Fast-Food Companies Need to Take Mental Health More Seriously | Eater

"This Long Island fast-food franchise location was routinely understaffed and overwhelmed — a Sunday evening shift had just three employees, with lines out the door and the drive‑thru queue wrapped around the building. Under pressure from metrics (drive‑thru sensors, customer survey codes, and real‑time labor‑cost targets), managers pushed to minimize labor costs, directing supervisors to send people home early, avoid overtime, and rely on lean staffing. One assistant manager, pushed to the edge after repeatedly calling for backup, locked the lobby doors to stop an unsafe situation and was berated by her supervisors before ultimately quitting; other workers reportedly cried in the walk‑in cooler, suffered panic attacks, lost sleep, and juggled inconsistent, algorithmic schedules and excessive hours (sometimes 40–100+ per week) while trying to attend school or support themselves. Part‑time employees generally lacked benefits or affordable access to mental‑health care, and workers criticized the chain’s public mental‑health marketing as tone‑deaf in light of these day‑to‑day conditions. The assistant manager who left sought therapy, found steadier part‑time work, and is studying to become a teacher, but she remains concerned about colleagues still facing the same stressful working environment." - Jenny G. Zhang