Braums can't even hire a shake person for most of the day just to do shakes. When i worked 11-2:30 shift we had a person just doing shakes from 11-1:30 after that it was down to 4 people most of the time. They were either expo/shakes/other ice cream or counter/shakes What was crazy about it is we probably sold more shakes from 1:30-2:30 than we did for Lunch and never had a person just working shakes. Evening you would maybe a one shake person on ice cream person but at night tons of shakes and ice cream they could never keep up.
Can you share about what year that was?

Maybe instead of throwing a new one up on every other corner, Braum's and other fast food chains could learn a thing or two from a place like Chick-Fil-A.

Braums has way more Oklahoma City locations than Chick-Fil-A, but every Chick-Fil-A is not only busy with customers, but also staffed EXTREMELY well. They must be doing something right to retain their staff. Maybe as a team member it helps knowing that you are always working with a full staff and have the resources available to do your job well, and receive decent pay for the industry. Also, as an employee, you are always guaranteed to never work more than 6 days in a row by design.

The same could be said of a place like OnCue or QT, they probably have an easier time getting employees to apply due to how they train, staff, and pay. As someone mentioned earlier, part of Buc-ee's success is that they pay so well for the convenience store industry, which in turn creates competition to hire the best of who applies, and also over-staffing your stores to ensure your employees create customer experiences which generate more revenue.

I am a daily fast food consumer. Both for myself and my employees. I can tell you every-single-fast-food-place-has-hits-and-misses. To complain the Braum's is opening so many locations with bad service and product is like the Yogi Berra comment "nobody goes there anymore. It's too busy".

These are open questions for everyone reading

How many times in the last 12 months have you been to Braum's? On a Sunday?

How many times in the last 12 months at CFA? Sunday?

How many times in the last 12 months at Buc-ees? Sunday?

How many times in the last 12 months at Culvers? Sunday?

Trick question. CFA not open on Sunday.

Trick question. CFA not open on Sunday.

Not trick at all. Everyone knows CFA is closed on Sunday. Everyone. It also means they choose not to provide service on Sunday, and others do. I have zero issue with them closing on Sunday.

Geez i guess that went right over your head.

Geez i guess that went right over your head.

You made a claim and I answered it. Not being smart aleck, but what went right over my head? Nobody would be tricked by me asking about Sunday and CFA, IMO. It is baked into their DNA at such a level that everyone knows it.

It also means when you are out shopping for chow on Sunday, who is not there for you?

All fast food would be better if its employees were paid well. Turnover would be way down, and service would be excellent. Chick-fil-A and Panda Express pay their staff well. Braums needs to start paying people better and hiring managers with actual experience. Most seem to just accidentally get the job when they move up.

All fast food would be better if its employees were paid well. Turnover would be way down, and service would be excellent. Chick-fil-A and Panda Express pay their staff well. Braums needs to start paying people better and hiring managers with actual experience. Most seem to just accidentally get the job when they move up.

And that's a good reason to vote yes on the upcoming vote on raising the minimum wage in Oklahoma.

All fast food would be better if its employees were paid well. Turnover would be way down, and service would be excellent. Chick-fil-A and Panda Express pay their staff well. Braums needs to start paying people better and hiring managers with actual experience. Most seem to just accidentally get the job when they move up.

Raise minimum wage, prices will go up and hiring will go down. Do you not watch what is happening in California? If you think we need still higher prices, go ahead and vote to interfere in the market system. Service is a matter of the quality of the person hired, the taste of the food has nothing to do with it. If you don't think a place pays enough to it's employees, voice your opinion and don't patronize it.

Yes, they are. That how fast food places work. Are you sharing the same level of concern with Burger King and Carl’s Jr.?

Having actually worked in that industry in my lifetime... That's absolutely NOT how fast food places work lol. Customers are expected to throw away their own trash, but not all do... and plus tables and chairs need to be periodically wiped down too, especially after a big rush. At the chain where I worked, the front counter employees were expected to keep the dining room tidy between customers.

