“Don’t log in before your shift time starts. The system doesn’t calculate the time correctly if you log in even a minute earlier than your shift time. “It adds a 30-minute break time automatically if you log in before your time,” said the chef. Mohan nodded and waited until the clock turned 16:00 to log in. He was starting at a time when the Burger restaurant was usually packed with customers. But that’s just everyday life for Mohan now. 

The restaurant had 12 types of burgers, 21 types of garnishes, and six types of bread. It was a global fast food joint with over millions thronging in for a quick bite every month. Their USP was super-quick burgers at phenomenal prices. Being a 50-year American fast food giant, the restaurant had an optimized standard. A standard so famous that business schools often read their case studies on marketing and improvements. Mohan had studied one of their case studies while in college. As luck would have it, instead of working in marketing and advertising, he was flipping burgers and fries at the same place.

There was a reason why they used a ketchup gun to add ketchup and mustard sauce, why breaks were given to employees in a particular fashion, or even why a burger is made from the bottom up. This particular restaurant Mohan was working for as a crew had written fast food rules and supply chain operations. They not only promise to complete the order within 40 seconds but also ensure that they do it right the first time.

Mohan usually went into a trance when working in the kitchen. It was all about the burgers or wraps, special requests, and how quickly you can make and pack the burger. The final part after finishing the burger, which Mohan absolutely loved, was to slide the finished burgers up the table, where the packing folks would bag them. He enjoyed it as much as making burgers and struck poses while sliding the burgers along the table. 

It took the same eight seconds to heat the bread. Then, set up the wrapping paper, cheese, and other garnishes. It takes a fraction of a second to sprinkle the right amount of ketchup and mustard sauce on it. Then the garnishes and meat, and viola, a lip-smacking burger is ready. It took him a few months of working there and making thousands of burgers to realize what the “right” amount of ketchup or sauce or a portion of fried onions was. This particular day, during peak hours when orders after orders are hitting his monitor, he is standing there thinking. Thinking why the burger does not taste good if you add more sauce or fewer tomato slices, for instance. He realized the importance of the “right” amount in that minute. 

He began to connect the dots. In life, too much or too little of anything could cause catastrophic situations. It’s always the “right” amount of things that make the burger lovely or the biryani yummy. Imagine adding just 2 percent more salt or turmeric. It changes the taste drastically. It’s the same thing in life, he thought. He had come to a foreign land where they didn’t even speak his language, for a better life. It had to be ensured that he adds the “right” amount of spices and sugar to his life for it to be fruitful. 

He suddenly remembered his college professor saying, “It’s the same boiling water that hardens eggs and softens potatoes.” At that minute, Mohan was in a trance. He literally understood how the earth spun and stars traveled—and, of course, how burgers were made to taste delicious. All it takes is a simple half-year spoonful—more or less than usual. But if you measure your ingredients well, you are inevitably going to have the perfect dish.

“I should make Maharashtrian-style chicken this weekend.” “I will look into a cooking video and make it this Saturday,” he said to himself. He was crafting the perfect double cheeseburger with the right amount of ketchup, mustard sauce, cucumber, onions, cheese, and burger patty at this time. He closed the burger with the perfect fold on the wrapping paper and slid the burger on the table for it to be bagged. As usual, he made a gesture to blow off the smoke from the gun and held that pose until his friend from the other side of the table picked up the burger and bagged it.