Mac Job

By Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Wildcat
February 4, 1999

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Arizona Daily Wildcat

Name: Dave Osgood
Age: 20
Major: Engineering junior
Occupation: Manager at McDonald's
Job Description: Run the Mickey-D's show on a daily basis.
Qualifications: Four years Mc'sperience, people skills, and the ability to tolerate and distribute greasy food.
Job Perks: Free food, gets paid more than Arizona Daily Wildcat writers, plus he gets to wear a tie.
Job Disadvantages: Working at McDonald's.

Remember when you were 16, all full of youthful exuberance and willing to take any job - even one that involved flipping burgers?

You probably took that job at Greasy Joe's, then found out how tough it was and quit. Dave Osgood was one of the few and proud that stuck with that job since high school and became a manager.

Osgood originally started working at McDonald's as a high school junior in Clatskanie, Oregon. Upon enrolling at the UA, he took a year off, then hooked up with the branch on Speedway & Campbell as a sophomore. When the golden arches rolled out the red carpet in the student union, Osgood was all over it.

After a year of manager-in-training status, Osgood became a manager last month. And he has found that power has its advantages.

"One of the things that we do to the new guys is tell them to mop the freezer," Osgood said. "Then they go and do it and their mop sticks to the floor."

Playing tricks on newcomers is one of the advantages, but Osgood gets serious when it comes to his company's integrity. Say hi to him, ask him for a free refill, even. Just don't ask him to reveal the highly-classified formula for the secret sauce.

"I can't give that information," Osgood said. "That's a trade secret."

- phil villarreal