And that's a good reason to vote yes on the upcoming vote on raising the minimum wage in Oklahoma.

I doubt there is any fast food chain paying minimum wage these days. You can't get anyone to work those jobs for $7.25/hr. I would like to know of any business that can get anyone to work for minimum wage. If there is I'd like to know what those businesses are not including that ridiculous $2.13 tipped minimum wage.

And that's a good reason to vote yes on the upcoming vote on raising the minimum wage in Oklahoma.

Not sure why this would have any effect on quality of employee. This doesnt mean Braums would automatically be getting better employees.

Not sure why this would have any effect on quality of employee. This doesnt mean Braums would automatically be getting better employees.

Paying people more usually gets better work out of an employee. Not always, of course, but usually.

https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/worker-productivity-minimum-wage-increase

https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Braum%27s-Ice-Cream-and-Dairy-Stores/salaries/Crew-Member/Oklahoma-City-OK

There's 66 pages of posts spanning almost 20 years in this thread. Complaints of service and cleanliness go back almost as far.

BUT, they've also opened a lot of stores in that time. So, it's never been anything that has prevented demand.

I doubt there is any fast food chain paying minimum wage these days. You can't get anyone to work those jobs for $7.25/hr. I would like to know of any business that can get anyone to work for minimum wage. If there is I'd like to know what those businesses are not including that ridiculous $2.13 tipped minimum wage.

You obviously think there would be no connecting to fast food places but.
'
https://everfi.com/blog/workplace-training/how-minimum-wage-increases-affect-all-employees-pay/

"But it’s not necessarily just the lowest earners who are affected, research has found. Economists who study the impact of minimum wage increases anticipate that the effects could extend to higher-earning workers, as well. There are a couple of primary reasons for this:

Maintaining competitiveness as an employer. In markets where employers must compete for workers, a minimum wage increase can trickle upward as businesses adjust their wages to remain competitive.

Preserving relative wages within a business. Employees often pay attention to how much they make compared to their co-workers. If the lowest-paid employees suddenly receive a significant pay hike, workers higher up the pay scale could become disgruntled. To avoid discontent, some businesses choose to raise wages across the board."

What do you think the minimum wage should be? I really don't have an opinion. Give me an example of a business currently starting any new employee at minimum wage of 7.25/hr. Indeed has the average Braums employee making 15.46/hr. So some are making less and some are making more but I don't think any are making minimum. With competition for workers employers just have to pay more than minimum to get anyone to work for them. If you think you are worth more then go sell yourself.

Raise minimum wage, prices will go up and hiring will go down. Do you not watch what is happening in California? If you think we need still higher prices, go ahead and vote to interfere in the market system. Service is a matter of the quality of the person hired, the taste of the food has nothing to do with it. If you don't think a place pays enough to it's employees, voice your opinion and don't patronize it.

First of all I didn't make the statement about raising the minimum wage. Competitive wages already exist in the market and that was what I was trying to say. If you want your staff to stay you have to pay. You also have to be a good manager and give them some structure. Braums seems to lack structure and they just hire anyone who walks in the door. It is surprising how different the service can be from one location to the other. I never have that problem at Chick-fil-a or Panda Express.

Raise minimum wage, prices will go up and hiring will go down. Do you not watch what is happening in California? If you think we need still higher prices, go ahead and vote to interfere in the market system. Service is a matter of the quality of the person hired, the taste of the food has nothing to do with it. If you don't think a place pays enough to it's employees, voice your opinion and don't patronize it.

not true at all. it doesn't have to be that way. greed by franchise owners is the reason prices usually go up... i'll give you two examples. when i was at college in Weatherford in the early 2000's, because of the oil field and the wind farm construction, all of the fast food places in weatherford, were hiring college students at $12.50/hr just to get people to work. the resulted in no increase in prices... somehow they were able to absorb that cost without having to increase the costs of the products.

