Tracie McMillan applies to many Applebee’s restaurants all around New York City, and gets a job as expeditor in the Brooklyn location in Chapter 9. The main reason why she chooses to apply at this particular franchise is due to her wanting to gain an insider’s perspective on how the food system works within commercial dining establishments. She explains that “I wanted to get into the heart of what went on behind restaurant kitchen doors—how people worked together, how ingredients were stored and used, and where all that mass-produced frozen food actually came from” (Elliott). Thus by working her way up from entry level positions such as expediting McMillan hopes to eventually work towards a position in food preparation which will provide greater insight into this area.

McMillan also takes up the expeditor role because it allows for more freedom when compared with other jobs such as dishwashing or serving customers; two roles which require someone being physically present throughout much of their shift in order complete these duties satisfactorily. By contrast though, fulfilling orders through expediting provides an opportunity for her “[to] move around [the] restaurant freely…taking orders straight off customers plates right before they left [her] station” (Elliott). Therefore McMillan opts for this specific position since it both suits her research aims while meanwhile letting her take periodic breaks elsewhere away from any one specific area.

Lastly, McMillian agrees to become an expeditor instead of taking a place directly in food preparation due partly out of personal preference. She notes that “in prep, I would have been stuck inside the kitchen all day long… I didn’t want that kind of confinement” (Elliott). Hence given these factors combined with minimal differences between wages offered; working as an Applebee`s expiditer thus becomes far more attractive than working solely within its kitchens itself