One of the major complaints in the QSR Quick Service-Fast Food Restaurants Industry is the deplorable Labor Situation. In United States teen labor has become somewhat slim on ethical standards, showing up on time, drug use (both recreational and problematic), work ethic and trainability. Who can we blame? Well we can start by blaming ourselves. What happened? Well it is the latch key kid syndrome, lack of school funding and discipline and many other obvious issues. The ages between 17 and 28 the normal ages of employees of Fast Food Restaurants have a lot to be desired in the inherent customer service realm and desirability for employment.

I had the opportunity to discuss this today with a gentleman who had at one time ran 17 KFCs and finally could not take it anymore and retired. His son picking up the bug is a Manager of a Pizza Place in TN who makes about 50K per year as a manager. Which is pretty good, but that is what needs to be paid out when you find great people. One lady in the Metro area was receiving 5% gross bonus on top of salary and in one of the largest grossing stores in the state and took home 100K per year as a manager. If you look at the current problems in QSRs and we all have seen it, having our hamburgers smashed, or Western Bacon Cheese Burger drowned in special sauce where you could not even tell what was in it. We have all had the food jumbled up, freedom fries upside down spilled in the bag and generally a lackadaisical attitude and disrespect towards us as customers. I assure you folks, this is not what Carl Karcher, Ray Kroc, Tom Monahan had in mind when they built their businesses on reputation and delivery of clean, fast, quality and consistent service and food. No then why is it that a perfect system like this is prostituted and cannot get a good enough laborer to respect the establishment or reputation built on years of public trust, image, brand recognition and good service? Part of the problem is the labor supply.

Sure much of the QSR industry has gone through changes over the years, increased competition, encroachment of franchise companies who were suppose to be on their own team and a myriad of other issues from beef, chicken, paper product costs fluctuations to increased minimum wage laws, OSHA standards, ADA retrofitting and insurance costs for slip and fall. We understand these issues and have found ways to service these QSRs by assisting with out sourced services.

I bring this up because the company I founded occasionally works in this industry, offering cleaning services to these stores since they cannot get the labor to get it done.

http://www.concretewashguys.com/md.shtml

Food safety is a huge issue and bacteria are on everyone's mind. When people have less spend able income in their pockets they can afford less fast food. During the last recession many of the QSR owners had slow sales. Some cashed out early others braved the storm, currently with fuel prices up folks have less money in their pocket and opt more often than not to by-pass the fast food restaurant on the way home or make much smaller orders. We will see what happens in the future meanwhile many small companies, which do services will be in high demand. Hopefully these small business service companies can assist these multi-unit franchise owners and Corporate Store owners with the biggest problem of competent and hard working, reliable labor. The issue is also that those small service companies are also challenged for labor. Many QSRs are turning to older folks for their labor supply.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs