Do you have a job? Are you looking for one? Well, Mcdonald’s is always looking for new employees and is a great choice for students looking for a first job. McDonald's focuses on quality, speed, and overall customer satisfaction so they can maximize profits during the workday. You can start the job as early as 14 years old at a wage of $9.50 – $12 an hour with it increasing the harder and better you work. For 16-17 year olds, the minimum wage is 11.67 or more. When you have been working for 3 hours you are required to take a 30 minute meal break.
A day on the job consists of speed, hard work, and focus on what you are doing. There are many positions at Mcdonalds, some examples would be Kitchen, Back Cash, Front counter, Front Window, Bagging, Fries.
The kitchen has four main positions. The people at fryers are responsible for cooking Nuggets, McChicken, Crispy, Filet, and Strips. The people at the grill are responsible for making meats for the burgers and making sure they are well stocked for use. People at initiation are responsible for toasting and steaming buns, making sure the boxes and bags are stocked and the burgers are made swiftly, accurately, and clean. Finishers are responsible for putting the meat and chicken on the burgers and boxing the nuggets. They are also responsible for quality wrapping, making sure the burgers are not crushed, and making enough room for the initiator to make more food.
Back cash handles the money and takes the customers orders. There are two touchscreen monitors, one for order taking that has every meal and drink option, and the other is for back cash that shows the order and how much it costs, this monitor is wired to the receipt printer and the drawer. The front counter is basically back cash but it is in the lobby where you are face to face with customers as you take their order.
The people at the fryer usually restock the fridge with all the fries in it and fills the fry dispenser. Fry workers grab the baskets and fill it with the fries and put the fries in the fryer for around 3 minutes. When the fries are done cooking, they pour them into the heated fry container and salt them.
Baggers take the burgers, wraps, and fries and put them all in the bags and give the bags to the window for distribution. There are bagging locations, one for drive thru and the other is for lobby and delivery. There are multiple screens for baggers. When we are low on employees, the baggers usually do the fries as well.
The front window hands the made and bagged food to the customers. The front window is also responsible for making special drinks and giving fountain drinks to the customers. The fountain drinks are automated and dispensed by themselves, but there is a manual option. These machines need more ice constantly.
My time at McDonalds has mostly been spent in the kitchen making burgers for hundreds of people every weekend. I usually work for 6 and a half hours, 11 am to 6 pm. During this time I have memorized every recipe and I am considered the fastest assembler on the weekends which was not always the case. I am surrounded by great people who try their hardest to reach the top.
I will say that there are many points of stress during the work day such as rushes that have more cars and customers than a normal hour. The rushes usually occur once at breakfast, once at lunch, and once in the evening. During these rushes I have to move so much faster in order to clear my screen of orders and it gets very stressful, especially when the managers are watching every move and asking for missing food. Despite it being stressful, it is a fun environment to work in and I would recommend it to anyone looking for their first job.
