Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 24, 1993 TAG: 9301260288
SECTION: ECONOMY PAGE: EC-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
FAST FOOD FULFILLING FOR BURGER QUEEN
To paraphrase the words of Garrett Morris' Chico Escuela character from "Saturday Night Live," Burger King has been very, very good to Sandra "Sam" Smith.Smith - who manages the international chain's Franklin Road store in Roanoke, the franchise's busiest local restaurant - got her start in burgerdom in Norfolk when she was a student at Old Dominion University.
"I was making $1.61 an hour," she recalled with a smile.
And after more than two decades of "hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us," Smith adamantly believes she's had it her way at Burger King.
Smith says she's not afraid of the economy, because she's working for a company that recognizes and rewards hard work.
"The economy might have soured, but we still go to Puerto Rico for a month every year," Smith said. Last year, she and her retired husband, Ralph, managed to squeeze in a Caribbean cruise, too.
They live in Southwest Roanoke County. He drives an '85 Dodge Omni; she has an '84 Subaru.
"Before that, I drove my Hornet for nine years," she said proudly. Smith describes herself with a laugh as "frugal, maybe even cheap."
Most of the employees hustling during the busy dinner rush are single mothers or college students; and for more than just a few, the job a Burger King is a second one, taken to help pay the bills.
"It doesn't matter how much you make - we all clip coupons," she said.
As consumer trends change, Burger King has tried to adapt. With strong breakfast and lunch business, the chain last year launched a push to earn a bigger portion of the evening meal business. Its latest effort includes special dinner baskets and table service.
The dining room is packed, and so far business has been boosted, Smith said.
It's not that Burger King hasn't felt the economic crunch. Her store used to earn a net profit of $30,000 a week, but that dropped in the fall after school started. Some of the business has recovered with coupon specials and the new dinner-basket menu.
But Smith directly attributes a drop in her business to layoffs at Dominion Bank, Gardner-Denver and IBM.
The most significant economic blow Burger King has dealt her was when the franchise quit giving annual bonuses some five years ago.
"In most cases, we were getting $3,000 bonuses, and we began counting on that," Smith said.
Smith didn't set out to make Burger King a career. She studied to be a teacher at Old Dominion, and now considers herself fortunate.
"If I'd gone that route, I might not have a job today," she reasoned.
It's not an easy job, she admits. She works at a manic pace, many days spending more than 10 hours on the job. To keep smiling that long is the hardest part, she says, but she even says that with a smile.
"Fast food is what I know," said Smith, with pride and no apology. "I'm here to get the job done. And I know as long as I'm working hard, my future is secure."