Minimum Wage workers in Northern VA (a suckers bet) (Manassas: home, neighborhoods)

[BT Lover]

Originally Posted by tysonsengineer

Argument has never been correlated. More likely the store simply makes a 12% margin instead of a 16% margin. Employee pay at a fast food restaurant is a blip on the operation cost. Lease/franchiseloan/materials/utilities all still more expensive.

Would I rather pay 4.99 instead of 4.89 is how you should really view that, and to be honest, I wouldn't care if the food was fine. Or, would I rather the owner make 8000 per month in profit, or 7200 per month in profit; another way to view it.

Franchising is probably a much higher cost than you are giving it credit for. Unless you own a food franchise, particularly Chick-Fil-A, I wouldn't value your opinion for how much profit the store may or may not make on top of the low wages. Do I think that anyone could survive in Northern Virginia on those wages? Probably not which is why it requires teenagers and those who aren't paying high living expenses to work there. But, I also don't look at Northern Virginia as being known for such great customer service no matter what prices you pay for it or think you should pay to receive it.

[Carlingtonian]

Here's what I suspect is happening with CFA: They offer what is for this area a low wage. Despite this, they get teenagers willing to work for that amount. I suspect this is because those teens prefer to work for CFA because it aligns with their religious beliefs and they know they'll be surrounded by like-minded people. They--and more importantly, their parents--find the lower pay worth the cultural/religious comfort.

Offering the minimum wage or near it makes it more likely the employees will not be adults trying to support families but instead very young part-time workers. Some would argue that's who the wage was intended for in the first place. As to the ethnicity of the workers: There isn't a large black population in Fairfax. There are many Hispanics, but they may be turned off by the low pay, or perhaps CFA is more rigorous than other fast-food employers in terms of employment eligibility verification (i.e., citizenship or green card).

I had the same reaction when I went to Vermont and found almost nothing but white kids working at McDonald's.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Here's what I suspect is happening with CFA: They offer what is for this area a low wage. Despite this, they get teenagers willing to work for that amount. I suspect this is because those teens prefer to work for CFA because it aligns with their religious beliefs and they know they'll be surrounded by like-minded people. They--and more importantly, their parents--find the lower pay worth the cultural/religious comfort.

Offering the minimum wage or near it makes it more likely the employees will not be adults trying to support families but instead very young part-time workers. Some would argue that's who the wage was intended for in the first place. As to the ethnicity of the workers: There isn't a large black population in Fairfax. There are many Hispanics, but they may be turned off by the low pay, or perhaps CFA is more rigorous than other fast-food employers in terms of employment eligibility verification (i.e., citizenship or green card).

I had the same reaction when I went to Vermont and found almost nothing but white kids working at McDonald's.

Well, I guess I'm veering onto another topic but...

CFA in the Woodbridge area is also predominantly white. It's odd. What I have heard is that they have a very strict policy about being able to commicate well in English so that could rule out many Hispanic applicants where English is not their first language.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Here's what I suspect is happening with CFA: They offer what is for this area a low wage. Despite this, they get teenagers willing to work for that amount. I suspect this is because those teens prefer to work for CFA because it aligns with their religious beliefs and they know they'll be surrounded by like-minded people. They--and more importantly, their parents--find the lower pay worth the cultural/religious comfort.

Offering the minimum wage or near it makes it more likely the employees will not be adults trying to support families but instead very young part-time workers. Some would argue that's who the wage was intended for in the first place. As to the ethnicity of the workers: There isn't a large black population in Fairfax. There are many Hispanics, but they may be turned off by the low pay, or perhaps CFA is more rigorous than other fast-food employers in terms of employment eligibility verification (i.e., citizenship or green card). You can go as close as places like Luray, the Shenandoah area and others and see this.

I had the same reaction when I went to Vermont and found almost nothing but white kids working at McDonald's.

You do know that VT is about as white bread as you can get don't you? VT, MN and NH all are very white. Not sure why more minorities have not moved up there but they haven't. I bet I visited NH 5 times before I saw a black male and he was with a group of about 10 white teens on what appeared to be a field trip or something. I realize there are more up there but not many. Here are some number for VT. Can't access the census due to the shutdown but these numbers pretty much equal what I've read before on the census.

Adult population by race | KIDS COUNT Data Center

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

Well, I guess I'm veering onto another topic but...

