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Why I especially love QSRs around the holidays

It's nearly midnight on Christmas and to a hungry holiday shift worker, the neon glow of an open QSR's sign may be one of the best things she's seen all night. Quick-service restaurants that stay open on holidays deserve thanks for serving as old friends and meeting places for those that still have to work.

Photo: iStock

December 20, 2019 by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Restaurant industry news slows way down in these days right around the holidays - which is actually a good thing for all of us work-weary soldiers. It's also good for journalists, like yours truly, because it affords me a few moments to step back and think about why I, in particular, appreciate what QSRs are and do. 

First a little history, to tell you that I've been a journalist since the late 1970s (okay, I'm old) and most of that time was spent covering the crime and the general mayhem that local TV and print reporters tend to gravitate toward. In short, like cops and firefighters and so many quick-service restaurant employees, I've spent many holidays working a shift and covering some of the less joyous news of an otherwise happy time of year. 

As a result, I've also spent many holidays rolling around virtually empty streets looking for an open business to grab a bite or a Coke amid a shift often spent covering the incidents of domestic violence, holiday travel accidents and the house fires that so often occur this time of year. 

I say all this not to bring readers of this website down, but to remind you that your brands serve a very important role for those working to keep the world spinning along safely even as most folks take a break. 

Being able to drive-thru, commiserate a little with a QSR worker about pulling a holiday shift, while still sharing some seasonal kindness and enjoying a warm bite can be such a nice part of the day. And most cops, EMTs and firefighters would likely share the same thoughts as members of that one- or two-day club that often unites at the local burger or chicken joint that's open on Christmas or New Year's Day. 

In this respect, QSRs are like an old reliable friend. And though it surely sounds a little hokey to say, I thought it was worth putting on the page to thank those brands that stay open on holidays just for being there. 

About S.A. Whitehead

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Pizza Marketplace and QSRweb editor Shelly Whitehead is a former newspaper and TV reporter with an affinity for telling stories about the people and innovative thinking behind great brands.