It All Started With A Little Bitty Hamburger

After what seemed like an eternity filling out applications at every McDonald’s in town, I found myself at White Castle.

It was easy to get to – I could take the South Chicago bus or the 79th Street bus to get there and I could get there from Kenwood on the Stony Island bus.

I wore a tan dress with heels and my hair was in an updo – I was quite overdressed, but at that point, what’s the difference – McDonald’s hadn’t called me back. I interviewed with Robert, the Shift Manager and he asked about my school schedule. When I told him what I was taking, he seemed very pleased. There were already a lot of high schoolers working there, so I wouldn’t be bored.

Fast forward to Fourth of July weekend and my mother’s friends are over for barbeque. I was filling a bowl with pork and beans when the phone rang. It was White Castle – they had put me on the schedule – could I come in to work that Monday for training?

COULD I?????? I’M THERE WITH BELLS ON!!!!

I ran out side and shouted to all within ear shot “I got a job! I got a job!!!”

My mother was also overjoyed – “Hallelujah, praise God!”

After several congratulations and pats on the back from friends and family alike came the inevitable question – where are you working????

The White Castle on 79th Street…

Whew, it’s a little rough over there, are you sure you want that?

Well, it means you won’t have to keep doubling my allowance every week…

When did you say you start????

I get to White Castle and put on the obligatory hair net and blue polyester uniform. I was a little hesitant about leaving my clothes in what was a miniature locker the size of a gym bag, but there wasn’t time to debate the issue. I was finally working – and guess what – White Castle pays more than McDonald’s.

OK McDonald’s – that’s strike two!

Perks for working at White Castle – free food at any location you visit. You are loaned out as much as you work at your own location, so you get to know everyone and the managers travel from store to store so they get to know you also. You get paid once a week and they pay you in cash because you can cash your check while there. They also accommodate school schedules and high school parties. You have your own money and of course being at the White Castle that is the center of everything – you get to see the whole world come through. That was especially true for me because I worked the midnight shift on Friday and Saturday night.

Between the Ponderosa, which became the High Chaparral, which became Bonanza’s letting out at 2 in the morning and other area night spots, working the grill early to get on the cash register before the real partiers came through, it was hard work, but we managed to have fun. I was well mentored by Robert the Shift Manager and Rhonda became my vision of what a real manager should be – compassionate and ready to get down in the trenches with you. We’d do anything Rhonda asked us because she wasn’t afraid to flip a burger when it got tight on the front line. She and Robert were never afraid to get their hands dirty, and after a night of burger flipping and customer appeasement, you needed back up. I was good at managing difficult customers, so I always got a register at the end of the night. I knew how to keep the coffee hot and the burgers flipped and wrapped to perfection.

White Castle is where my work ethic was honed – you can’t afford to half step in the fast food world. One of the employees told me early on: You see these bums sitting around this place waiting for a hand out? The kids back here dodging work and barely making it? They won’t be here long because the energy they are using to dodge this grill takes twice as much energy as it does to get the job done right the first time – then you can move on to your next position rather than spend all night trying to avoid some work –
The day goes faster when you do your job right – how right she was.

I used to hate coming home smelling like an onion sandwich, but I kept coming back to that regular paycheck, regular food, and all that Senior Year had to offer. If only I could find about twenty teen-agers just like that now – I’ve got a job for them….