American Dream Job

I am a successful and lifelong—55 years of service—veteran of what is loosely referred to as the “food industry”. This term is used to describe dumps, diners, cafes, cafeterias, buffets, delicatessens, restaurants on both ends of the high-low spectrum and all of those in-between.

I have worked as dishwasher, porter, busboy, waiter, donut cutter and fryer, prep cook, short order cook and every level of chef-dom; as well as shift manager, assistant manager, manager, district manager and owner/operator.

I know what I am talking about when I speak of the “food industry” and I absolutely love the business.

If you are reasonably intelligent, stubborn, able-bodied, hardworking, ambitious, friendly, positive-minded and can function on a short ration of sleep on a regular basis while digesting an unreasonable amount of aggravation on a daily basis, you have a future in the food industry.

Not only do you have a future in the food industry, you have a future that is guaranteed to be successful and ultimately very satisfying. There is only one reason and it is simple: There are very few people who possess the qualifications I have enumerated and even less who want to do it.

You will progress through the ranks quickly because others will drop out even quicker. The unqualified—(check my earlier list of qualifications)—quit very soon or are managed out as soon as someone can be hired to fill their shift.

Working in the food industry is not perceived by society to be a high profile job and in many respects it is not.

What it is, however, is the great American opportunity to excel at a trade and advance quickly to the point where you are making more money than many others—who look down upon those in the food industry—while working at a job where they simply cannot do without you.