There were many places to eat in the mall food court: MacDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Orange Julius, Arby’s, just to name a few. Each had its own group of loyal patrons. Sure, some would switch from time to time, but, people being creatures of habit, most stuck faithfully with their favorites.
The various vendors in the food court employed many workers to serve the masses of mall customers every day. Among these was a fellow named Brett. Brett mixed the slushy drinks at Orange Julius. Having worked there for several years, he was a familiar face, popular and known by name to many of the regular Julius drinkers. Many, in fact, would likely have patronized the other food court establishments more often, if not for Brett’s magnetic personality.
Then one day, Brett quit. He gave his notice, and two weeks later he was gone. Regular Orange Julius customers remembered him fondly and sadly. The food court just wasn’t the same any more.
Time passed, and soon Brett began to miss the mall. He began to have second thoughts about leaving. Finally, he decided to go back. Unfortunately, he had waited too long; Orange Julius had hired new employees, and had no opening for him. Brett did the only thing he could do: he applied with the other vendors, and was finally hired by Burger King.
It is hard to say why, but Brett didn’t do very well at Burger King, and left before too long. Not one to give up, though, he continued to seek employment in the food court, finally ending up at Taco Bell — right next to his old employer, Orange Julius.
Now, you might think that a guy could switch employers and go on with his life. You might think that all the people who liked him before would still like him after. You might think that those customers who only liked Orange Julius, and even those who didn’t like Taco Bell at all, would go on as before, drinking their Julius drinks and eating their Julius dogs in peace, not caring who served up the tacos next door. You might think all that, but you’d be wrong.
When the news got out, Orange Julius lovers were outraged. “This is outrageous!” they raged. Folks who had previously exchanged friendly banter with Brett at the Orange Julius counter now spoke of him with contempt. But talking behind his back wasn’t enough. Brett had done them wrong, and he was going to pay. High noon at the food court, lines began forming as usual at all the eating establishments; all eyes were on Taco Bell. Tension mounted. Finally, the anticipated moment came: Brett stepped up to the counter. Taco Bell customers cheered. The Orange Julius lines exploded. Hecklers shouted, “Boo!” “Traitor!” “Turncoat!” The animosity was astounding. It was, after all, just fast food. It was, after all, just a job. Brett liked the fast food business. He liked preparing and selling inexpensive, convenient meals to hungry, hurried people. What did it matter where he did it? His position at Orange Julius had been filled; Julius customers could still get all their food and drinks just as before.
Meanwhile, a mall shopper who couldn’t care less, who rarely ate fast food, observed the shameful behavior of the Julius mavens and thought to himself, “Disgraceful, just disgraceful; if I ever eat in the food court again, it surely will never be at Orange Julius.”
The next day, he wrote a blog post.
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