A woman argued with a TikTok commenter who claimed that McDonald’s is only a “starter job” for 15-year-old kids and not for workers raising a family.
The video, posted on Thursday by TPBrulez801 (@ripjimlahey801), has received over 897,000 views as of this writing.
The post was prompted by a comment on a previous video, which stated that working at Mcdonald’s was “a starter job where you work with 15-year-old high school kids,” and that it was never “meant to raise a family on.”
@ripjimlahey801 Replying to @Michael24242 ♬ original sound – TPBrulez801
However, the TikToker vehemently disagreed with this sentiment.
“If working at Mcdonald’s was only meant to be a starter job for 15-year-old kids, how are you able to order a McDouble on a random Tuesday at 10 a.m. in October?” she asked.
“All the 15-year-old kids are at school during that time,” she added. “So who’s making your burger? Who’s taking your order?”
The TikTok user’s questions are not unfounded. According to data collected from the Census Bureau via Data USA, the average age of fast food and counter service workers is 27.5 years old, with 63.8% of the workforce being female. The Daily Dot has also previously covered stories in which young workers are put in charge of fast-food restaurants.
The comments were filled with users who were wholeheartedly on the TikToker’s side.
“Don’t forget late night fast food hours,” said one person.
“This same guy will complain when a “15yo” gets his order wrong,” said another.
“And even if this was the case, why should McDonald’s get discount labor? Why should the owners profit off kid’s labor?” asked a third.
Many commenters also shared their own observations about the demographics of McDonald’s workers.
“In the McDonald’s I worked at when I was 19, most of the people on the tills were single mums over 35,” shared one person.
Another user, answering her rhetorical question of who is preparing the food during school hours, wrote, “The older person with three jobs, the mother who is trying to make ends meet while her kids are in school, the single dad, the college drop out.”
The creator responded, adding more of her own. “The retiree, who is not actually retired, because if they didn’t work, they couldn’t afford their bills.”
The Daily Dot reached out to the creator via TikTok comment.
