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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''I have a theory about McDonald's, that is, everything they make is all one thing, and in the back they have this big vat full of this stuff, these little molds combining, like '''SPLURT''' 'Hamburger!' '''SPLURT''' 'Malt!' '''SPLURT''' 'Paper box!' '''SPLURT''' 'Here's your change, thank you!' ''
|'''[[Steve Martin]]'''}}
The fictional fast-food restaurant is a unique establishment. It's the most common first job for a TV teen, and will usually teach them [[An Aesop|a lesson]] about money, responsibility, or life, mere moments before they [[Reset Button|quit or are fired for odd reasons]]. Usually, they are spurred to employment by a specific financial need, and a failure of "The Bank of Mom and Dad" to pony up.
But the fast-food joint seems to deliberately go out of its way to torture the unfortunate teenagers (and/or unlucky adults) who work there. Which includes the [[Bad Job, Worse Uniform|ridiculous outfit they are required to wear on the job]]
The standard foil is for the show's underdog to thrive in this environment to the total befuddlement of the "cool" characters who have been successful at everything else except this; ironically, this can have the reverse effect: after all, who would be ''proud'' of working at a fast-food joint?
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See also [[Suck E. Cheese's]].
{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* A TV ad visible
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** Doubly funny because Chiyo's family is actually ''loaded''.
** The manager even gives Chiyo all the raises, much to Osaka's chagrin, as she doesn't get any.
* In the first volume of the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' manga, Yugi and Jounouchi want to go out for lunch at Burger World, but Anzu tries to steer them away from it, saying that it's a terrible place to eat. Why? She works there, and doesn't want Jounouchi to blab about it to the school, because kids at Domino High School (like at [[Truth in Television|some real-life Japanese high schools]]) aren't allowed to hold jobs. Of course, working at such a place is arguably much better than what [[Compensated Dating| they thought she was doing.]] (Note: In the English dub of the anime, the reason for her not wanting them to talk was changed from "High school students can't hold jobs" to "I'm not old enough to work here.")
* A surprisingly sympathetic example occurs in ''[[Scrapped Princess]]'', where Pacifica and crew stop at an inn and have to sell "Soopy Buns" to earn their tab. Part of the job entails dressing up as a green [[Barney and Friends|Barney]]-like mascot named "Soopy-kun" and peddling the innkeeper's wares to customers. The innkeeper is actually nice to them, and Raquel enjoys doing the work, while Pacifica tries donning the costume and winds up [[Nightmare Fuel|scaring a little boy away]] when the jaw of the costume falls off. Leo takes the "Soopy-kun" job for a while when Pacifica leaves, but he gets to keep it with him when he returns to the city with Winia in a later episode.
* In ''[[K-On!]]'', Mugi is so enthralled with the local fast food restaurant that she starts working part-time behind its counter herself later
* ''[[Busou Renkin]]'' has an unnamed McDonald's clone which the heroes and villains meet in. The staff seem fairly happy with their situation until the characters show up... in full costume.
** It's called Loteri-ya. After Bravo and Papillon start eating there, it is dubbed Freak Burger.
* In ''[[Lucky Star]]'', Konata tells Kagami and Tsukasa she got a summer job, but doesn't tell them what it is until they ask the next day. A worker at a fast food restaurant is one of the jobs they imagine, but can't imagine her doing well at. At least, the "dealing with people" aspect.
{{quote|'''Burger Fool Konata:''' Got a problem with my smile?}}
* ''[[The Devil is a Part Timer!]]'' was a humor-oriented anime where the Devil's [[Evil Plan]] messes up royally and he ends up in Japan working at a "MgRonalds". Seriously, nowhere would [[The Devil Is a Loser| the Devil be more a loser than here]]. Sadly, this hilarious anime only lasted one season.
== Comic Books ==
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** In another Kieth Giffen story, the Super Buddies are forced to work in a Big Belly Burger in Hell for all eternity.
* In ''[[Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane]]'', Mary Jane has to work at a hippo themed McDonald's place, which was just one in a string of cruddy jobs.
** In ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man]]'', Peter worked at a place with a frog theme. And had to wear [[Bad Job, Worse Uniform|a frog mask at all times]].
** Kwikie Burger was a place that appeared in some ''Spider-Man'' stories during the 70s; it seemed the default business to be robbed by third-rate villains. Lampshaded in the White Rabbit's first appearance when one frightened cashier asked another if he knew if McDonalds was hiring.
* In ''[[Foolkiller]]'', after Kurt Gerhardt was laid off from the bank, he had to work in a fast food restaurant.
* In ''[[Invincible]]'', Mark initially worked at a place like this before his superhero duties happily forced him to quit.
* The "Fat Boy" restaurant chain in ''[[Give Me Liberty]]'', which wages war using ''giant mascot mecha'' for farmland to raise cattle.
* At one point, [[Wonder Woman]] worked at a "Taco Whiz." She took it very seriously.
{{quote|Feeding people is a just and dignified occupation. I don't know why you are always... dishing it.}}
* The fast food chain "O'Shaughnessy's" has made multiple appearances across various [[DC Comics]]. It's been stated to be a major rival to Big Belly Burgers.
* ''[[Harley Quinn]]''; in one story in her own comic starts with Harley robbing a fast-food place; at the ''end'' of the story, after helping Batman catch a mobster who has framed Poison Ivy, Harley has to do community service work for robbing the restaurant, [[Laser-Guided Karma| by ''working'' there.]]
== Film ==
* The 1980s teen movie ''[[Better Off Dead]]'' put [[John Cusack]] in a humiliating job at a pork-burger restaurant that required him to wear a chef's hat with attached ears and snout, even though he works in the kitchen.
* In ''[[Fast Times at Ridgemont High]]'', Brad works at two fast food restaurants. At the first one, he is fired after being forced into an argument by an overly demanding customer; at the second one, he quits in the midst of a delivery ... which he was required to make while wearing a pirate uniform.
* In ''Clerks II'' (and at other points in [[The View Askewniverse|Kevin Smith's verse]]) the fast food chain Mooby's fills this role admirably.
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* Not really a fast food restaurant, but Sarah Connor's waitressing job in ''[[The Terminator]]'' sure had the "hellish" aspect down pat.
* ''[[Scotland, PA]]'' starts off with our heroes, the McBeths, doing soul-crushing work at Duncan's Cafe. When they eventually take over the restaurant, it's shown in one brief scene that Pat McBeth ''really'' enjoys lording it over her new underlings.
* ''West Bank Story,'' the 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Short Film, involves what amounts to [[Serious Business|Dueling Falafel Fools]]
* In ''[[Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle]]'', the title characters go to a location formerly a White Castle, to find that it has been turned into a rival chain. They ask the drive-thru attendant (Anthony Andersen) where a White Castle is, and he becomes so impressed by their determination that [[Berserk Button|he flips out and trashes the restaurant]].
* Inverted in ''[[American Beauty]]''. The protagonist quits his white collar job as an editor so that he can work a burger counter and have the least possible amount of responsibility. It has the added benefit of pissing off [[Stepford Smiler|his success-driven wife]] even more than being unemployed.
* In the original ''[[Bedazzled]]'', Dudley Moore's character is despondent over his miserable life. 28 years old, no girlfriend, lives in a dreary little basement apartment. And yes, fry cook at Wimpy's.
* The 1997 comedy film, ''[[Good Burger]]'', which was based on the recurring sketch Nickelodeon's ''[[All That]].'' Featuring loveable idiot Ed who loves his job as much as his brain can allow, and his snarky sidekick, Dexter, The Good Burger is the epitome of Burger Fool. As far as fast food jobs go, the employees weren't treated badly and they all seemed to like each other and Good Burger. Their rival Mondo Burger, on the other hand, treated their employees as slaves and had a hellish boss.
* Musical horror comedy, ''[[Poultrygeist|Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead]]'' - When a Ku Klux Klan funded military-themed fried chicken chain, The Chicken Bunker, builds a restaurant build over an ancient Indian burial ground, the chickens killed take their revenge by taking "possession" of the customers and turning them into "fowl" zombies. The restaurant is meant to be the ultimate example of
{{quote|'''General Lee Roy:''' "The general has provided AMPLE accommodations for your displaced Indian dead. They have gone to a better place."
[cuts to employee dumping skeletal human corpses in a common dumpster] }}
* The main character of ''[[Sex Drive]]'' works at a bizarre, Mexican-themed donut kiosk in the mall. Part of the job included a huge, slightly racist mascot costume. His close friends didn't hold it against him, but the punk kids at the mall would take advantage of his limited vision in the suit to stick a dildo onto the front of his costume as he wandered around.
* In ''[[Recess]]: School's Out'', TJ's sister works at a burger joint. Their parents are just as proud of her getting promoted to "Assistant Fry Chef" as they are of TJ saving the world.
* In ''[[UHF (film)|UHF]]'', George and Bob are fired from "Big Edna's Burger World" after a distracted George {{spoiler|squirts ketchup and mustard onto customers, among other screwups}}.
* [[Demi Lovato]]'s character in the ''[[Princess Protection Program]]'' is given a job at a Frozen Yoghurt place by the
* ''[[Married to the Mob]]'' has two of these; the fried chicken joint where Angela applies for a job, and the boss turns out to be a total pervert, and the clown-themed burger place where the attempt on Tony's life takes place.
* In ''[[Big Daddy]]'', Sonny Koufax ([[Adam Sandler]]) has venomous contempt for the restaurant chain Hooters and the people (especially the women) who work there. His friend, Kevin Gerrity (Jon Stewart), is similarly humiliated when his fiancee is forced to admit in court that her first job was as a Hooters waitress. At the end of the film, Sonny is taken to Hooters for his birthday dinner and jokes to his pals that "I'm gonna sue you assholes for making me come here." The whole thing wraps up with a [[Brick Joke]] as {{spoiler|we see that Sonny's smug, buttoned-up ex-girlfriend is now forced to waitress there in the chain's iconic tank top and short-shorts after making an unethical career move earlier in the movie}}.
* In ''[[Bill and Teds Bogus Journey]]'', the boys get into the Battle of the Bands when the woman in charge takes pity on them for working at Pretzels 'N Cheese (but she puts them on last, at midnight, when everyone will probably have left by then).
* Since it focuses on a fictional fast food chain called Hella-Burger, the slasher film ''Drive-Thru'' features a lot of these, including one played by the director of ''[[Super Size Me]]''.
* A [[Flashback]] in ''[[The Babysitter 2: Killer Queen]]'' shows that Max used to work at a place like this. He had to put up with a ''lot'' of obnoxious customers, to the point that he ''really'' felt like killing one of them. Bee recruited him to the cult by promising him a chance to do just that.
== Literature ==
* In ''[[Audrey Wait]]'', the main character's day job is at an ice cream shoppe called [[Inherently Funny Words|Scooper Dooper.]] The character introduces the uniform (bright pink hat and T-shirt) and slogan (also "Scooper Dooper!") with all the affection people might give a used piece of toilet paper.
* The main character of Michael J. Nelson's novel ''[[Death Rat]]!'' is at one point forced to work at "Medieval Burger," whose uniform includes a hat adorned with miniature battlements. The protagonist, like everyone else, is unable to figure out exactly ''how'' this helps the restaurant sell food. This mirrors his own experience. Its the job he had to pay the bills between stand-up shows before he was hired on to ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''.
* Eric Schlosser expounds on the plight of fast food employees in ''[[Fast Food Nation]]'', noting that McDonald's entire plan is to make the job so simple and brainless that they can teach a new employee in 15 minutes, making any given employee totally expendable.
* In ''[[Good Omens]],'' [[The Four Horsemen|Famine]] opens a chain of fast food restaurants named "Burger Lord." Its employees are perky, in a soulless sort of way, except for [[Elvis Lives|that one guy...]]. Of note is the food it sells. It's a reformulation of MEALS, Famine's line of microwave health dinners, called CHOW. Like MEALS, CHOW contains slightly fewer nutrients than the packaging they sell it in, causing the satisfied customer to die of malnutrition very rapidly, but the evil food scientists working for Famine have found a way to load CHOW with all manner of fat and sugar without increasing other nutritional content, meaning that customers essentially starve to death while growing morbidly obese. Famine finds this endlessly amusing.
