Darlene does NOT serve meat at the counter. She is forced to work there by Roseanne, but out of principal, will not serve the meat. That was her whole point
The show portrayed a working-class family struggling to get by on a limited income in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. Many critics considered the show notable as one of the first sitcoms to portray an American family in which economics necessitated two parents working jobs outside the home.