No Internet chops, no fast food job

At this evening's opening reception for Getting to Gigabit I had a conversation with Deb Socia, who runs the terrific Technology Goes Home program in Boston.  I told Deb about the Ohio General Assembly's apparent determination to require people on unemployment comp to register and do other tasks at the OhioMeansJobs website, whether or not they have the equipment and skills to do so.

Deb told me about the following exchange she recently witnessed at the counter of a Panera:

Guy in front of her in line:  "Can I fill out an application for a job here?"
Panera employee:  "Sorry, you have to apply on line."
Guy in front of her in line: "But I don't know how to use the Internet."
Panera employee: "If you can't use the Internet you can't work here."

Deb says she also heard pretty much the same exchange at a White Castle.

(Glassdoor reports that the wages of hourly Panera employees average less than $9.  They have a very small sample for White Castle but apparently a "team member" can make less than $8.)