* In ''[[Going Bovine]]'', Cameron works at the Buddha Burger.
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* Ren of ''[[Even Stevens]]'' worked at a toast store and successfully lobbied for better working conditions.
* The Canadian series ''[[Fries With That]]?'' was set in a fast food restaurant. Only the assistant manager really enjoyed his job.
* In one episode of ''[[Doogie Howser, M.D.]]'', Doogie tries to prove to Vinnie that he can survive working in a "degrading, dead-end" fast food job (“Burger Baby”), [[Ordinary High School Student|just like any “normal teenager” his own age.]] As a genius doctor, it should be undoubtedly easy for him, right?...Wrong! In fact, it’s a lot more difficult than he realizes.
* ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'':
{{quote|'''Lynette''': Dave lost his job at the plant, and he is now handing out flyers at a chicken restaurant, and--prepare to wince--there is a chicken suit involved.}}
* In season 2 of ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'', Lily takes a job as a waitress in a Hawaïan restaurant; she has to wear a local costume and welcome customers (among whom are her friends) with "Aloha".
* Fatso Burger, Eric's temporary job in season 1 of ''[[That '70s Show]]'' fits this trope to a T. The place itself is mediocre, he has a silly outfit, and his boss is embarrassing. He's afraid to quit because his hardass father Red wants him to learn responsibility and all that stuff, even though his girlfriend and mother both try hard to get him to quit. Eventually he does quit, and Red doesn't mind.
* McDonald's/Wac Arnold's inspirational ad skit on ''[[Chappelle's
* ''[[Fresh Prince of Bel Air]]'', Ashley works at Hot Dog on A Stick and wears a ridiculous red and yellow outfit complete with silly hat.
* Eddie on ''[[Family Matters]]'' works at Mighty Weenie and he wears a hat that has a hot dog on top.
* ''The entire premise'' of the short-lived comedy ''[[Life On A Stick]]''. (Okay, more like the ''framing'', but still...)
* ''[[iCarly]]'':
** Sam gets a job at Chilly My Bowl, to pay $500 back to Carly and Freddie.
** Carly gets a job at the Groovy Smoothie in another episode.
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== Music ==
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxUGn_ziOSE&list=FLM2CFpnQLwo2DUJ6zebbNmA&index=5 Minimum Rage]" by Psychostick
* The [[Foo Fighters]] "Walk" video (itself an [[Affectionate Parody]] of the instant Michael Douglas classic ''[[Falling Down]]'') features bassist Nate Mendel working a fast food counter, complete with sullen expression and a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PkcfQtibmU&t=2m40s hat shaped like a box of french fries].
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== Newspaper Comics ==
* The comic
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== Tabletop Games ==
* The [[Old World of Darkness]] RPG ''[[Werewolf: The Apocalypse]]'' has the burger chain O'Tolleys as a subsidiary to the big bad corp Pentex. While many of its restaurants are relatively normal, there are also some which slip evil spirits or [[I'm a Humanitarian|the other white meat]] in the burgers, and transform their employees into spiritually possessed freaks. All of them, however, conform to the standards laid out by this page. As the splatbooks says: In most part-time jobs, teenagers learn vital business skills, decision making and other abilities that will help them in life. While working for O'Tolleys, they learn to make burgers. Period.
* In the [[d20 Modern]] ''Urban Arcana'' setting, one of the organizations is a
* Deconstructed in ''[[Unknown Armies]],'' where the co-conspirators of Mak Attax (who to a one work at "The Scotsman") are actually {{spoiler|part of an organization dedicated to bringing about a "magical renaissance" by unleashing small doses of magickal energy into people's food, then watching the results (and occasionally helping the victims if the results go bad).}} They're probably the largest, probably the least competent, and probably the most benign secret conspiracy within the setting. Despite this seeming aversion of the dullness of
** On the other hand, despite the monotony and the skepticism they get from the rest of the Occult Underground, {{spoiler|they managed to use "the Scotsman" to pull off one of the most successful magical rituals of recent memory by aligning the "chakra points" of the American consciousness}}.
