We Found The Greatest Fast Food Training Video Of All Time

Is there anything more tiresome and mundane than an employee training video? Many of us can attest to the tortuous process of accepting a new job, filling out all the boring paperwork, then planting ourselves in front of a television in a back office somewhere to watch a grainy, decades-old video laying out the rules and regulations of said new job. It honestly feels like cruel and unusual punishment to force us to endure a horrific script spoken by actors wearing clothing about 60 years out of style. But, alas, it’s a hurdle we begrudgingly jump through.

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But, believe it or not, we accidentally stumbled upon a training video so hilarious, bizarre, and catchy (yes, catchy), that we just couldn’t keep it to ourselves. For new Wendy’s employees hired in the ‘80s, they were treated to an employee video called “Grill Skills,” and let’s just say this thing was, quite literally, music to their ears.

Let’s Break Down Wendy’s “Grill Skills” Training Video

The training video starts with a wide-eyed new Wendy’s employee named Billy staring into an ancient-looking television (this was the eighties, after all), and within seconds the young man is virtually sucked into the screen. Already a pretty wacky start to a corporate training video. Billy looks befuddled as he suddenly appears in front of a flat-top grill while a Run DMC-esque character breaks out in some pretty sweet dance moves next to him. Now, just when you think things can’t get any sillier, Mr. Run DMC starts spitting some hot lyrics about tending the Wendy’s grill. Like we said, it’s the greatest training video of all time.

The video is essentially a long music video giving pointers about grill safety and food organization. After all, during fast food rush hour, employees need to stay clean and organized to handle the massive amounts of order pouring in. As absurd (and frankly, super catchy) as the rap song is, lyrics like, “A grill that sets at two-five-oh, with your meat and cheese all ready to go,” lets workers know the proper temperature to cook burger patties, which is obviously incredibly important if a company wants to avoid a salmonella outbreak due to undercooked meat. Other lines indicate how to lay burgers down on the grill properly (“Meat’s got grain to it, just like wood, you gotta follow the arrow to lay down like you should”) and the optimal way to use cheese (“Lay down the cheese in a juicy spot, but don’t leave it too long or it’ll get too hot”). 

Over the course of the song, Billy slowly seems to absorb all this knowledge, and once the rap ends, he’s transported back through the television set into his boss’s office. With his brain filled to the brim with grill skills, he’s officially ready to sling perfectly cooked beef patties until the cows come home.

“Grill Skills” Lives Rent Free In Our Head (And That’s A Good Thing)

It’s a shame more companies can’t take a page out of Wendy’s book and crank out content like this for new employees. Sure, people may not be super stoked to enter the workforce in general, but at least this kind of thing can usher in some laughter. We just feel blessed that this video lives online for all to experience. Even if you want nothing to do with Wendy’s or grilling, this song offers a catchy beat you can bop your head to.