In the small city where I shop and do business, we have a fast-food alley with a McDonald's and a Wendy's side by side, and I admit to visiting the drive-up windows of both places way more than I ought to. And I've noticed a curious thing over the years: the people who work the window at Wendy's are always a lot happier than the ones at McDonald's.

Don't get me wrong; the McDonald's people are polite enough, and they're certainly competent; I've never been treated rudely or had a mishap at the hands of a McDonald's worker. But the folks at Wendy's are always more relaxed, joking and laughing with each other and generally enjoying each other's company, all while doing a fine job of manning the drive-up window. I've often wondered about the management at the local Wendy's, because the workers there always seem to be a whole lot happier than the ones at McDonald's.

I'm not an expert at the relative success of Wendy's versus McDonald's nationwide, or even locally. I'm sure McDonald's does a lot of business. But I've realized that, in my many trips to the local fast-food joints, I end up at Wendy's 90 percent of the time.

Happiness sells--at least to me.

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About the Author

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics.