Letter to the editor, published in the Chicago Tribune, July 14, 2003

I was appalled to read that Merriam-Webster has decided to add the slang term "McJob" to its Collegiate Dictionary, whereby its definition alludes to and debases the nation's 870,000 restaurants and their 11.7 million employees ("No dead-cat bounce for English in new Webster's; Revised Collegiate adds 10,000 words, 100,000 meanings," News, July 1).

The restaurant industry is all about opportunity and a gateway to success, as nine out of 10 salaried workers started as hourly employees. Salaries for food-service managers are growing at a rate twice as fast as the median salary for all managerial positions. In addition, as the nation's largest private-sector employer, the restaurant industry offers myriad positions in a variety of fields, providing quality jobs for nearly 9 percent of those employed in the United States—for a year or a career.

The implication made by this new slang entry is not only a misrepresentation of the rewarding careers abundant in the restaurant industry, it is an insult to the millions of Americans who have chosen a career in the restaurant industry.

Steven C. Anderson
President and Chief Executive Officer
National Rstaurant Association
Washington, DC