== Video Games ==
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* In ''[[Grand Theft Auto]] IV'', we learn that Cluckin' Bell's chicken-suited mascot has a name: [[Chuck Norris|Cluck Norris!]] Apparently, he's also a martial-arts master...
* In ''[[No More Heroes]]'', there's a fast food joint just outside of Travis' hotel named "Burger Suplex", which also keeps the flow of naming many landmarks after pro wrestling moves.
* ''[[Command
* ''[[Saints Row]]'' has Freckle Bitch's, featuring radio commercials with a chain-smoking, raspy-voiced, middle-aged broad hawking its greasy wares. The special [[Offer Void in Nebraska|New Zealand/Australia only]] collectors edition of Saints Row 2 is a large white box with Freckle Bitch herself in a suggestive position on the top. Oh yeah, just ''try'' and carry that out of the video game shop without getting noticed.
* ''[[The Sims|The Sims 2]]'' has the Culinary career, which starts you off in one of these and has you work your way up the ladder to Celebrity Chef status.
** The University expansion has the Philosophy major's final semester. "Senior Thesis: Preparing for the Fast-Food Industry". Amusingly, Philosophy is the major indicated to be best for the aforementioned Culinary career.
* The "Mmm, Bison!" restaurant chain in ''[[Dead State]]'' was presumably one of these before the [[Zombie Apocalypse]].
* Snuckey's in ''[[Sam and Max Hit The Road]]'' is a
* In ''[[Undertale]]'' there is the MTT-Brand Burger Emporium inside the MTT resort, which serves food like the Glamburger (a burger made of edible glitter) and a steak shaped as Mettaton's face, all of it extremely expensive. Its main employee is a poor nineteen-years old nicknamed "Burgerpants" (after an incident where he attempted to sneak some burgers to impress his peers) who is overly stressed over his job, hates his boss, and practically has internalized that he may not getter better in life than this dead-end job
== Web Animation ==
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== Webcomics ==
* One of the early comics in ''[[Bob and George]]'' (a hand-drawn one) had George working at McBoogers. The author actually stated that everyone should work in fast food at least once to see things from the other side of the counter.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100823153432/http://housd.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3 This HOUSD strip] one explains itself.
* ''[[Loserz]]'' features "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110519182403/http://bukucomics.com/loserz/go/36 Mc-Hamchunks]" and "[https://web.archive.org/web/20101213180947/http://bukucomics.com/loserz/go/95 Cock in the Box]". [[Hilarity Ensues]].
* Half of the strip ''[[Phil Likes Tacos]]'' is about gaming and the way people treat gamers. The other half is about this trope, though the emphasis on the hell that is customers, coworkers, and the clueless decisions of corporate management makes it pretty clear that the author has actually ''been there'' instead of just working off stereotypes seen on TV.
* In ''[[Questionable Content]]'', Pizza Girl's outfit may be a part of this, or [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|she may just be a]] [[Superhero]] [[Mundane Utility|who delivers pizzas]].
* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' Gwynn had to work at Burger Meister before getting her job at the zombie themed restaurant, and the [[Service Sector Stereotypes|snooty waiter]] also had to work there when the expensive restaurant burns down. Despite the low pay and ridiculous uniform, he's still as unbelievably insulting to the customers as ever.
* After losing his job at the comic shop and being denied unemployment insurance, Mike of ''[[Something
** Mike later finds employment at a different fast-food joint, and is surprised (and a little disturbed) to find that it's an ''aversion'' of this. The manager specifically tells Mike that being an employee there doesn't mean he has to take crap from anyone, customer or not.
* In ''[[Sinfest]]'', [
* From ''[[The Non-Adventures of Wonderella]]''; in [http://nonadventures.com/2009/04/18/all-for-nautical/ this comic], the anti-heroine finds her old enemy [[Pirate Girl|Plunderella]] working in a fish and chips place (Wonderella noting it's "not even a Long John Silver's") because modern pirates are giving her a bad reputation.
