A study of fast-food restaurants in Brooklyn, New York, examines factors contributing to inner-city racial minorities' underrepresentation in lowwage consumer-service jobs. Stressing the importance of “geocultural context” and workplace social relations, it helps broaden the framework around other qualitative studies attempting to understand race and ethnic patterns in the growing service-based economy. Findings demonstrate a hiring preference for the foreign-born, shaped by factors rooted in both the neighborhood context and the workplace. In-depth assessment of workplace interactions and conflicts reveals a set of contradictory assumptions between managers and employees, contributing to a “self-fulfilling prophecy” and reduced employment rates among American-born racial minorities.
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