Picture this: a guy waltzes into a Taco Bell, tosses a Baja Blast right in an employee’s face, and calls it a “prank” for his TikTok. Yep, that happened.

Imagine being that worker, just trying to make it through the day. They’re not just flipping tacos; they’re battling low pay and zero respect. And then, boom, face full of soda. Not cool.

So, why do people ditch jobs in food service, hospitality, and retail faster than a bad date? According to recent stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the quit rate in the food service biz jumped from 4.8% to almost 7% in just a year. It’s not rocket science — these are tough, underpaid gigs in customer service.

I’ve been there, done that. One of my first gigs was bussing tables and waitering. Let me tell you, it was rough. I dealt with everything from flying food to outright disrespect. People can be harsh, treating service workers as if they’re less than. Ever heard the saying “the customer is always right”? I call BS. More often than not, the customer is way off base.

Despite the mess, most Americans are decent folks. But you always get that one in ten who thinks they’re the center of the universe. If you meet a hundred people a day, ten might treat you like trash. And for what? A paycheck that barely covers the bills.

When COVID shook up the economy, a lot of these hard-hit workers peaced out to find better opportunities. And honestly, who can blame them? Media experts keep scratching their heads, wondering why. Hey, just chat with a Denny’s waitress about her day, and you’ll get all the answers you need.

I’m rooting for these workers to keep pushing for what they deserve. Power to the food service folks!