A middle-aged man comes into a local fast-food restaurant for dinner with his girlfriend only for him to wind up on the bathroom floor unconscious.

On another day, a customer threatened the manager after she asked him to leave because he was making other customers uncomfortable. He responded saying he was connected to her boss, and he could get her fired.  

And another day, police got called on a biker who would not leave our drive-thru window after hours. 

I started my job in the fast-food realm at age 17, and never would I have guessed that in just the eight months of working there that I would be exposed to as many dangers as I have. 

There have been many things that have happened while working at the Rutland restaurant I’m choosing not to name, however there is one night in particular that sticks with me most.

A man and woman came in recently one night and ordered a single serving pizza to share. When done, the woman heads outside to wait for her significant other while he goes to the bathroom. 

A while later, one of my co-workers over the headset mentioned how the man had been in the bathroom for at least 25 minutes. 

My manager and I went the bathroom to take a look at the situation and after seeing the man, nonresponsive, hunched over the toilet allowing for his face to appear underneath the stall, we decided it was best to contact the ambulance. 

Once his girlfriend saw all us employees outside of the bathroom door through the outside window, she came in to reassure us that “they ate too much so he’s just sick from all the food.” 

Now, I don’t know about you, but my 5 ‘1, 110lbs little body can devour way more than a single-serving pizza before I am sick.

Finally, the man walks out of the bathroom returning to his girlfriend and exited the building while repeatedly saying he was fine he had just eaten too much. 

However, we all knew there was something more going on than just an upset tummy, and the bloody toilet paper found on the ground of the stall after the man had left proved it all.

As a minor working in the fast food world, my biggest tip would to always have a back-up plan. You never know what is going to happen even in places you would least expect it.

-Gabby Blanchard