Working at a fast food restaurant can be very stressful because it can get so busy.

What would you do if someone was newly promoted to manager over you, and then you had to work with them during a huge rush and they told you to make a ton of one item that you didn’t think would sell?

That is what happened to the griller in this story, so he followed instructions and made dozens of burgers that they couldn’t sell.

“I didn’t ask you what you think.” Ok.

In the late 1980s, my first job was working at a well known fast food chain.

I’d been working here a couple of years at the time of this story and had worked my way to crew leader, but had just been passed over for promotion to shift manager 3 days before.

It’s around 7:00 PM and we had just finished the dinner rush and the newly promoted manager (NPM) decided to save some labor and send the bulk of the crew home and just keep the closing crew.

We had 1 person covering drive-thru, 1 person in the grill (me), 1 person at the front counter, and NPM.

At this point, it’s important to know that this fast food chain was running a promotion for their most famous hamburger item (2 for $2), and of course, this was very popular.

With one employee in the grill area, and the equipment and prep methods that were used at this time, it was possible to make this item 6 at a time. We had code names for cranking out these items from the grill area at speed.

6 pull 6 – meant that you make six of this item and when you finished making these 6 times, you started the next 6. With this method, you can make about six items every 2 1/2 minutes.

6 turn 6 – meant you start 6 of this item, and when you flip the meat on the grill, you start making 6 more.. With this method, you can make six items every 75 to 80 seconds.

So what happens 10 minutes after the NPM sends the bulk of the crew home?

We get a large greyhound bus full of senior citizens that walks into the restaurant.

Yikes, this is going to be a mess.

About 80 people flood the lobby and start lining up to place their orders.

From the grill area, I see the flood of people, assess the situation, and decide to start making some food.

However, I choose not to make our “hot” sale item since I don’t think the bulk of these customers will order this.

I decide to make fish, chicken, and smaller hamburger items, which I believe this group of people will order.

Just as I finish delivering the first “wave” of these smaller items and about to start another, the NPM pokes her head out of the office and notices the situation.

Obviously, the lone front counter person was overwhelmed, and the NPM rushes to help take orders.

On her way to the front counter, she yells to me in the grill area.

NPM – “I want you to do a 6 turn 6 until I tell you to stop”

Me – “I don’t think these guys are going to be ordering that. Are you sure?”

Why not listen to experienced employees?

NPM – “I didn’t ask you what you think. They made me the manager, not you, and this is what needs to be done.”

Time for the Malicious Compliance.

I start to crank out the burgers, and don’t bother to wrap them up.

I’m working furiously and get into a rhythm, turning out 6 of these every 75-80 seconds.

About 15 minutes pass, and there are about 60 burgers made.

With only me in the grill, there isn’t time for me to box the burgers and put them in the bin.

I’m stacking trays of finished burgers on any flat surface I can find in the grill area.

NPM is still taking orders at the front counter. She hasn’t noticed how many burgers are piling up in the grill area. At this point, I decide to ask her if she wants me to continue.

Not sure I would have even asked.

Me – “Do you still want me to do 6 turn 6?”

NPM – “Did I tell you to stop?”

Huh. Well, she’s taking the customer orders, so she must know what’s going on.

I go back to the 6 turn 6.

Another 20 minutes pass.

There are now another 90 burgers and I’m putting trays of finished burgers in the sink area, straddling fryer vats, etc. and she still hasn’t told me to stop.

At this point, all the customer orders are taken and they are now trying to get orders out.

The smaller fish, chicken, and burger items are long gone by now and I’ve had no time to make any more.

NMP yells back to me.

NPM – “We need chicken, fish, nuggets, hamburgers, and cheeseburgers”

Me – “So you want me to stop the 6 turn 6?”

NPM – “What! You’re still doing that? Are you crazy?”

Me – “You didn’t tell me to stop, I’m doing exactly what you asked me to do.”

At this point, she walks back to the grill area and sees the fruits of my labor.

There are burger trays everywhere, the prep table is a disaster, the grill needs to be cleaned, and I can’t even get to the fry vats to make chicken or fish since there are burgers stacked on them.

He was just following instructions.

NPM – “I can’t believe you did this! We’re never going to sell all of this! This will ruin my food waste goals!”

Me – “I specifically told you that I didn’t think a 6 turn 6 was a good idea, and you told me to do it anyway. I asked you if I should stop and you told me to continue. They made you the manager, so I assumed you knew what you were doing.”

NPM – “You did this on purpose!”

Me- “I did exactly what you told me to do, so yes, it was on purpose.”

NPM then storms back to the front counter and I start packaging burgers and making the food that was actually ordered to fill the customer orders.

She didn’t speak to me the rest of the night.

I bet the store manager was mad at all that wasted food.

The next day, the store manager asks me what happened and I told him exactly what I was instructed to do.

The front counter person was able to verify the instructions that were given and I never heard anything more about it.

The NPM was transferred to another store shortly after this and I was promoted.

Just because you get a promotion doesn’t mean you know everything.

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about this.

Yes, it was a great story.

He was simply following instructions.

I’m kind of hungry as well.

Managers don’t always know it all.

This was brilliant.

Sometimes doing as you are told is very satisfying.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.