now lets actually look at California... The McDonalds franchise owner in the Bay Area who said that he had to up all of his prices 30% because of the change of minimum wage to $20/hr, has now pulled back on those statements after he was brought to his attention that he had been hiring people starting at $23/hr for the 5 years before that increase in minimum wage, and thus the law change was his excuse to be greedy, but didn't actually affect his business at all

not true at all. it doesn't have to be that way. greed by franchise owners is the reason prices usually go up... i'll give you two examples. when i was at college in Weatherford in the early 2000's, because of the oil field and the wind farm construction, all of the fast food places in weatherford, were hiring college students at $12.50/hr just to get people to work. the resulted in no increase in prices... somehow they were able to absorb that cost without having to increase the costs of the products.

now lets actually look at California... The McDonalds franchise owner in the Bay Area who said that he had to up all of his prices 30% because of the change of minimum wage to $20/hr, has now pulled back on those statements after he was brought to his attention that he had been hiring people starting at $23/hr for the 5 years before that increase in minimum wage, and thus the law change was his excuse to be greedy, but didn't actually affect his business at all

Increasing min wage a couple bucks is one thing, doing what Cali is doing going to $20 in such short time is definitely going to have negative effects. So far you have seen fast food jobs eliminated (forget what pizza company but they let go of hundreds of delivery drivers), you have marginal performing stores that can no longer make it and close, and then you have stores go from say 40 employees to 30 employees, so less jobs all while service suffers. Call it greed if you want but an unelected state board in Cali arbitrarily increased min wage drastically and there were many negative real world effects.

not true at all. it doesn't have to be that way. greed by franchise owners is the reason prices usually go up... i'll give you two examples. when i was at college in Weatherford in the early 2000's, because of the oil field and the wind farm construction, all of the fast food places in weatherford, were hiring college students at $12.50/hr just to get people to work. the resulted in no increase in prices... somehow they were able to absorb that cost without having to increase the costs of the products.

now lets actually look at California... The McDonalds franchise owner in the Bay Area who said that he had to up all of his prices 30% because of the change of minimum wage to $20/hr, has now pulled back on those statements after he was brought to his attention that he had been hiring people starting at $23/hr for the 5 years before that increase in minimum wage, and thus the law change was his excuse to be greedy, but didn't actually affect his business at all

Given volume McDonalds tend to have might impact him less than others, but just because they were paying an average above the new minimum does not mean will not be impacted, they probably were paying above average for a reason. Jobs like this in the core of expensive cities often have to entice people to drive from cheaper areas of the city, or compensate enough can live nearby. With similar jobs for longer distance drivers closer to them now more pay competitive, and this likely eventually reflected in rent prices of lower scale housing, probably will have to increase pay as well.

Increasing min wage a couple bucks is one thing, doing what Cali is doing going to $20 in such short time is definitely going to have negative effects. So far you have seen fast food jobs eliminated (forget what pizza company but they let go of hundreds of delivery drivers), you have marginal performing stores that can no longer make it and close, and then you have stores go from say 40 employees to 30 employees, so less jobs all while service suffers. Call it greed if you want but an unelected state board in Cali arbitrarily increased min wage drastically and there were many negative real world effects.

when the minimum wage was 5.15 an hour in Oklahoma... fast food in in rural western oklahoma was able to pay 12.50. if rural oklahoma is able to adapt and not raise prices paying more than double minimum wage in the 2000's, i'm certain places can figure it out now. as for some closing, yes of course, and there is a good chance that many of those were going to close even if the wage had not been increased. look at red lobster for example. terribly run business is no reason to not support workers.

I've seen a DQ where it was the franchise owner that was doing cleaning duty most days. But that was nearly 20 years ago.

From my experience, I mostly see a manager or supervisor usually cleaning tables at fast food restaurants. Its also a good opportunity for them to check on the customer. They are better at multitasking than your average employee. Seems like unless its Chick fil la, don't count on a table being cleaned during peak periods. The workers won't get to it until the peak is over.

