Do Restaurant Jobs Count as Retail Work?

Retail work is defined as work that is done in a retail environment, such as a store or restaurant. This type of work can involve a variety of tasks, such as customer service, shelf stocking, and boxing. Food and beverage service and related workers are employed in restaurants, schools, and other places to eat. Work shifts typically include early morning, late night, weekends, and holidays.

The discourse surrounding fast food jobs is often reduced to the term “turning hamburgers”, as if to suggest that the work can be done by anyone, and is nothing more than robotic movements made for a proportional salary. However, this is far from the truth. Everyone who has worked in the restaurant industry, including a bar, has at some point thought what this retail is and the answer to that is quite simple. Food and beverage service workers and other related workers are the front line of customer service in restaurants, coffee shops and other food service establishments.

Generally, no employee under the age of 18 may drive or serve as an outside assistant in a motor vehicle on a public road; however, 17-year-olds who meet certain specific requirements may drive cars and trucks that do not exceed 6,000 pounds of gross vehicle weight for periods of time limited as part of their work. Food preparation and service areas in restaurants often have potential safety hazards, such as hot ovens and slippery floors. As a growing population continues to dine out, buy takeout, or have food delivered, more restaurants are expected to open, especially fast-food and casual restaurants. This table shows a list of occupations with responsibilities similar to those of food and beverage service and related workers.

Some examples of equipment declared hazardous in restaurants include motor-driven meat processing machines (saws, hamburger making machines, grinding, chopping or slicing machines), commercial mixers, and certain motor-driven bakery machines. Fast food and counter workers are mainly employed in limited-service restaurants, cafes and bars where customers generally order and pay before eating. This fact sheet provides general information about the application of the FLSA to employees of restaurants and fast food establishments. The Work Environment tab includes the number of jobs occupied in the occupation and describes the workplace, the expected level of physical activity and the typical hours worked.

You can also discuss the main industries that employed the occupation. This tab can also describe opportunities for part-time work, the amount and type of travel required, the safety equipment used, and the risk of injury that workers may face. The Job Outlook tab describes the factors that affect the growth or decline of employment in the occupation and, in some cases, describes the relationship between the number of job applicants and the number of job offers.