ a year. This is a pretty good effort considering where you started from. It might not be a lot more than other jobs, but it is well off enough to have a good life in a career you like!

Plus, you will gain a huge range of skills by working your way up in the industry such as communication skills and problem-solving abilities. The difference with this is that most of the skills are transferable! So, if you decide you want to switch up your career, you will have lots of skills behind you to do it. This just adds to why fast food can be a good career.

Is fast food a good first job?

Working at a fast-food joint is one of the finest first jobs you can have, whether you’re serving customers or washing dishes in the back. Fast-food establishments, more than others, recognize that their staff has a lot of responsibilities. This implies they operate around extremely particular availability periods and are more flexible with schedules. Are you on the lookout for a suitable first job? Take a look at the fast-food industry.

With its benefits and training, you could even consider building a career instead of a job within fast food.

What are the good things about working in fast food?

Similarly to working in a supermarket, there are quite a few good things about working in fast food. These include:

Fast food shifts are flexible

A lot of fast food places can be very flexible with shifts. Because of the demand for their service, they employ a lot of people which can be very helpful for everyone. Students and part-time workers can usually find a work schedule that fits their needs. It can be a bit about give and take. If you help out when someone needs a shift covered, people will do the same for you. A lot of parents also work in fast food because it is flexible enough for them to still be able to take care of their kids.

Time management is improved by working in fast food

Working at a fast-food restaurant teaches you how to organize your time so that you can meet all your responsibilities. Being able to complete tasks on time is one of the biggest components for a career in fast food because your customers expect fast service. This means you will learn to be organised with meal preparation and delivery.

You will be working around large stovetops and other kitchen appliances that can be very dangerous. This will also teach you to be safe in kitchens even when working to a time limit.

Having a career in fast food makes you a stronger person

One of the hardest parts about a fast food career is unhappy customers who take out their frustrations on the workers. This makes you a stronger person. You have to learn to not take things to heart and remain calm in confrontational encounters. It can be mentally strengthening because you have to change your mindset and not argue with the customers. By keeping calm and not trying to fight back, you become a better person. Someone who won’t yell at others for things that they can’t control.

You can find good work friends

With all the difficult parts of work, there’s always the good and the friendships you make in a fast food career is one of them! The only way to get through hard shifts is by leaning on the people around you and helping each other out as a team. This teamwork can translate into friendships and lots of fast-food workers develop their own ‘work family’ with their coworkers. It can be a great bonding career in fast food, forming friendships that will last a lifetime.

Is working at a fast food place hard?

Working in a fast food place can be hard at times because of the fast-paced environment and busy periods. With the option of drive-through and indoor dining, workers are balancing two services at once. The workspaces aren’t very big, so in busy times everyone is dancing around one another to get the orders completed. You also have timers that indicate how long someone has been waiting for their meal, which adds more pressure. You will need to learn quickly, work quickly, and finish the job quickly. It wouldn’t be fast food without this hustle.

All of the skills in fast food work can be picked up fairly quickly and become second nature in no time. This will help make the job easier. The hardest part is getting through the busy times of the day without irritating customers who often aren’t very patient.

What is it like working in fast food?

Working with teams in fast food, plus the shift flexibility and pay is good. But the customers can be the hardest aspect. Given that the service is expected to be fast, if a customer has to wait any amount of time, they can become very irritated easily. There can be quite a few confrontational encounters with customers across a week, sometimes even just one shift. But this is where the support of the coworkers is great. Everyone deals with the same sort of experiences which helps to rely on each other when negative encounters happen.

There are lots of responsibility that comes with fast food work, but you gain a variety of skills that can be transferred to other careers. There is also a range of opportunities within the fast-food network to advance your career to management roles. This extends your experience and responsibilities, creating a constantly challenging work environment. These opportunities are part of what makes working in fast food a good job.

If you have learnt a lot from this article, you should check out what other guides our expert panel has put together for you. Maybe you want to understand more about common sense and if you are born with common sense or is it learned? Or maybe you’re wondering if your first job is going to dictate your career success?

Looking for a Brisbane construction job while you study? Here at Rednax Labour Hire Agency, we can give you a wealth of work experience by placing you with amazing local businesses. Give us a call on 0404205527