Fast food restaurant labor cost averages about 20% of the cost of the food. If OK increases wages at McDonalds by 50%, then it should add about a 10% increase in prices. If you really want to control prices, look at the restaurant's cost of real estate and construction, franchise fees, raw food prices, cost of advertising, etc. To put the cost increases on the backs of the lowest paid segment of our society is just wrong. One quarter of working adults in OK earn less than $15 per hour. If they worked full time every work day of every week of the year they would make $31,200. Try living on that.

This isn’t just a Braum’s issue, but an issue with many fast food companies (and other industries).

I worked in fast food during high school and college. I earned minimum wage for a few short months before I received a raise due to my hard work. Any person capable of holding a job can easily get into fast food for a minimum of $11/hr, and most likely more. There is absolutely no reason to artificially raise minimum wage when the market already has it at around 150% or more… other than to make a few people “feel better about themselves”.

People blaming “greedy franchise owners” are completely uneducated on what a franchise owner is and have likely never even considered owning a business. The franchise owners are the ones that are potentially risking millions of their own dollars to employ people to help run the business. That loan isn’t free and must be paid back, along with franchise fees, insurance, advertising, and many other expenses.

The biggest issue with the labor force these days is that this generation wants more money than ever for doing less work than anyone in history. That’s not a good combination. Good hard, reliable workers are very hard to come by these days. That’s why things are heading to automation (and paying above minimum wage for good workers). If you want to do the bare minimum for work, don’t expect to be living large like a movie star.

The biggest issue with the labor force these days is that this generation wants more money than ever for doing less work than anyone in history. That’s not a good combination. Good hard, reliable workers are very hard to come by these days. That’s why things are heading to automation (and paying above minimum wage for good workers). If you want to do the bare minimum for work, don’t expect to be living large like a movie star.

This is such a lazy stereotype. There is a HUGE disparity in real pay and has been widening for decades now. Your take is that people are lazy if they don't wish to work for poverty level wages. People like to cast groups of others as lazy to make themselves feel inherently superior.

Part of people's reliability is the ability to have reliable transportation, to have good healthcare to stay healthy and available, to afford childcare on days their kids have to be at home, to be able to miss days to see their kid's teachers, to take time off to take their sick kids to the doctor (assuming they could afford one at those wages), and on, and on, and on.

Then there is the issue of training. Working adults have been passed through a flawed educational system and wind up not having adequate skills to do many basic jobs, and employers regularly fail to give them more than the very basic training to do the job. There is a reason why Chick-fi-a does better than most... because they train better than most, and pay better than most. Training for customer service falls somewhere behind training where the mop is to clean the bathrooms.

If businesses can't pay a living wage and make a profit, then they either are bad business people or the buying public doesn't value their product enough to pay a fair price with it. Being able to eat out is not a RIGHT. If you can't sell a product that makes a profit, think about the business you are in and the product's value.

This isn’t just a Braum’s issue, but an issue with many fast food companies (and other industries).

I worked in fast food during high school and college. I earned minimum wage for a few short months before I received a raise due to my hard work. Any person capable of holding a job can easily get into fast food for a minimum of $11/hr, and most likely more. There is absolutely no reason to artificially raise minimum wage when the market already has it at around 150% or more… other than to make a few people “feel better about themselves”.

People blaming “greedy franchise owners” are completely uneducated on what a franchise owner is and have likely never even considered owning a business. The franchise owners are the ones that are potentially risking millions of their own dollars to employ people to help run the business. That loan isn’t free and must be paid back, along with franchise fees, insurance, advertising, and many other expenses.

The biggest issue with the labor force these days is that this generation wants more money than ever for doing less work than anyone in history. That’s not a good combination. Good hard, reliable workers are very hard to come by these days. That’s why things are heading to automation (and paying above minimum wage for good workers). If you want to do the bare minimum for work, don’t expect to be living large like a movie star.

