Comment by lkjdsklf

> the point I was trying to make and failed, was that there were no (able bodied) grown adults working those jobs like Mcdonalds 30 years ago.

I think you made that point. The other posters point was that this point is patently untrue. And it's very obviously untrue just by thinking about it for a few minutes. Peak hours for fast food restaurants (and most restaurants) are lunch hours where most teenagers would be in school.

They also tended to be open late night. The hours that teenagers can work are and have been heavily regulated for a very long time. No highschooler is working the 11pm - 4am shift at wendy's.

They were very obviously mostly employing adults.

And if you want a little anecdotal evidence, my father supported my family for a number of years working in fast food in the early to mid 80s during the oil crash

if you want further anecdotal stories, when in high school I worked retail. There were other highschoolers that worked there, but the vast majority of my coworkers were in their 30s.

When in college I worked graveyards at a certain 24 hour breakfast establishment. I was by far the youngest. Everyone else on that shift was in their 40s and had kids and families they were supporting.

We also literally have tropes about the old lady who's been working at the diner for 1000 years... "what do ya want hon?"

That trope didn't just come out of no where.