- Hourly Crew Worker
- Crew Trainer
- Shift Leader
- Second Assistant Manager
- First Assistant Manager
- Restaurant Manager
Moving Up the Ladder
Fast food restaurants promote from within their restaurants for most hourly positions. So the opportunity to advance is there for the entry-level worker who wants to move up to a more responsible position. And a large number of hourly workers-almost 50 percent of them, according to Fast Food Jobs-would like to move up.
How long it takes to advance from one level to another depends not only on the beginning worker's ability, but also on the need within a restaurant or chain for workers at each level. There are no hard and fast rules about how quickly someone can advance in a fast food restaurant. It could take from six months to one year for a crew member to become a trainer, and from six months to two years or more for a crew member to become a shift leader.
As fast food workers advance within a restaurant, their responsibilities increase and their duties change. What a worker is required to do at each level is often stated specifically in company manuals. But duties and responsibilities of actual workers will vary not only between chains but also within chains and even in individual restaurants. For, as employees are working at one level, they are usually receiving training that will help them advance to the next level.
Crew Trainer: In restaurants that have this position, workers normally perform the same tasks as crew members and also have the responsibility of training new hourly workers. In addition, workers at this level who demonstrate potential to advance will begin to build knowledge through on-the-job training of a shift leader's job and do bits and pieces of this job.
Shift Leader: As the name suggests, shift leaders run a work shift. Their major responsibility is to manage the people on a shift. But they may also have to assume responsibility for the restaurant when the assistant manager or manager is not in the restaurant. In addition, shift leaders have to advise their managers of any problems with personnel, products, supplies, equipment, or customers on their shifts. They also have such tasks as opening or closing restaurants, making out time sheets, recording inventory, and working a station. In restaurants that do not have crew trainers, shift leaders will often train new workers. Promising shift leaders also spend some of their time learning how to handle the assistant manager position.
Evaluation Is Part of Promotion
There is no question that a worker's performance is important. It deter-mines whether or not a worker will keep a job and how fast advancement will occur. When fast food restaurants are company owned or owned by a franchisee who has a number of restaurants, the evaluation process is usually quite formal. A form will normally be used to appraise each worker's performance. Evaluations may be made frequently, perhaps as often as three times in the first six months of employment. After that, evaluations will probably be made approximately every six months. When a restaurant is owned by an individual, evaluation can be less formal. It may be no more than a manager occasionally praising or criticizing workers for their performance.
Understanding the Fast Food Industry
Once a year, every employee in the McDonald's system must spend a day working in a restaurant. For no matter how close to the top executives may reach in the fast food industry, it is essential that they understand what is going on in the heart of the industry-the restaurant. For people considering a career in fast foods, starting as an hourly worker can be the first rung on the ladder of a career in this industry. In no other way will they get such an excellent understanding of how fast food restaurants operate. Over 50 percent of all McDonald's officers once worked as crew.
