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A quarter-century ago, there were 56 teenagers in the labor force for every "limited service" restaurant — that is, the kind where you order at the counter.
Today, there are fewer than half as many, which is a reflection both of teenagers' decreasing work force participation and of the explosive growth in restaurants.
But in an industry where cheap labor is an essential component in providing inexpensive food, a shortage of workers is changing the equation upon which fast-food places have long relied. This can be seen in rising wages, in a growth of incentives, and in the sometimes odd situations that business owners find themselves in.
Too many restaurants, not enough teens to work in them.
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A Fast-Food Problem: Where Have All the Teenagers Gone?
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McDonald's -- Because you're worth it.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Thursday July 19 2018, @04:58PM (8 children)
The problem would rectify itself if people stopped buying fast food because it's re-constituted scrapings from industrial meat processors and cardboard, and is killing them with all kinds of horrible chemical additives to improve texture, satiation, etc.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 19 2018, @05:14PM
Woah there, fella. Just because you choose not to embalm yourself one day at a time doesn't mean that's the right choice for the rest of us.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday July 19 2018, @05:30PM
Who cares as long as it has a flavor created by dozens of chemical additives, a flavor which is the result of extensive engineering, manipulation and taste testing.
It's deliciously addictive. When you think of the fast food item, it's distinctive taste comes to mind, unlike with most real food.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Thursday July 19 2018, @07:43PM (5 children)
Am I the only person who doesn't buy fast food? It's just too expensive and I can't afford it.
I had a couple extra older trailers on my property and let a woman who was living out of her car move into one for free and despite a garden and all the free food she wanted, she drove out to mcdonalds, kfc and taco bell every day for a minimum 40 mile round trip. w.t.f.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 20 2018, @03:12AM
You are not the only one that doesn't buy fast food--we buy organic when it looks good, cook nearly every meal, go out to dinner once or maybe twice a week at mid-priced restaurants (biased toward high quality food, not fantastic atmosphere).
(Score: 2) by canopic jug on Friday July 20 2018, @09:17AM (2 children)
I had a couple extra older trailers on my property and let a woman who was living out of her car move into one for free and despite a garden and all the free food she wanted, she drove out to mcdonalds, kfc and taco bell every day for a minimum 40 mile round trip. w.t.f.
It could be major sugar addiction. It is turning out to be highly addictive when consumed regularly. It becomes really damn hard to reduce sugar intake even if you are aware of the problem and fighting hard to do something about it. Most people don't know and don't care. I'm not sure how the McDonald's products are (I won't call that stuff food) but in decades past it had added sugar, not counting the drinks, and its general tastelessness was overcompensated by a vague umami experience. I can see people getting hooked onto either or both quite easily. Me? I feel very queasy even from just the smell any more.
As for plain sugar I like sugar fine, but I don't enjoy it as much as before and am kind of disliking the taste most of the time. I suppose the same might be true for HFCS but I can't stand the taste. Thus I am starting to notice it just about everywhere. Basically anything pre-made or pre-mixed is going to be loaded with sugar. It's cheap, and if the consumer is unaware of the trick, they're going to get used to the levels and start jonesing for it after a while.
tldr; get her some cheap sugary sauces for the garden produce
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Saturday July 21 2018, @01:53AM (1 child)
Sugar addiction is extensively discussed in Robert H. Lustig's book "The Hacking of the American Mind". It's a real phenomenon, even though there are technicalities about whether it should be called an "addiction" or not.
(Score: 2) by canopic jug on Saturday July 21 2018, @03:33PM
Sugar addiction is extensively discussed in Robert H. Lustig's book "The Hacking of the American Mind". It's a real phenomenon, even though there are technicalities about whether it should be called an "addiction" or not.
Thanks for the tip. There's an interview with him, The Hacking of the American Mind [youtube.com]. He covers a lot of topics but does mention that fast food has been spiked with added sugar. I'll have to get the book.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday July 20 2018, @01:43PM
...and probably made a lot of money as a professional beggar at those very fast-food restaurants.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.