There are plenty of Franchise owners that do an amazing job at paying their staff and managing the locations they own. The joke when I was a teenager was that the only McDonald's worthy of our money were the ones run by Santiago. All others were dirty and not run efficiently. Not sure if it is still the same for those locations, but I do remember that. I know that Chick-fil-a will offer new locations to Franchise owners when they decide to open a new location. Even if all of the owners want the new location, the Corporate office makes that decision. The franchise owner I have known for a long time that runs a couple Chick-fil-as in OKC is doing just fine. He has a Lambo for fun and has worked his butt off. His whole family put in a lot of time and long nights to make sure His locations were run perfectly. Chick-fil-a is strict about how these Franchise Owners run their brand. IF you can't cut it, you don't last long in their organization. A lot of fast food restaurants are run by people who are just in it for profits. Not every one is a perfect owner.

There are a few Santiago McDonalds by my house I frequent and they are nice and always clean. About the only I time I go into one to eat is during breakfast hours though. There seems to always be someone in the dining area sweeping and wiping things down. Otherwise it us usually the drive through. And McDonalds has one of the best apps of all the fast food places for ease of use and earning rewards.

There are a few Santiago McDonalds by my house I frequent and they are nice and always clean. About the only I time I go into one to eat is during breakfast hours though. There seems to always be someone in the dining area sweeping and wiping things down. Otherwise it us usually the drive through. And McDonalds has one of the best apps of all the fast food places for ease of use and earning rewards.

Good to know Santiago is still holding it down. I haven't been to a McDonald's in about 5 years, but that is cool about the app. Maybe I should check it out. I am craving a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese McGriddle!

I worked at Sonic and A&W in my youth. Over 50 years ago, when a 13-14 year old could work for 50 cents an hour (plus tips). The good old days. "Got along just fine". "Didn't know we were poor." "Respected authority." Blah-blah....

I don't really think much about how the Sonic operated in 1971 has much to do with today's franchisee and worker. It was a different world then.

And today is better. Especially because I'm still alive and so many who were there/then are dead.

I car hopped at Coits on 39th and Penn in 1968 at age 13 for 35 cents an hour plus tips and if you came up short from making change at the end of your shift it came out of your pay. And back them a typical tip might be about 10 cents. And many didn't tip at all.

On an extended timeline, A minimum wage will never be enough and its because Everyone is greedy. 99% of the time its unintentional. Just people living their lives the best they can.

Our economic system is built on the concept of inflation.

I car hopped at Coits on 39th and Penn in 1968 at age 13 for 35 cents an hour plus tips and if you came up short from making change at the end of your shift it came out of your pay. And back them a typical tip might be about 10 cents. And many didn't tip at all.

My family used to buy our Christmas tree from the Coits lot just to the north, and then we'd all get a frosty mug of Coit's rootbeer afterward. You may have served us in our family's yellow Impala wagon!

Thanks for jogging that great childhood memory.

This is such a lazy stereotype. There is a HUGE disparity in real pay and has been widening for decades now. Your take is that people are lazy if they don't wish to work for poverty level wages. People like to cast groups of others as lazy to make themselves feel inherently superior.

Part of people's reliability is the ability to have reliable transportation, to have good healthcare to stay healthy and available, to afford childcare on days their kids have to be at home, to be able to miss days to see their kid's teachers, to take time off to take their sick kids to the doctor (assuming they could afford one at those wages), and on, and on, and on.

Then there is the issue of training. Working adults have been passed through a flawed educational system and wind up not having adequate skills to do many basic jobs, and employers regularly fail to give them more than the very basic training to do the job. There is a reason why Chick-fi-a does better than most... because they train better than most, and pay better than most. Training for customer service falls somewhere behind training where the mop is to clean the bathrooms.

If businesses can't pay a living wage and make a profit, then they either are bad business people or the buying public doesn't value their product enough to pay a fair price with it. Being able to eat out is not a RIGHT. If you can't sell a product that makes a profit, think about the business you are in and the product's value.

