If one stays at a fast food restaurant, and they pay their dues, can they get promoted beyond manager?

You need to scope this a little bit.

Like, when I worked at an Orange Julius in college, I was “Manager on Duty”, but I took orders from the woman who ran the Arby’s across the mall. I also ran a satellite cart. So, I am assuming she got credit for running the cart I supervised, the store I supervised, and the Arby’s she ran. She had been working for that franchising company for ever.

Now, does it pay to stay in one spot anymore? Um, if you have a steady job in the current economy, and you think you can get a better one somewhere else, I will give you a slow clap and a standing O if you are successful.

That depends on the company. If it’s fast food, probably not. If it’s Olive Garden or Outback, or any decent restaurant than probably.

You can move mountains. What’s the big trick about being a manager or “beyond a manager” at a fast food joint? That seems to be setting one’s sights pretty damn low.

You can own a franchise.
You can own your own business.
You can start an entirely new restaurant chain.

“Beyond manager”? That’s nothing. Aim higher.

Some places might have regional managers who are responsible for an entire area, over the individual store manager.

I have also heard of training managers who go from store to store training new people.

In general, I don’t think staying at one place and paying your dues is a good strategy for getting ahead anymore.

You can make a good career in the restaurant industry, including if you start in fast food. Working hard and taking initiative to make things better are always good ways to get ahead. But if you want to stay in restaurants, it’s best focus on other parts of the restaurant industry where the corporate structure isn’t so rigid.

Plenty of people get their start at entry-level restaurant jobs. In an industry like this, and/or if you don’t have a college degree, getting ahead is all about your personal qualities. People who are innovative, hardworking, and entreprenurial are the ones who have the biggest career growth.

Often that means staying at one company so that you can improve things there and leave things better than you found it. But punching the clock and “paying your dues” won’t get you ahead in the current environment. It’s not like you can put in x number of years and get promoted. If you do that, there will always be someone more enthusiastic and hungrier, and people like that are persuasive.

An entrepreneurial spirit is the key to any career growth these days. You can even do that starting from a fast food job. It’s a fine starting point, but there are bigger and more exciting things out there than some mid-level corporate position that’s above management.

“Paying your dues” is not what gets you promoted. Getting promoted is done by working hard and taking on responsibility. You can sling burgers for years, but if all you do is what is what is in front of you and punching the clock, you won’t get promoted.

My husband had a friend in high school who got a job flipping burgers at Mickey D’s in the 80s. She never left. Now she runs several stores, makes some serious bank, and will retire from McDonalds with a healthy income.