Fast food service in Japan vs America: 2 videos tell the story

TOKYO — The fast food experience in Japan is much different that it is in America. In Japan, step into any fast food restaurant and you are treated with the kind of service you see in commercials. Polite and attentive staff work in seemingly perfect unison to get customers their meal as quickly as possible, all while maintaining a smile on their face.

At least, this is the image people are getting from two YouTube videos that have been making the rounds in the Japanese net since this weekend.

The first video was taken by a foreigner inside of a McDonald’s in Osaka and shows a small unit of female staff keeping on their toes and moving through the line of customers like clockwork.

Whereas most foreign viewers praise the professionalism of the Japanese staff, many Japanese viewers actually seem to find it embarrassing that their people are so willing to jump through hoops for a measly 800 yen per hour.

Still, compared with what American fast food workers have to go through.

That’s right, Cheeseburger Josh has now become famous in Japan.

The contrast presented by these two videos raises a few interesting questions. Are the Japanese suckers for working so hard for so little pay? Would American fast food workers be willing to put in a little more effort if they didn’t have to deal with customers like Cheeseburger Josh? And perhaps the most intriguing question is: what would happen if a hungry Cheeseburger Josh walked into Japanese McDonald’s?