Have to share with you this Flickr set that was picked up by Buzzfeed today. A former Taco Bell worker has shared his photos of what it was like to work there in the 80s.
All Taco Bells looked alike
I’m keveling! It all looks like the Taco Bell I slaved in, circa 1986 – right down to the Spanish tile and the hand-made pico de gallo. I even wore both types of polyester uniforms, complete with scarf and/or eyeshade hat.
I remember my manager grew impatient with how slow I was on the production line. They wanted people who could crank out 3-4 Burrito Supremes a minute, but I was terribly slow, like Ye Olde Worlde Craftsman about food production. So they usually stationed me at the front cash register and Drive-Thru stations, at which I excelled.
Since I worked night shift, half the time was spent cleaning. No matter how long you worked there, you never got used to sticking your head in the 150-degree steam cabinet to rub little bits of moist tortilla out of the corners with a scalding hot towel.
Still, I loved the people very much, I loved being up until 2:30 a.m. for some f’d up reason, and I really loved getting a paycheck.
I remember there was a rule in the employee handbook that we were entitled to a discount off of anything on the menu. See the loophole? Yeah. We would grab paper trays and create our own concoctions, under the dubious logic that if it wasn’t a food item on the menu, we couldn’t be charged for it. And the managers tended to look the other way, which was partly why I loved them.
My favorite creation was a sort of Nachos Bel Grande variation (chips, non-mashed pinto beans, sour cream, onions, pico de gallo and cheddar cheese [never nacho sauce]), built with loving care and broiled for good measure in the Taco Pizza oven. Wow, it was good. I’d kill for a plate right now. Wonder if they’d let me walk in the back and make myself an order. Maybe if I still had my employee name tag.