Not exactly. My take is that you can’t expect to have no skills and expect to make over $50k or whatever you think everyone should make. If you don’t work hard, learn skills, and move up (rather that be into fast food management, outside of the industry, or whatever). Don’t expect to barely contribute to society and make bank, especially from the start. The entire point of working hard and being reliable is to move up and make more money. You shouldn’t get rewarded for being lazy and not trying, as the expectation is today.

I have a lot more to say on this issue, but it is diverging even further off the topic of Braum’s (at least Braum’s is relevant to fast food workers). Is there another thread for the living wage and/or minimum wage topic itself?

I just guess I'm too old to understand all this. Back in my day fast food jobs were just for people looking to make a little income during the day. Mom's would work the morning or lunch shift when kids were in school and than the kids would come in at night looking for money for a car and to hang with friends. Somehow these jobs have now become a career choice and people are expected to live a good live off fast food jobs. Back in 2019 the Bruam's I worked at started people at $10 an hour.

Not exactly. My take is that you can’t expect to have no skills and expect to make over $50k or whatever you think everyone should make. If you don’t work hard, learn skills, and move up (rather that be into fast food management, outside of the industry, or whatever). Don’t expect to barely contribute to society and make bank, especially from the start. The entire point of working hard and being reliable is to move up and make more money. You shouldn’t get rewarded for being lazy and not trying, as the expectation is today.

I have a lot more to say on this issue, but it is diverging even further off the topic of Braum’s (at least Braum’s is relevant to fast food workers). Is there another thread for the living wage and/or minimum wage topic itself?

Your other post said don't expect to be living large like a movie star and then you're trashing the expectation to earn $50,000/year. You'll get no argument from me that hard work should be rewarded and laziness should not, but please be serious. Expecting to earn a wage you can live off should be the bare minimum.

A minimum wage job should never be expected to be a livable wage for a single person.

A minimum wage job should never be expected to be a livable wage for a single person.
Lol yes it should.

A minimum wage job should never be expected to be a livable wage for a single person.

Working full time at a job should provide a livable wage… period. At least when a commercial venture is employing them with the purpose of making profits off their labor.

I'm still waiting for someone to give me a verifiable commercial venture that is starting someone at minimum wage (7.25/hr) in OKC for full time employment.

I'm still waiting for someone to give me a verifiable commercial venture that is starting someone at minimum wage (7.25/hr) in OKC for full time employment.

You won't find it, because I highly doubt it happens. Too much competition for $7.25/hr in OKC for full-time work.

My family used to buy our Christmas tree from the Coits lot just to the north, and then we'd all get a frosty mug of Coit's rootbeer afterward. You may have served us in our family's yellow Impala wagon!

Thanks for jogging that great childhood memory.

Same here, we always got our tree at Coit's. Also, I miss their root beer whips. Those were amazing. But those frosty mugs of root beer were such a treat.

Working full time at a job should provide a livable wage… period. At least when a commercial venture is employing them with the purpose of making profits off their labor.

What is a livable wage? Does that include a car? A cell phone? Living without roommates in your own apartment versus renting a room? Living downtown versus a cheaper area of town? The ability to support 2 kids and a stay at home wife? Does it change if you continue to procreate? A livable wage will different for different locations. It is an elusive target.

To get this somewhat back on topic. I already said Indeed has the average Braums hourly rate at $15.46/hr. That is more than twice the minimum. Is that a livable wage? Is that enough to get conscientious employers that show up for work on time every day and do their job and maybe help keep the dining area clean?

A minimum wage job should never be expected to be a livable wage for a single person.
You're technically right, in that it - by definition - is supposed to be better than a livable wage. at least based on FDR's intention when he called for a minimum wage to be created in the United States.

In my Inaugural, I laid down the simple proposition that nobody is going to starve in this country. It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By "business" I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages, I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living. Throughout industry, the change from starvation wages and starvation employment to living wages and sustained employment can, in large part, be made by an industrial covenant to which all employers shall subscribe.

