Affiliate Marketing and Working at McDonald’s: From the Fryer to Financial Freedom

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Working at McDonald’s isn’t just flipping burgers and dropping fries.

It’s:

  • Juggling multiple orders while the drive-thru timer ticks down
  • Memorizing menu changes and limited-time promos
  • Dealing with every kind of customer — from polite to downright impossible
  • Staying on your feet for hours, moving in sync with your crew
  • Cleaning, stocking, resetting… only to start again

It’s fast-paced, high-pressure, and demands more skill than most people give credit for.

But here’s the thing:

Those same skills can translate into something that works for you, not just your employer.
That’s where affiliate marketing comes in.


Step 1: You’re Already Selling — But For Someone Else’s Bottom Line

Every time you:

  • Suggest a meal upgrade
  • Offer to add a dessert or drink
  • Smile through a promo pitch

…you’re doing sales.

The difference? At McDonald’s, the corporation gets the profit.

Affiliate marketing flips that.
You recommend products, services, or tools — but you get the commission.

It’s the same skill set, but you keep the rewards.


Step 2: Your Work Environment = Affiliate Niche Inspiration

The McDonald’s experience gives you a unique angle for affiliate content:

🍟 Workwear & shoes — non-slip, comfortable, affordable
Coffee gear — because let’s be honest, caffeine is life
🧽 Cleaning tools — quick, effective, budget-friendly
📱 Productivity & time management apps — to balance work and life
🥤 Reusable drinkware & meal prep — great for off-shift
💼 Career and skill courses — especially customer service or management training

Even better — your insider knowledge means you can review products honestly and share tips people actually use.


Step 3: Affiliate Marketing Fits Between Shifts

McDonald’s shifts are all over the place — mornings, nights, doubles.

The beauty of affiliate marketing is that it doesn’t care:

  • Write a blog post before work
  • Record a quick product review on your lunch break
  • Schedule social posts during downtime
  • Plan content for days off

It’s flexible enough to work around a schedule that changes week-to-week.


Step 4: From Crew to Creator

Think about it:

  • You already work in a brand-focused environment
  • You know how to follow systems and processes
  • You’re used to adapting fast when things change

Affiliate marketing thrives on those exact strengths.
Plus, platforms like Wealthy Affiliate walk you through it step-by-step — no guesswork.

You can start with what you know (your current niche), then branch into others as you grow.


Step 5: Build Something That Lasts Longer Than a Shift

The best part?
Once you create content with affiliate links, it can keep earning long after you clock out.

Instead of trading time for money forever, you’re building a system that works for you.

Yes, it starts small — maybe enough to cover Netflix, then groceries, then bigger goals.
But every post, video, or review you put out is like adding another item to your personal “money menu.”


🔁 Know Someone Working Fast Food Who Deserves More Than Just an Hourly Wage?

Tag the crew member who’s always hustling.
The one who can handle a rush without breaking a sweat and still finds time to help a teammate.

Let them know that affiliate marketing isn’t just for influencers or tech pros — it’s for anyone who knows how to work hard and follow a system.

And if you’re already in WA, drop your link.
That McDonald’s worker could be the next person to turn fast-food hustle into a freedom plan.

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Recent Comments

7

I learned a few things recently when I visited China for the first time. These included how to choose a drink from a smart machine (tea, coffee, milked tea, etc.,), something not new to maybe most, if not all of you here at the WA. But I expect these developments to be very new even in the conceptual West.

Yes, we can take lessons from any other things in life to our affiliate marketing online businesses, including how mom used to tell me about herbal medicines as a kid. Now, I can create herbal products with the help of a Chinese or U.S company specializing in medicines, and boom, a business is born!

Thanks a lot, JD for these tips and tricks from the McDonald's.

John

2

Thanks for this, Jeremy.

However, I'm not going to work at McDonald's just so I can do it. ;D

JD

1

Hey Jeremy,

I never worked at McDonald’s when I was younger, so I learned multitasking and staying organized in a different way.

For me, it came from working in the fields, picking vegetables and pulling weeds. It was a different kind of hustle but it taught me to work hard, keep moving and stay focused on getting things done. Pretty much the same skills you’re talking about here.

Sonia

2

I don't know anymore how to comment AI WRITTEN posts. The best I can say is that you AI did a sufficient work in writing this post. But I guess that if YOU wrote it, you would have done a better job

1

One of my first jobs was working for Mc Donalds. It helped give me the motivation to go to college

Not that there is anything wrong with it. You can start as a flipper and become CEO. It’s all about attitude

Exactly, and in this day and age, you could go from flipper to CEO, and QUIT because you did affilaite marketing in the meantime to REPLACE THAT JOB! :)

1

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