Fast Food Nation

Behind The Counter

By Maria Meza, Lynett Sanchez, and Joshua
Camacho
 Colorado Springs
● One of the fastest growing cities in the nation
● The outbreak of World War II brought about great economic opportunity
● Due to its location, Colorado Springs was the home to many military bases; such as,
Camp Carson and Peterson Army Base
● Despite all the military presence and advanced technologies, the restaurant industry
has claimed the spot of the largest private employer in the state
Fast Food Restaurants
● The restaurant industry has grown much faster than the population
● Largest employers of technology, computer software, and other industries of the
future
● More than 70% of fast food visits are impulsive
● Many individuals are attracted to the large, flashy signs
Fast Food Employees
● The industry seeks part-time, unskilled workers who accept low payment
● Teenagers are the primary job holders at fast food industries
● “The fast food industry now employs some of the most disadvantaged members of
American society” (pg. 71)
● As the number of teens began to decline, fast food chains began to hire recent
immigrants, the elderly, and the handicapped
 Training & Stroking
● At a conference on foodservice equipment, Dave Brewer exclaimed, “Make the
equipment intuitive, make it so the job is easier to do right than wrong.”
● “If there are instructions, make them very simple, write them at a fifth-grade level,
and write them in Spanish and English” (pg. 72)
● Millions upon millions of dollars have been spent on eliminating employee training
● A positive reinforcement technique used by managers is stroking
 Dangerous Job

● Long hours at work pose a risk to education and the teen’s future.
● Since the workers aren’t trained, there’s a higher chance of injuries
● About 200,000 teens are injured annually.
● Fast food restaurants also have a high chance of getting robbed
 McDonalds

● McDonalds used helicopters to assess regional growth patterns to look for cheap
lands with growing populations
● Developed software called Quintillion which is now used as a site selection tool
● One of the world’s leading purchasers of commercial satellite photography
● Steve Bigari developed a wireless hand-held menu
 Wages
● Laborers work many hours for a minimum wage
● Mainly come from unfortunate families
● Restaurants don’t pay very much because many families are desperate for any
amount of money.
● Restaurants also make employees repeat their tasks on a daily basis, so they do not
have to pay them as much
Works Cited
● Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2012. Accessed 3 October 2018.

● Berman, Nat. T0 Things to Do in Colorado Springs for First Time Visitors. MoneyInc. Accessed 16 October 2018,

https://moneyinc.com/things-to-do-in-colorado-springs/ .

● Buckler, Jake. DIRECTV for Fast Food Restaurants. Signal Connect. Accessed 16 October 2018,

https://www.signalconnect.com/blog/directv/-fast-food-restaurants/ .

● Berger, Noah. McDonald’s to employees: Avoid burgers and fries - it’s risky for your health. Reuters. Accessed 16 Oct.

2018, https://www.rt.com/usa/mcdonalds-employees-fast-food-764/ .

● Spencer, Tom. Fast-Food Industry Has 150% Turnover Rate. Disruptcre. Accessed 16 October, 2018.

https://disruptcre.com/retail/fast-food-industry-150-employee-turnover-rate/ .