need help

is it reasonable for a fast-food chain to require all new employees to sign an agreement that they will not work for another fast-food rest. for 6 months after leaving the chain? is it legal? can an ex-employee legally reveal the recipe for a chain's special blend of 11 herbs and spices? why or why not ?
thanks

It is not uncommon for employers to have employees sign a Statement of Confidentiality. Normally this is used when propritary information is disclosed to employees or in cases of research and development. In a more Technical employment it's possible for employers to go to court when other companies "Steal Away" their prized employees. I believe Google and Yahoo are in a battle over that issue right now. These are called "Corporate Raiders"
In the case of a battle for Chicken cooking secrets. They probably will request you not to divulge this info but as far as working for another fast food chain? Check with your states employment office or Labor Board for laws regarding this issue. By now millions of previous employees have been there done that and I'm sure they didn't all have a happy ending to their employment. As a matter of fact , you can find the 11 secret spices on the internet. Oops! Someone told!