What is a livable wage? Does that include a car? A cell phone? Living without roommates in your own apartment versus renting a room? Living downtown versus a cheaper area of town? The ability to support 2 kids and a stay at home wife? Does it change if you continue to procreate? A livable wage will different for different locations. It is an elusive target.

and that is by design ...

all in the name of equity .... lol

Your other post said don't expect to be living large like a movie star and then you're trashing the expectation to earn $50,000/year. You'll get no argument from me that hard work should be rewarded and laziness should not, but please be serious. Expecting to earn a wage you can live off should be the bare minimum.

What do you even mean by "please be serious"? I said one can't expect to live large like a movie star when you are not willing to even work hard enough to make $50k. Everyone can't live the movie star lifestyle, even if you work hard and make over $100k... that takes $millions. People need to chill their expectations on what a "livable wage" is... it is NOT a movie star life style. Even the more moderates can't seriously expect a no skill fast food worker to make the same as doctors and lawyers (or be able to live the same lifestyle). If you don't think that is serious, then please explain what serious is.

I just guess I'm too old to understand all this. Back in my day fast food jobs were just for people looking to make a little income during the day. Mom's would work the morning or lunch shift when kids were in school and than the kids would come in at night looking for money for a car and to hang with friends. Somehow these jobs have now become a career choice and people are expected to live a good live off fast food jobs. Back in 2019 the Bruam's I worked at started people at $10 an hour.

Agree, they were for folks trying to make some extra money, never intended to support a person. They were for high school/college kids, stay at home moms that wanted some extra money/get out of the house for a few hours a day, retired folks that wanted/needed some extra money. How the world has changed.

What do you even mean by "please be serious"? I said one can't expect to live large like a movie star when you are not willing to even work hard enough to make $50k. Everyone can't live the movie star lifestyle, even if you work hard and make over $100k... that takes $millions. People need to chill their expectations on what a "livable wage" is... it is NOT a movie star life style. Even the more moderates can't seriously expect a no skill fast food worker to make the same as doctors and lawyers (or be able to live the same lifestyle). If you don't think that is serious, then please explain what serious is.

Implying that people that make less than 50k a year don't work hard is perhaps the most ignorant thing I have ever seen written on this forum. How much you make does not imply how hard you work at all. Go work ag on a farm and tell me that they aren't working hard enough and that's why they aren't making more. Arguing against the expectation someone working 40 hours a week in a job can make a living and get by is despicable. You should honestly be ashamed of yourself and seriously reconsider how you value the work of others. Nobody here is arguing that they should live "the movie star lifestyle." The expectation they can house themselves, are food secure, and have access to health care and education opportunities is a bridge too far for you apparently.

Agree, they were for folks trying to make some extra money, never intended to support a person. They were for high school/college kids, stay at home moms that wanted some extra money/get out of the house for a few hours a day, retired folks that wanted/needed some extra money. How the world has changed.

Capitalism on steroids, run amok.

Not exactly. My take is that you can’t expect to have no skills and expect to make over $50k or whatever you think everyone should make. If you don’t work hard, learn skills, and move up (rather that be into fast food management, outside of the industry, or whatever). Don’t expect to barely contribute to society and make bank, especially from the start. The entire point of working hard and being reliable is to move up and make more money. You shouldn’t get rewarded for being lazy and not trying, as the expectation is today.

I have a lot more to say on this issue, but it is diverging even further off the topic of Braum’s (at least Braum’s is relevant to fast food workers). Is there another thread for the living wage and/or minimum wage topic itself?

Here is a new thread (https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=48261) for this issue if you all want to continue the conversation!

To get this somewhat back on topic. I already said Indeed has the average Braums hourly rate at $15.46/hr. That is more than twice the minimum. Is that a livable wage? Is that enough to get conscientious employers that show up for work on time every day and do their job and maybe help keep the dining area clean?

Not really. Looks like it equals about $3.50 in 1980, when the minimum wage was $3.10.