CFA in the Woodbridge area is also predominantly white. It's odd. What I have heard is that they have a very strict policy about being able to commicate well in English so that could rule out many Hispanic applicants where English is not their first language.

Not entirely true. Directly from the Chick-fil-A website:

"The franchised Operators of Chick-fil-A Restaurant locations are in business for themselves. They recruit, hire, train and manage their own employees, handle all matters regarding employment of the Team Members at their Restaurants, and set their own employment policies and procedures."

Chick-fil-A: Careers Team Opportunities

[jillybean720]

Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now

Why would anyone move to NOVA to work at minimum wage when minimum wage in other states would give you a significantly higher standard of living, especially in places with a higher local or state minimum wage?

No one moves to NOVA to work a minimum wage job. They either already live in NOVA and need a job or move to this area for other reasons and end up taking whatever job they can get. No one says, "Hey, I want to work a minimum wage job, so I'm going to move to one of the most expensive areas of the country!" That, of course, would make no sense.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by mcleanexec

There are people of color working at the chick filla in bowie. Teenage fast food jobs pay minimum wage.

Chick-Fil-A is the only fast-food restaurant I've seen in Fairfax County, Arlington or Alexandria whose staff were primarily white teenagers and young adults. Most other places around here tend to have more diverse staff, many of whom appear to be middle-aged. I believe Bowie, MD is roughly 50/50 black and white so it's not surprising to hear that people of color are working at the CFA out there.

I think what it comes down to is what the OP suggests: the wage offered by the CFA in Fairfax is too low for the people they would want to attract. They probably want two types of employees:

1) Lower income/working-class people (often immigrants in this area) who are more likely to rely on transit than drive. Assuming this CFA is in Fairfax City, then it is pretty far from SE Fairfax County from which a preponderance of labor would be commuting.

2) Teenagers and young adults. If the teens are under eighteen, then they're likely in school. If they are between eighteen and twenty-twoish, many are likely busy fulfilling the college destiny that their NOVA parents set out for them. If they are college graduates and not vying for a manager position, they may be too proud or practical to add CFA as a primary job.

[I'm Retired Now]

In my experience the staff at Chick-Fil-A is perhaps the best in the area for Fast Food Workers. Friendly, efficient and very polite. I suspect their corporate orientation towards morality and religion brings in a certain type of person and many parents who are religious would rather have their teen age daughter or son work there and would never consider Burger King.

But with the sharp staff and customer service orientation of Chick-Fil-A, I wonder why they don't pay more?

Originally Posted by Tone509

Chick-Fil-A is the only fast-food restaurant I've seen in Fairfax County, Arlington or Alexandria whose staff were primarily white teenagers and young adults. Most other places around here tend to have more diverse staff, many of whom appear to be middle-aged. I believe Bowie, MD is roughly 50/50 black and white so it's not surprising to hear that people of color are working at the CFA out there.

I think what it comes down to is what the OP suggests: the wage offered by the CFA in Fairfax is too low for the people they would want to attract. They probably want two types of employees:

1) Lower income/working-class people (often immigrants in this area) who are more likely to rely on transit than drive. Assuming this CFA is in Fairfax City, then it is pretty far from SE Fairfax County from which a preponderance of labor would be commuting.

2) Teenagers and young adults. If the teens are under eighteen, then they're likely in school. If they are between eighteen and twenty-twoish, many are likely busy fulfilling the college destiny that their NOVA parents set out for them. If they are college graduates and not vying for a manager position, they may be too proud or practical to add CFA as a primary job.

[farplaner]

I'll add that the Springfield and Landmark Chick-Fil-As also have people from different ethnic groups working as well. I was actually surprised about the notion about them only have white kids working there because this thought never occurred to me.

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

[/b]


You do know that VT is about as white bread as you can get don't you? VT, MN and NH all are very white. Not sure why more minorities have not moved up there but they haven't. I bet I visited NH 5 times before I saw a black male and he was with a group of about 10 white teens on what appeared to be a field trip or something. I realize there are more up there but not many. Here are some number for VT. Can't access the census due to the shutdown but these numbers pretty much equal what I've read before on the census.

Adult population by race | KIDS COUNT Data Center

MN? I lived in Minneapolis for 5 years and there were plenty of people of color, and/or immigrants.