Most teens enjoy eating out at their favorite fast food places, but this summer several Yutan students learned about what takes place behind the scenes in these restaurants when they started working there.  

Since Yutan is only ten minutes from Omaha, there are plenty of options for fast food jobs. One example is senior Molly Besch, who found her job at Chipotle through a simple web search and ended up working 30 hours a week.

“I found out about this job because I was looking for a way to earn money, and so I Googled jobs near me. From there, I started working a ton,” Besch said. “I really just enjoyed making money and seeing regulars during my shift.”

In addition to earning $16.00 an hour, Besch appreciated her overall experience at Chipotle.

“I liked the benefits that this job had to offer. They give a lot of raises to their employees and offer money for your college tuition,” Besch said. 

Besch said the job was not without challenges, though.

“At Chipotle you basically do everything you can think of like washing dishes, handling cash, serving and cooking, so that really was a surprise to me,” Besch said. “I wouldn’t recommend working here if you aren’t willing to work hard because it is a lot of work.”

Besch wasn’t the only student trading their summer days for long shifts. Senior Carson Jurey spent his summer working four days a week at the popular fast-food restaurant Runza, where he has worked since his sophomore year.

“I started working here because I needed some money for when I go out with friends and we go places to eat after games or practices,” Jurey said. “I continue to work because I need money for college and get $14 an hour.” 

 Jurey’s biggest takeaway from his experiences working at Runza are the people skills he’s learned.

“So you definitely meet some interesting people when working there, but it teaches you how to work with any kind of person,” Jurey said. 

Because he has worked there for almost two years now, Jurey has been appointed the position of junior manager. 

“It’s more of a workload, like you have to correlate working with leadership and you have responsibilities of not just yourself but of everyone else around you too,” Jurey said. “You also have to make sure everything is done correctly, like making sure everything is cooked right and the burgers are done and everything is kept clean and organized.” 

Junior Halle Arlt was another Yutan student who spent her summer working fast food, though her position at Dairy Chef was a first-time job she learned about through a family member.

“I found out about the job through my dad, who does real estate with the owner,” Arlt said. “That’s how I started working there is through their connection with each other.”

Arlt, who worked part-time at Dairy Chef while also preparing for cheerleading in the fall, often had to juggle a lot of responsibilities.

“It was very time consuming during the summer, but in the end it was worth it,” Arlt said. “I feel like it was worth it because I learned how to manage my time better and still got to be involved in cheer.”

Arlt enjoyed working so much that she is continuing to work there until they close for the season in October.

“I had to do a lot of cleaning like wiping down the tables and cleaning the machines,” Arlt said. “But I liked working there because the people there are amazing and fun to work with, and I have a lot of great stories from working there.”

One story that stands out to Arlt happened during a slow day. 

“We had a speaker right by the ice cream machine, and we cranked it up and started dancing,” Arlt said. “That’s when a regular started taking a video of us, which was really funny but embarrassing.”

For Arlt, her job didn’t just provide income; it provided her with new social skills because she interacts with customers at the counter.  

“I learned how to talk to people better, and it just enhanced my social skills, which is a really important lesson to learn,” Arlt said. 

As the school year picks back up, the lessons she has learned during the summer still stick with her.

“I see it (Dairy Chef) in a new way now just because I work there and I know how everything works,” Arlt said. “Also the skills I learned from this job are very helpful to me outside of working, and I will definitely use them in the future.”