“Working at a fast-food restaurant influences me to eat out more, because it pushes me to find fast food restaurants that serve healthy foods like Chipotle,” said senior Cynthia Shamerzian who works at Chipotle. “I see people making healthy choices at Chipotle.”

According to Shamerzian, many choose brown rice instead of white and black beans instead of pinto. “Both of these are better for your body,” Shamerzian said. “People also have the choice of different sources of protein, all of which are organic and non GMO.”

According to the Livestrong website, “The most detrimental ingredient at Chipotle may be the tortilla, which contains GMOs, hydrogenated oils and preservatives. For health-conscious consumers, it may be wise to avoid burritos and tacos and instead choose a bowl or salad.”

The lowest calorie choice at Chipotle is five calories,“The lettuce would probably be our lowest calorie meal,” Shamerzian said.

According to Shamerzian, all of the in the Chipotle menu are healthy. “Our produce is local and our meats come from animals that are properly raised without any hormones. In fact, we have even stopped serving pork because our suppliers were not raising the pigs properly and they were giving additives.”

Shamerzian said that she considers Chipotle very healthy. “I believe it is the only fast food restaurant that is healthy,” she said. According to Shamerzian, Chipotle has a policy for workers to wash hands every hour. “We don’t have a freezer so we can’t store ingredients for a long period of time,” she said.

Shamerzian said that she sees the same people come often to eat at Chipotle. “I see many of the same firefighters and police officers from Burbank Fire Department coming to Chipotle,” she said.

Other students who work at a fast food restaurant include senior Preni Sarkissian who works at El Pollo Loco. “Working at a fast-food store does not influence me to eat out more,” Sarkissian said. “It’s actually the exact opposite.” Sarkissian said. “I get sick of fast food, because I am around it all the time.”

Sarkissian sees people making some healthy choices at El Pollo Loco. “We have a section just for food that is under 500 calories and we also serve vegetables and the basic nutrients you need in a day.”

According to the Eating Rules website, “If you’re trying to eat healthy at El Pollo Loco avoid all of the salad dressing use salsa instead.”

“There can be a lot of improvements in our menu,” Sarkissian said. “Our lowest calorie serving meal is 350 calories.” Sarkissian said that she also sees many repeat customers at El Pollo Loco. “Some people come for different meals on the same day,” she said.

Sarkissian sees one perk in eating at the fast food restaurant where she works. “You mainly just know what is in the food you are eating and how it is made,” she said. Sarkissian said that she genuinely enjoys eating at El Pollo Loco. “Mostly I like the stuff El Pollo Loco offers,” she said. Sarkissian said that her job there is not overly demanding. “It is not stressful,” she said. “It only gets stressful when customers do not know what to order or when they are really picky about with what there is in their food.”

Sarkissian said there are many chances for promotion. “There are lots of offers and the more things you gain knowledge on, the more your position goes higher,” she said. Sarkissian said that she enjoys her work. “It is clean, and I am pretty comfortable where I work,” she said.  While Sarkissian said that she will not do this as a career forever, she does view work at El Pollo Loco as  a long term part-time job, “If I get a promotion I will probably stay longer, but I see this as a great part time throughout college as well,” she said. “My job is very easy and it is my nature to talk to people and keep customers happy.”

Teachers and staff members at Clark also see the effects of working at fast food restaurants. According to health clerk Maria Gracia Juarez, there are healthy choices in today’s fast food. “They are noticeably more understanding of the people’s necessity and responsibility to their families and themselves to eat what is nourishing and not to simply satisfy the individual’s cravings,” she said.

Most of the time calorie counts are visually available. “Even on drive thru, customers can calculate or somehow have an idea of the calorie intake,” Juarez said “I hear it often from students that they eat out often because it is convenient. Most of their parents are working and have no time to cook.”  

Juarez has heard that parents do not cook because, they leave early and come home late and tired. “But during the weekend, the students say their parents try to cook something special for the family to share and enjoy.”

Juarez feels that there could be some truth in the idea that students who work at fast-food restaurants eat out more. “Maybe because the free or discounted price meal  that comes with the privilege of being employed at the fast food store,” she said. “But later on they get fed up with the food and they will opt for home cooked meal or something different from what they have in their own store.”

Health teacher Randy Tiffany, who processes students’ work permits, said that he sees few students working in fast food restaurants. “It could be a lot of fast food places won’t hire anyone under the age of eighteen,” he said.