People aren't lazy and entitled today. I don't believe that for a minute.

And I don't believe Braum's dining areas are filth filled wastelands. There might be times when they are busy and not every table has been immediately cleaned, but they are not ignoring tables on a regular basis.

I have started comparing the age of fast food restaurants I visit within the last week. Grandy's are ancient and worn out. Burger King and Carl's Jr. aren't far behind. Sonic, McDonald's, Wendy's and Arby's are usually updated and clean enough, even when they aren't less than 5 years old. Braum's Seem to be generally less than 20 years old, and they all appear to be kept up. Chick-Fil-A are well kept, but I don't think we have any in the area that are over 20-25 years old?

To get this somewhat back on topic. I already said Indeed has the average Braums hourly rate at $15.46/hr. That is more than twice the minimum. Is that a livable wage? Is that enough to get conscientious employers that show up for work on time every day and do their job and maybe help keep the dining area clean?

Not really. Looks like it equals about $3.50 in 1980, when the minimum wage was $3.10.

People aren't lazy and entitled today. I don't believe that for a minute.

And I don't believe Braum's dining areas are filth filled wastelands. There might be times when they are busy and not every table has been immediately cleaned, but they are not ignoring tables on a regular basis.

I have started comparing the age of fast food restaurants I visit within the last week. Grandy's are ancient and worn out. Burger King and Carl's Jr. aren't far behind. Sonic, McDonald's, Wendy's and Arby's are usually updated and clean enough, even when they aren't less than 5 years old. Braum's Seem to be generally less than 20 years old, and they all appear to be kept up. Chick-Fil-A are well kept, but I don't think we have any in the area that are over 20-25 years old?

Implying that people that make less than 50k a year don't work hard is perhaps the most ignorant thing I have ever seen written on this forum. How much you make does not imply how hard you work at all. Go work ag on a farm and tell me that they aren't working hard enough and that's why they aren't making more. Arguing against the expectation someone working 40 hours a week in a job can make a living and get by is despicable. You should honestly be ashamed of yourself and seriously reconsider how you value the work of others. Nobody here is arguing that they should live "the movie star lifestyle." The expectation they can house themselves, are food secure, and have access to health care and education opportunities is a bridge too far for you apparently.

Exactly! There is a lot of ignorant statements on this thread. The people they are speaking of literally keep Americans fed. Regardless of it being fast food, these people work really hard and rarely get treated with kindness.

Getting back to Braums. My Co-worker took some friends from out of town to the Braums on Memorial and MacArthur. His God son had never been. They all loved it and said the place was busy at 830pm in the evening and it was clean with good service.

Getting back to Braums. My Co-worker took some friends from out of town to the Braums on Memorial and MacArthur. His God son had never been. They all loved it and said the place was busy at 830pm in the evening and it was clean with good service.

Yes! Everyone, be it friends or family, when they come to visit wants to go to Braums at least once during their visit--and they come from Colorado, California, New England, all of them LOVE Braums. They love the quality and especially the price. So, we may see all the warts because we are around it all the time, but believe me, the out of towners we have visiting throughout the course of the year are big fans.

We had some friends move to Salt Lake City about 30 years ago. One of their now adult kids came back for a visit about 10 years ago and the first place he wanted to go eat was Braums so we took them there/ It's like when I go back to Chicago one of the first places I want to go eat is White Castle.

You're technically right, in that it - by definition - is supposed to be better than a livable wage. at least based on FDR's intention when he called for a minimum wage to be created in the United States.

And FDR intended for retired people to live on Social Security in their retirement years and how did that work out?

And FDR intended for retired people to live on Social Security in their retirement years and how did that work out?

It was meant for people to love 10 or so years after retiring, not 25 or so.

It was meant for people to love 10 or so years after retiring, not 25 or so.

And funded considering birth rates that were higher then. Lower birth rates jeopardizes the funding structure. Not just with SS, but is a problem with many, many families with no, or with few kids to support elderly parents.