i really think that's typical in fast food restaurants.

i worked for KFC in high school. we were normally on top of things, but the thing is...fast food joints don't have the best of the best when it comes to employee selection.

there was only a handful of employees that knew how to prep the chicken. most everyone knew how to prep everything else. of course, the managers knew how to do the chicken if it came down to it. but..there were mornings when our cook (who also happened to be an alcoholic) would show up late. that could prevent us from having every single item ready in time.

so, fire him you say? well, we could've. he did show up late sometimes...but when he was there...he could get the chicken out faster than anyone on the planet...he'd been doing it for years. it was a matter of replace him and consistently run out of chicken on a daily basis because you can't find another guy who can work like him....or keep him and have some rough mornings where we're running behind. afterall, practically nobody is ordering fried chicken at 10 a.m., but hundreds of people are ordering it for dinner. let's tick off the person who eats chicken at 10 a.m. or the line of people who eat it for dinner?

the turnaround in these places is crazy. as an employee, i never knew when we got a new employee if they would be there the next week or even the next day. there are ALWAYS people not showing up, calling in, showing up late, etc. it's easy to say, "well, hire people who are more reliable." think about the people who work these types of jobs. high school students or people who didn't have the get up and go to do anything more worthwhile. i'm sure i'll get attacked for saying that, but it's true. older people who work in places like that are not the most dedicated, motivated people you could find.

every day in a fast food restaurant is full of surprises. i've shown up for work and not been able to get in because the person that was supposed to open (who had the keys) didn't show up. nothing ever surprised me.