When teenagers come of age and start looking for jobs, the food industry is the first place most go. One-third of working sixteen- to nineteen-year-olds are employed in restaurants and account for 21%-24% of the industry’s hourly workforce. As of last year, around 1.9 million jobs were provided to the teenage demographic by restaurants. Our very own Kilbourne has many students employed by restaurants with options like Chick-fil-A, Panera, Steak And Shake, Skyline, Chilis, and Brookdale. Restaurants not only offer students working experience but also a new community outside of school to learn and grow as people. They provide the space for teenagers to find new confidence in themselves and prepare them for a successful future in the workforce and in their journeys into adulthood.
Kylie Gimbel is a junior at Kilbourne, and in her free time, she works at Panera, taking people’s orders, making food,
and occasionally baking. Gimbel opens up about her initial struggles in the workplace, “because it was my first job, when I started, it was scary and stressful. I was afraid to do things differently from my managers”. But Gimbel expresses how she connected with the people around her over things they had in common, “people we both knew or sometimes our love for movies like Marvel.” Helping her feel comfortable enough to find the benefit of trying new things, even if it’s not the way she was taught. “Even when I do things differently, I still get it done right and fast, so I think it helps to find what works for you and realize not everything has to be done one specific way”.
Gimbel isn’t alone. While the food industry is the most welcoming to young teens seeking a job, it is one of the most stressful work environments for someone inexperienced. It requires the ability to adapt to high-paced environments and long hours that can interfere with schoolwork and necessary sleep. Teens have to endure rude and aggressive customers with minimal to zero support from management while being expected to provide perfect service. These factors can lead to a high level of anxiety, burnout, and mental as well as physical strain.
Jada Doerr is a senior at Kilbourne and works at Steak N’ Shake, taking orders, running food, and cleaning. Doerr is no stranger to stress from her work. “It was my first job, and it was awkward because I didn’t know anything, while some of my coworkers had been there for years and treated all the new people like they couldn’t do common sense stuff. They can sometimes act like they are better than all of us, and struggle to talk to us without being mean,” she shares. Though Doerr can feel put down by some of her coworkers, she has learned that it doesn’t always have to be the case. “I realized I didn’t have to do it alone, and there were people able to help me learn. She found solidarity in the other teens who worked there, who understood how she felt and guided her. “It taught me how to focus on my individual responsibilities instead of worrying about others, and to not let them distract me from my work, because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that I got the job done”.
Gimbel and Doerr have both proven that the food industry can be intense for a new worker and can include a long list of detriments. But that isn’t without saying all the good it can bring. It provides teens the opportunity to gain practical experience in a wide variety of aspects that can be applied later in life, and while there may be some tough situations or people, it allows them to experience personal growth that will benefit them greatly in the future.
