One Retail Worker’s Advice to Those in the Food Service Industry

I really think we can help each other out.

Photo by Sezer Arslan on Unsplash

I’ve been a part of the retail industry on and off since 2013, and some things have been drilled into me in the time that has passed since then. Even with setbacks like unpredictable shift schedules and bad managers, I’ve survived mostly unscathed from my time in retail.

Retail’s sister industry, food service, has been of interest to me lately — particularly because of declining numbers in the people who take such jobs. While I know the pandemic has made a lot of people reevaluate what they want out of life, I also realize that there are many individuals who still have to go in for shifts that may just be chipping away at their morale.

From my experience in retail, I have five specific areas of advice for someone toiling away at a food service position.

Make sure to open with a good attitude.

You may not like how some customers address you when you first lock eyes, but you have to start off on a good foot. And you can do everything right and still be told you have a bad attitude (this exact thing happened to me).

If you work in fast food or the restaurant business, I’m sure you have surveys associated with your…