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I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

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Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#51

Post by konfusinomicon »

SoftTalker wrote: post #40
karaterobot wrote: post #5

If his timeline and application are true, he was technically still the chairman of his company while working at McDonald's, if in name only. > 10/99-10/01: chairman, i-traffic (an agency.com company) > 10/00-10/00: counterperson, mcdonald's (4th & broadway, nyc) I sometimes think about going back to work at food service jobs after I retire, just to keep busy. I enjoyed those jobs as a high school and college student,…

From what I've seen, it's not the same. I worked at McDonalds in high school and college. It was fun for the most part. But most of the employees were like me. Young, not really adults yet, pretty carefree. The people I see at McDonalds today are not the same at all. Mostly older, disinterested, no energy, no spark, marginal care for personal appearance. You rarely see a high schooler or young person working there. I…

my 6 month stint at mcdonalds was pretty amazing as a sophomore in high school. it was 2 no nonsense managers and a few chill managers that corraled a bunch of teenagers and young adults that liked to get high and have fun. which we did with reckless disregard and it was AWESOME! some crazy shit went down after close in the ball pit over there lol. i got fired by my friend because me and a coworker came in after a smoking sesh in the woods to get some free food and i was supposed to be working that evening. i brushed it off and asked for some free food which we got. it was a great first job and i made several connections with people that im still friends with to this day. also, i ate so much free mcdonalds in that 6 months that i have only had it a handful of times in over 20 years since.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#52

Post by josefresco »

your_challenger wrote: post #28
josefresco wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nobody thanked me. I don't buy this for a second. I thank everyone for even the most trivial of interactions and I'm certainly not alone (in the US) Buy a Coke at 7-11 - "thank you!" Take package from UPS guy - "thank you!" Waiter takes order - "thank you!" Support rep puts me on hold to look up issue - "thank you!" Pretty much every retail/store interaction - "thank you!"

People like you do exist. And it is a joy to serve you. When I said "nobody thanked me", I mean the management didn't. (edited for clarity)

Thanks for the clarification - see there I go again!

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#53

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

SoftTalker wrote: post #40
karaterobot wrote: post #5

If his timeline and application are true, he was technically still the chairman of his company while working at McDonald's, if in name only. > 10/99-10/01: chairman, i-traffic (an agency.com company) > 10/00-10/00: counterperson, mcdonald's (4th & broadway, nyc) I sometimes think about going back to work at food service jobs after I retire, just to keep busy. I enjoyed those jobs as a high school and college student,…

From what I've seen, it's not the same. I worked at McDonalds in high school and college. It was fun for the most part. But most of the employees were like me. Young, not really adults yet, pretty carefree. The people I see at McDonalds today are not the same at all. Mostly older, disinterested, no energy, no spark, marginal care for personal appearance. You rarely see a high schooler or young person working there. I…

That's interesting. I wonder if it's related to the corporation. My local McDonald's hires people who seem to be mostly in their early 20's. OTOH, the Dairy Queen that's just a few minutes down the road seems to rarely have anyone older than 19 or so working there. Average age at DQ seems to be around 16.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#54

Post by xkcd-sucks »

your_challenger wrote: post #16

> Nobody thanked me. Do you think this is still true? This resonates with me. I used to work in tech, but I recently joined my family's brick-and-mortar business. No one says thank you, no one appreciates you. I find it amazing that this culture of thanklessness exists even in the US (I'm in India) in non-tech jobs. P.S. I worked at all fronts of the business before joining the management. Worked at the counter, as a…

> Do you think this is still true?

Personal opinion, when intra org reciprocity is not discussed or measured, quality plummets as a necessary response to stress/burnout feedback loops at every scale.

Coming to terms with this """insight""" etc. was tl;dr life changing and exactly how is still an open question

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#55

Post by harry_ord »

another-dave wrote: post #50
jdietrich wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in England, there's a very significant cultural divide between North and South. One of the key symbols of that cultural divide is whether people thank the bus driver when disembarking. In London, thanking the driver would make you a bit of a weirdo; in Newcastle, not thanking the driver would make you dreadfully antisocial. I imagine that there's a huge difference in this respect between a McDonalds in Manhattan…

In London I often see people thanking the driver. At least outside of rush hour & outside zone 1

Yeah I see it all the time on buses where you exit by the front door.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#56

Post by gwbas1c »

SoftTalker wrote: post #40
karaterobot wrote: post #5

If his timeline and application are true, he was technically still the chairman of his company while working at McDonald's, if in name only. > 10/99-10/01: chairman, i-traffic (an agency.com company) > 10/00-10/00: counterperson, mcdonald's (4th & broadway, nyc) I sometimes think about going back to work at food service jobs after I retire, just to keep busy. I enjoyed those jobs as a high school and college student,…

From what I've seen, it's not the same. I worked at McDonalds in high school and college. It was fun for the most part. But most of the employees were like me. Young, not really adults yet, pretty carefree. The people I see at McDonalds today are not the same at all. Mostly older, disinterested, no energy, no spark, marginal care for personal appearance. You rarely see a high schooler or young person working there. I…

It's a franchise; so how each restaurant and region hires will vary.

In 2004 I drove between MA and Chicago, and found a very stark difference in every one. In Chicago McDonalds was hiring people who were coming out of poverty and helping build work experience. In PA, the McDonalds were well oiled machines and run with pride.

In MA the McDonalds have always been first jobs for immigrants / refugees.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#57

Post by robofanatic »

dylan604 wrote: post #7
mtmail wrote: post #2

"10/[20]00-10/[20]00: counterperson, mcdonald's" Does that mean he worked there for one month or less? I checked his Linkedin, the job isn't listed. Jan 2002 he started a new photo startup ("50M+ members posted a billion photos"), then co-founder&CEO of meetup. It's a good time capsule of what his thinking was in 2000 but I wonder if it was more than a break. At my office job I, too, often think I should drive an Ube…

Is working the counter at McDs something you add to a LinkedIn profile? Do people moving from the counter at McDs to BurgerKing use LinkedIn?

Why not? Its a nice PR story about early life struggles.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#58

Post by Scoundreller »

jprd wrote: post #9
karaterobot wrote: post #5

If his timeline and application are true, he was technically still the chairman of his company while working at McDonald's, if in name only. > 10/99-10/01: chairman, i-traffic (an agency.com company) > 10/00-10/00: counterperson, mcdonald's (4th & broadway, nyc) I sometimes think about going back to work at food service jobs after I retire, just to keep busy. I enjoyed those jobs as a high school and college student,…

I dream about working at Toys R Us again, at least a few times a month, 20+ years on. I can no longer put the cheapest metal swing set on my shoulder and carry it out to a customer's too-small car. But damn it was fun.

Somehow the retail arm of the chain still exists in Canada. 80 stores remain.

Note to self: invite US visitors with kids to toys R us.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#59

Post by frereubu »

jdietrich wrote: post #45
your_challenger wrote: post #16

> Nobody thanked me. Do you think this is still true? This resonates with me. I used to work in tech, but I recently joined my family's brick-and-mortar business. No one says thank you, no one appreciates you. I find it amazing that this culture of thanklessness exists even in the US (I'm in India) in non-tech jobs. P.S. I worked at all fronts of the business before joining the management. Worked at the counter, as a…

Here in England, there's a very significant cultural divide between North and South. One of the key symbols of that cultural divide is whether people thank the bus driver when disembarking. In London, thanking the driver would make you a bit of a weirdo; in Newcastle, not thanking the driver would make you dreadfully antisocial. I imagine that there's a huge difference in this respect between a McDonalds in Manhattan…

I think it's a central London / outside central London thing. Just in my personal experience people in both Brighton and Somerset thank the driver, and I bet there are plenty of other places like that in the south.

Re: I was a 20-something dethroned dotcom ceo that went to work at mcdonald's (2000)

#60

Post by gwbas1c »

sobelius wrote: post #17

Honestly, I think he’s living the dream — no tech headaches, just flipping burgers and taking it easy. Really makes me think...

I don't understand why this was "dead". It's not a statement I fully agree with; but the insight isn't something I'd want to keep off of HN.
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