ABSTRACT
Immigrants from many backgrounds enter, and most of them leave, on their way up or down the American social ladder. The fast food restaurant industry, is pivotal to understanding of how the changing labor market is affecting immigrants' chances for mobility. The growing yet polarizing economy has resulted in a downward career shift on the New York population at large. Despite the common assumption that fast food restaurants are all alike in the kinds of opportunities they offer, the job ladders of individual McDonald's and Burger King restaurants can vary considerably. The disparity in income and benefits does not pertain only to hierarchical differences: Disparities rooted in ownership structure and the size of the restaurant exist within positions across restaurants. Managers, like crewmembers, also vary in their expectations in the industry and in their career goals.
