The burger was for my wife. My own meal was KFC: grease-on-the-wing, three pieces of instant diet buster. Although -- according to my possibly biased tastebuds -- relatively low in salt. So my meal was slowly congealing in the car, while I went to Hungy Jacks for a burger for my wife.
It was 6:16 pm.
How do I know it was 6:16? There were several large displays of the time, all part of the fast food ethos of the takeaway burger joint.
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First thing to get my attention was the women at the left hand end of the counter. "Uh-oh!" I thought, "It'll be a long wait behind those two!" They already had a dozen or so cups of calorific drink, with an equal number of freshly squeezed, just add water, sugar flavoured iced confection. (I hesitate to call the instant stuff "ice cream".)
Service was, however, fast. The two women were soon presented with their large paper bags, stuffed to the top with burgers. "Have a good evening," wished the pleasant chap providing the service. "I hope you have friends to help you eat all of that," I thought. It was possible -- judging by the size of the women in question -- that the large, lard laden meal was intended for just the two of them. Oh well. My only worry was, that they had been served quite quickly.
6:18 pm
Then I noticed the older woman behind the counter. Keys on a lanyard around her neck. Lanyard flipped behind her back, to keep it out of the way. Serving fries with one hand. Holding her mobile phone to her ear with the other.
"Where are you?" she growled. "We need you here! Now! I have to use my own mobile so that I can help out while I'm talking. Where are you? Why are you not here?" She paced backwards and forwards, scooping chips, muttering instructions, demanding answers.
6:19 pm
"Could you re-enter all of this onto your machine?" This was the counter-hand to the right, asking the counter-hand in the middle. "My machine won't work." The order was re-entered.
"I'm sorry," said the middle counter-hand, "We have lost our connection to the eftpos facilities." "I used the card earlier today," said the customer. "Oh, no, it's not your card, it's our connection. The whole store has lost its link to the card services."
"Do you have some cash?" asked the woman. "Any excuse to get me to pay," replied her husband with a smile, handing over cash. "Thank you, I'm sorry for the inconvenience," said the polite counter-hand in the middle.
6:20 pm
"No, I'm sorry, we are not hiring anyone older than 17. Can you fill in an application form? Would it be possible for you to come back tomorrow? Thank you." The calm counter-hand in the middle, again. The job seeker left.
6:21 pm
"He's not rostered to come in till 7!" said the lady with the phone. She had now finished with the phone. "I'm due to leave at 7," said the calm one. "Who made the roster for today? It's not very good," said the right-hand counter-hand." "We'll just have to get by," said the phone woman, probably the store manager. Then, to the two women -- girls -- in the kitchen, "Are you two coping okay? Is she doing okay?" "Yes, I'm fine. She's doing okay." It seemed that one girl was reluctant to speak, or light on in English.
6:22 pm
A girl filling cardboard cups with ice-cream: Pull the handle, a flow of ice-cream -- which stops. Push the handle back, pull again, a bit more ice-cream flows out. Repeat: push, pull, push, pull... until several cups are full.
6:23 pm
The calm young man had a quiet moment away from the counter. Took some milk from the fridge... The milk lid was open, milk spilt over his arm, leg, the floor. A quick glance at the spill, at the counter, at the new customers arriving. Shake the milk off his arm, load the milk container into the drink machine, back to serving at the counter.
6:24 pm
Manager returns from delivering burgers to the drive-by window, sees milk spilt on floor. Pauses. Sees customers, service, cooking... carries on.
6:25 pm
Calm young man hands me my packet with one Aussie Burger. "Have a good night," he says, with a friendly smile. "Thank you," I reply, returning the smile. I leave Hungry Jacks, burger in hand, back to the car where my own chicken meal is slowly cooling. Impressed by the way that the HJ staff were serving and coping.
The OECD believes that young people will have more and more trouble getting employment. Well, if they're under 17 years old, they can apply to work in Hungry Jacks.
I'm unemployed but I'm too old. So my own employment prospects seem to be even worse that those of younger people. Even Hungry Jacks don't want me!
On the other hand, I don't think that I am suitable. Could I cope with the controlled chaos of rush hour at the takeaway joint? Could I remain as calm and polite as the young staff behind the counter?
I admire them. I hope all goes well with them. The staff remained polite, friendly, efficient through imminent chaos.
Well done!
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