In an article on Reuters, Steven Anderson, the National Restaurant Association’s Chief Executive, has asked that an ad starring Kevin Federline as a fast-food worker leaves the impression that “working in a restaurant is demeaning and unpleasant and asking the commercial to be dumped.”
Does Mr. Anderson really think the commercial will hurt people’s opinions of fast-food jobs? Does he think we consider working in a burger joint to be a fun, exciting, high-growth, deeply meaningful job? Perhaps he thinks we all secretly envy the kid behind the counter for their excellent benefits, great health insurance, stellar hourly wage, and wonderful team environment.
Get real. Steve, we don’t think fast-food jobs are glamorous. Kevin’s commercial will not be shattering anyone’s fantasies. Except maybe yours. Your industry depends on filling these crap jobs so the CEOs can make their million-dollar bonuses. Why don’t you spend six months behind a McFastFood fry machine. Then tell us with a straight face that service jobs in fast food are anything other than low-paying, demeaning, unpleasant dead-end jobs.
Meanwhile, let Kevin’s commercial air. At least it will give us something to laugh about while we sit in our comfy chair, awaiting our fast-food obesity-driven coronary.