Burger Flipping Mad
an excerpt

“Casey, can you come into the office for a minute?” Mitch asked.
I proceeded towards the manager’s office with caution. The office is just a cramped little room, no bigger than most closets. The cash safe takes up most of the space.
“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble,” Mitch assured me. “We all think you’re doing a great job, Casey.”
“Thanks, sir,” I said.
Mitch pulled up a sheet of carbon paper. It was evaluation time already. The grade, and the speech that went along with it was always the same.
“Like I said, you’re doing a great job,” Mitch repeated. “Your attendance is perfect. You’re a hard worker, and you seem to take great pride in being a member of the O’Reilly Burger team.”
Great pride? Where was he getting that from?
“You ‘re doing pretty good at sandwich making and food prep, as well as on team work. There’s always room for improvement in these areas, but all in all you’re on the right track. There is one small, tiny thing you need to work on…”
I’ve heard this before. I winced as Mitch continued.
“…and it’s your attitude.”
I knew it.
“I know things can get a little crazy here, but don’t let them get to you. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, try taking a deep breath and counting to ten. If you need help, someone will most certainly be willing to come over. O’Reilly Burger is a fun place to work! You should try to have a good time. Years from now, after you’ve graduated from college and you’re working some office job, perhaps at the O’Reilly Burger corporate headquarters, you’ll look back on your time here and remember what a great time you had.”
Sure I will.
“Anyway, your overall evaluation is good. You have room for improvement, but I know you can do it. You’re getting a ten-cents per hour raise. Please sign and date here to confirm that you’ve gotten your evaluation. The yellow copy is yours.”
I gave them my John Hancock and shoved the yellow carbon copy into my pocket.
Ten whole extra cents per hour. No wonder I have great pride in this dump.