Eagles Q&A: Brandon Graham remembers his first job flipping burgers

Each week during the 2023 season, we’re going through the Eagles media guide to find an interesting nugget.

The Eagles’ PR interns do a great job filling out these little oddities in the media guide and they serve as a good way to meet the players behind the helmets.

This week, we chatted with Brandon Graham, who just set the franchise record for games played. Graham’s first job was working the grill at McDonald’s.

Me: It says your first job was at McDonald’s on the grill? Is that right?

Graham: Oh yeah. Oh yeah.

Me: How old were you?

Graham: I was a teenager. Let me see, I was in high school then. So I had to be 14, 15.

Me: How long did you work there?

Graham: I worked there for at least a year, year and a half.

Me: Oh wow.

Graham: Just really off and on. Not really off an on. Damn, what was my schedule? I know it wasn’t every day but it was just enough to try to make some money, you know what I’m saying? You know how it go.

Me: Did you like it?

Graham: I did. I did. I still talk to some of the people that’s doing really good now that used McDonald’s and now are doing some good stuff.

Me: Like people that you worked with there?

Graham: Yeah, people that I worked with there that are now doing good. There’s this one dude, he own a clothing company that’s doing really good. High end. And it’s like, damn.

Me: That’s pretty cool.

Graham: Yeah, it’s cool. And it just brings back good memories of some of the people that I was with. Some of the people I was with, it’s good to see them doing good.

Me: How were you on the grill?

Graham: It was easy. It was just everything had a timer so you really could mess it up. You can mess it up, like putting the fries down. Where you can mess it up though is on the line where you make the sandwiches because one day you could be on the grill, one day you could be on the line making the sandwiches or just making the meals. I remember pulling out the nuggets, you dump the nuggets in the little tray and they stay hot in there. You pull them out and fill them up, slide them down where they put them in the bag.

Me: I gotcha.

Graham: It’s cool because when you’re working in the middle like that, you gotta turn around, drop the fries, put the fries in. I always order them no salt because I know they gotta do a new one for you. A fresh one. So I’m always saying, ‘Can I get no salt?’ Because they’re already salty anyway. You learn what to say when you’re in there because people give you some ideas. Like, ‘damn, I never thought about ordering it like that.’

Me: Everyone always jokes about the ice cream machine. Did your ice cream machine work.

Graham: Nope. It didn’t work. It definitely didn’t work. I don’t remember making one McFlurry at that time. (Laughter) And that was a long time ago.

Me: Did that job kind of teach you work ethic and that kind of thing?

Graham: You know what, it had me out of trouble and it do show you how to go get it. Because I know for me, anything was cool. To be able to get some money and then it was fun. I enjoyed working there because I had a good manager. Even if I didn’t, it was cool. Because working at McDonald’s, I was just happy to have a job. Because playing football, you don’t really get to have a job like that because you’re always busy. I know for me, it was really my junior year going into my senior year. That’s when I was really picking it up because senior dues, all that stuff. And your taste in whatever you want. You want different things at that time.

Me: Little bit of money in your pocket.

Graham: Wanted some money. I just wanted money for my car, my gas and be able to get some food. That’s all you really want some money for. And to have $10 or $20 to go out or something.

Me: Cool, man. Thanks. I appreciate it.

Graham: Oh yeah.

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