An added benefit to the owners. The hourly wage hasn't changed much since the 80s.
I can remember working in fast food in HS in the late 70s.
There was a recession and we were happy to get minimum wage ($3.32/hr).
Everyone, even the graveyard shift was either HS or Junior College age, and all were native born.
This was in a relatively crummy neighborhood outside NYC.
Fast forward 10 years (1989), I was attending school and working part time in fast food.
Now the wage was about $8.00/hr , which was above minimum wage by about $3.00/hr.
This was a nice suburb in NJ and about 1/2 the crew was foreign born.
Today, almost nobody is native born, and the wage is still about $8.00/hr.
I too worked fast food in the late 70s as a high school kid. I did not consider it to be a “low level job”. it was just a job. I was sixteen for heavens sakes. In still went on to college and graduated and have a career.. etc..
I think this notion, that “middle class families” would consider those jobs to be too menial for their children is false. Learning to go to work on time and take direction from a supervisor can begin to teach a teen about work ethic.
A teen flipping few burgers in the summer will NOT set a kids course in life.