[J-dawg]

A related anecdote: a friend used to be a chef at a restaurant in London (not Michelin starred, but a very high-end, global brand). I was shocked to learn that there was no paid sick leave. So, not wanting to lose money, people come to work when they're unwell. And handle food.

I'm sure this happens at lower end places too, but given the enormously high prices I expected they would look after their staff better.

[WheelsAtLarge]

I suspect that as you get up the latter in the restaurant business it gets harder to cover the costs.

Chefs and the general staff expect higher pay, the restaurant needs to be in a high rent area, you need to make a very specialized meal, and you don't have the customer turn over that you have at a fast food place. Plus their's a limit as to how much you can charge. How many people can afford a $200-$300 meal? Not many... So taking care of the staff in terms of sick time is probably easier at a fast food shop.