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I'm merely pointing out the fact that the location is grossing hundreds of thousands, with a profit for the owner of about 200k per year, for that particular location she was working for. She said the location at least 100k+ monthly with the owner's taking home about 20k per month. So while all the employees who are actually running that location are barely making ends meet, the owner sits at home (only coming in 1x per week) and pulls in 20k. McDonald's and other big franchises could afford to pay their employees at least 1 dollar more than minimum wage. And the location has been open for more than 15 years so I'm sure it's made its investment back.
Or perhaps its time for the employees that can't make ends meet to consider starting a career like most people do. How long does it take an employee to notice the job they willingly accepted to do at "X" amount does not pay their bills? Was it after the first paycheck or third or 20th?
I truly think it's sad that people think like that. You have these big companies making a ridiculous amount of money, but yet aren't paying their employees, who are making the money for them, a decent salary. I guess that's the American way huh?
Think like what? That people need to stand on their own two feet and are responsible for themselves? It does not matter what someone else makes. Your friend didn't put in the work that the franchise owner did to get where he/she is now. If your friend wants to make that kind of money, they need to do what others do and work their way into it. Flipping burgers isn't it.
The American way is capitalism. Sell a product for more than it costs you to make it. There is nothing that stops people who work at McD's from deciding to do what the franchise owner did and work their way into a financial position to open their own business and profit from it. There has to be enough reward for someone to take a risk.
Remember.... you're talking about someone making a profit by sticking their neck out and risking everything they have to succeed. Then you're trying to say they should be more generous and make less money because it's the "right" thing to do. The "right" thing to do is follow the letters of the law. If these people are unhappy making minimum wage, it is up to them to better their situation. It isn't the owner's responsibility to make sure they can buy a nice car, a nice house, etc...
It's the owner's responsibility to make sure the business is profitable. McDs and similar companies make money on volume. So their margins per product is lower than other industries. They have to control costs anywhere possible. The jobs aren't meant to be life long careers. They're meant to be a job that most understand is temporary until something better comes along.
Fast food franchise owners earn $40K to $56K and work 60-70 hours a week. They have to pay $500,000 to $1.5 million for the initial franchise, plus about $45,000 licensing fee, plus between 4.5% and 12% of sales. McDonalds is 12% of sales. That's on top of taxes, employee wages, supplies, insurance, local fees, etc.
It's not exactly a way to get rich. People who are disappointed with the low wages of a fast food establishment should realize that bumping the pay up to $15/hour, as is happening by law in some places, will probably take the money out of the owner's salary, because there's nowhere else to get it. Which will put some of these places out of business, and discourage others from starting up.
I'm not talking about whether or not these people are happy with their wage, or whether or not they should better their situation. It's the owner's responsibility to make sure the business is profitable for himself, and not care about his/her employees? See unfortunately because we are such a selfish, greedy, and individualistic culture, we don't care about our neighbors, our employees, or the people around us. Yeah, an employer who can afford to, should make sure their employees are generously compensated, because that's the ethical thing to do. Just remember, not long ago it was against the law to marry interracially, or wasn't against the law to disqualify someone based on their skin color. So people living by the "letters of the law" haven't always been fair, ethical, or right. Working at McDonald's all these other crappy places sucks, and anyone looking for a job that will actually pay you what you're worth should look elsewhere for an entry-level job. That's what my point is.
Fast food franchise owners earn $40K to $56K and work 60-70 hours a week. They have to pay $500,000 to $1.5 million for the initial franchise, plus about $45,000 licensing fee, plus between 4.5% and 12% of sales. McDonalds is 12% of sales. That's on top of taxes, employee wages, supplies, insurance, local fees, etc.
It's not exactly a way to get rich. People who are disappointed with the low wages of a fast food establishment should realize that bumping the pay up to $15/hour, as is happening by law in some places, will probably take the money out of the owner's salary, because there's nowhere else to get it. Which will put some of these places out of business, and discourage others from starting up.
So, be careful what you wish for.
Yeah, well think about many franchise owners, like the specific one I'm referring to, who owns more than one franchise and is taking home 200k PER LOCATION, probably more because the one she worked at was apparently the least busiest of the locations the guy owned. You can quickly make back what you put up for a franchise. Not everything you read on Google is accurate, these places make plenty of money. If they didn't there wouldn't be so many of them.
Yeah, well think about many franchise owners, like the specific one I'm referring to, who owns more than one franchise and is taking home 200k PER LOCATION, probably more because the one she worked at was apparently the least busiest of the locations the guy owned. You can quickly make back what you put up for a franchise. Not everything you read on Google is accurate, these places make plenty of money. If they didn't there wouldn't be so many of them.
Okay, so he owns 5 McDonald's and brings home 1 million a year. You don't think he deserves that?
Owning 5 busy fast food restaurants is no walk in the park.
Yes, being a fry cook at Mickey D's was never a career. However being that we don't have any more "middle" jobs like manufacturing that's between the high end jobs and low end jobs, some may end up being career fry cooks. Fastest growing sector of our economy is the service industry which is notorious for low wages.
Being a franchise owner is tough work especially since they typically own multiple locations to turn a profit. Many times the owner has to fill in in a crew position if there are no shows and call offs which are a pretty common thing among low wage employees.
Worked at McDs first job after turning 16. (I am 52).
I did some of the same things OP listed and then some. not all the time, but when we were slammed we all worked are butts off. I made a bit above minimum wage (I forget).
The owner also owned about 10 other stores in the area (Philly suburbs). He has his stuff together. When I first started working at McDs, the owner had his office in the basement. We ere like the show store. They moved the office out about a year later, but it was interesting to see how things worked and get to know these folks too.
We had a softball league, picnics, ski trips, Great Adventure (amusement park) trips. My coworkers were my friends. Lots of parties. Most managers were cool and we all mixed in.
This was great for a kid, growing up.
I was fortunate to be part of that, even though we were doing menial tasks, I learned alot. Dealing with food, dealing with people, working under pressure, being responsible, teamwork, etc.
I really enjoyed working at McDs. I guess its quite different now.
Mike G
Last edited by Seafood Junky; 05-19-2015 at 11:05 AM..
Yes, being a fry cook at Mickey D's was never a career. However being that we don't have any more "middle" jobs like manufacturing that's between the high end jobs and low end jobs, some may end up being career fry cooks. Fastest growing sector of our economy is the service industry which is notorious for low wages.
The new wave of manufacturing comes in the form of CNC machining. And yes, salaries for CNC machinists and Programmers are healthy. People just don't know what to look for and automatically assume there are no middle class jobs.
CNC jobs have been growing at a steady pace for years, now, and are in pretty high demand everywhere.
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