== Web Original ==
* Happens to [[Butt Monkey
** ''[[The Onion]]'': [http://www.theonion.com/articles/developmentally-disabled-burger-king-employee-only,462/ Developmentally Disabled Burger King Employee Only Competent Worker], [http://www.theonion.com/articles/everyone-involved-in-pizzas-preparation-delivery-p,504/ Everyone Involved In Pizza's Preparation, Delivery, Purchase Extremely High].
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** In "Invasion of the Idiot Dog Brain," GIR goes on a rampage to order food at Crazy Taco.
* ''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]'' had a restaurant called [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|Chokey Chicken]] (later [[Ret Conned]] to "Chewy Chicken" due to the censors finally catching the name on the radar), which specifically parodied the omnipresent nature of places like McDonald's. One great example is the episode where Rocko brings Heffer to France and tries to get him to try some new cuisine. They just end up eating at a Chokey Chicken that has been built into the Eiffel Tower.
* ''[[The Simpsons]]'',
**
** In the [[Flashback]] episode "I Married Marge", Homer worked at a place called Gulp N Blow which was just as bad. They wouldn't even tell him what was in ''their'' secret sauce.
** The "Future-Drama" episode has Lisa starting Hot Dog on a Stick management camp.
* In ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' episode "Not So Awesome Blossom", Blossom starts working at a rather low-grade hot-dog place after suffering a [[Heroic BSOD]] When Mojo calls to [[I Have Your Wife| make his demands]], he actually rubs her nose in it by telling her [[Kick Them While They Are Down| to bring him two hot dogs]], adding, "And don't forget the ketchup!"
* ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' had Nasty Burger which is frequently referenced, including a special where a ghost was threatening to kill all of Danny's loved ones by overheating the special nasty sauce (no, "overheating the special nasty sauce" is not an [[Unusual Euphemism]]) to kill them. The main character doesn't take a job there to learn any form of [[An Aesop]] or some such. Nope, it's just his [[Local Hangout]].
{{quote|"Nasty Burger, it's just one letter away from tasty!"}}
* In an episode of ''[[Jimmy Neutron]]'', Jimmy, Sheen, and Carl start working at McSpanky's. Ironically, [[Have a Gay Old Time|Skeet]], the Employee of the Month, considers Jimmy to be the idiot of the group, and forces him to stand outside the restaurant wearing a hamburger suit, repeating the phrase: "If you want cheap food with taste, put McSpanky's in your face."
* ''[[Daria]]'' had to work at "It's a Nutty, Nutty World", and announce her enthusiasm about nuts to every customer. Squirrels started to attack her because she smelled like nuts as well. On the episode where several characters find themselves in a Sam's Club-style superstore one weekend afternoon, Daria and Jane find the uber-[[Goth]], Andrea, working in a wholesale club in full uniform and is deathly afraid of them mocking her for having that kind of job, as she is aware that Daria and Jane are the school's queens of snark. However, she is pleasantly surprised to see the girls reassure her that they understand her position and promise not to tell anyone.
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* ''[[King of the Hill]]'' played this to the hilt with Bobby's first job, selling food at racing events. When he complained to his dad, he was told to suck it up and enjoy it for the sake of enjoying it, which he did... until Hank found out his boss (who was a mentally-retarded sociopath) really was as bad as Bobby had said and was endangering Bobby's life.
* ''[[Carl Squared]]'' had the pirate-themed Buccaneer Burger, complete with humiliating costumes. Unsurprisingly, C2 thought it was great place to work.
* ''[[
* ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'', "Employee Of the Month", Beast Boy goes to work at "Mega Meaty Meat", a restaurant wherein everything from shakes to fries is apparently made of meat. A staunch vegetarian ("I've ''been'' most of those animals!"), Beast Boy sticks with it (in the hopes of winning the moped being offered as prize for "Employee of the Month"), and discovers that the eatery is actually a front for a sentient tofu monster from space. No, really!
** Suffice to say, it just gets weirder from there. [[Word of God|Even the creators have no idea what was going on in that episode.]]
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* Jeremy from ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' works at Slushy Dawg, where their motto is "Slushy Dawg will never get any better", unless he's working at Slushy Burger, whose motto is "Pickles so green and meat so brown, Lunchtime's fun with Slushy the Clown!" Despite all this, they're both pretty nice places and Jeremy seems happy working there.
* In a flashback sequence in ''[[G.I. Joe: Renegades]]'', we learn that Duke briefly worked the drive-through of a fast food joint between high-school and the Army. Flint rubs it in when he isn't bragging about the tackle he'd landed on Duke at a football game that won his school a state championship. Subverted at the end of the scene when Flint sees Duke leaving for home on crutches; knowing the injury is his fault, he realizes he's being cruel and offers Duke a ride.
* Despite the kids being too young to get a job at local place Slausen's on ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'', it doesn't mean that the joint is free of squeaky-voiced teens (voiced by ''[[Dan Castellaneta]]'', of course).
* Burgerphile in ''[[Dan Vs.]]''. In ''Dan Vs Burgerphile'', we learn that about 70% of Dan's diet consists of Burgerphile food. Despite the title, Dan's grudge is only limited to the [[Married to the Job]] manager who refuses to admit that he got Dan's order wrong. Notably, Dan actually ''likes'' Hortense the register girl who ''likes him back''.
* The ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'' short [[Pixar Shorts|"Small Fry"]] takes place inside a fast food restaurant called Poultry Palace, which features [[Show Within a Show|''Buzz Lightyear]] [[Buzz Lightyear of Star Command|of Star Command'']] Fun Meal toys (including an imposter Buzz Lightyear who was the main focus of the short and [[Evil Overlord|a mini Zurg]] toy), as with several discarded Fun Meal toys who secretly form an organization (who "accept" the ''real'' Buzz as one of their members) inside the restaurant's storage room.
* This type of restaurant is parodied in ''[[Shrek|Shrek 2]]'', where the Prince and Fairy Godmother go through the fly-though of the Fryar's Fat Boys, a place with a menu that includes Renaissance Wraps, Sourdough Soft Tacos, and the Medieval Meal (comes with regular or curly fries and a toy - namely a battle axe). Not a completely straight example of the Trope, however, as more of the humor focuses on the customers, rather than the employee, although the server ''is'' dressed like a typical tavern serving wench.
* The Burrito Bucket in ''[[DC Super Hero Girls]]'', where Babs has a part-time job; despite the job having tight deadlines, high demand, and a [[Mean Boss]] (mostly because Babs drives him nuts), Babs actually ''loves'' her job. Probably due to employee discount, as she loves burritos.
== Real Life ==
* [[Truth in Television]]: These companies have been documented to have industry conferences seeking ways to minimize training for their employees.
** Makes sense, since fast food was based on the Assembly Line method of
* Comedian Dane Cook has a stand-up routine about the horrors of working the drive-thru at Burger King.
* One of [[Brad Pitt]]'s first jobs was to wear a big chicken outfit and stand in front of an American fast-food joint called El Pollo Loco.
** [[Fight Club|'Sticking feathers up your butt won't make you a chicken.']]
* The multitudes of bored temp workers who are forced to stand on the roadside holding cardboard advertisements for pizza or subs on a hot summer day can attest to this trope.
* The [http://www.hotdogonastick.com/ Hot Dog On a Stick] franchise, seen in many malls, has long had a [https://web.archive.org/web/20110110095144/http://www.azteenmagazine.com/gfx/plaza/hot-dog-on-a-stick.jpg pretty cheesy uniform] for its employees (notice the girls get stuck with the dorkier hat). Even stranger, Hot Dog on a Stick is an employee-owned company, meaning that the employee-owners have collectively ''agreed'' to wear this garb.
** Parodied in a ''[[Mad TV]]'' skit called Stick Chicks, where the employees are actually secret agents in the vein of ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'' (a pretty one, a smart one, and a lovable goof).
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[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]
[[Category:Food Tropes]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Occupation Tropes]]
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