Remember When we all took Pride in our Work?
Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald, You Guessed it! America's Expert on Hamburgers. Franchising and Business Development
I know I am getting "Older" and it has been decades since I hand cut french fries in our first McDonald's but back then we took pride in what we did and seemed to be glad we could work at all.
Now it is as if those serving us are doing us a favor taking our orders and our money. When did it all change? I was in a unnamed fast food restaurant (Hmmm Krystal's...you guessed) last week and ordered their special a "Surf and Turf" combo of fried shrimp and 2 small burgers. The crew at the front we more automaton than people and their communication skills barley above a caveman's grunt. The opening line was not "Hello or Welcome or even Hi" but "For here or to go". When I stopped and said "Good Afternoon and how are you today" you would have thought I was speaking Chinese because all I got was a stare.
The manager was so involved in her own conversations that the crew could not even stop to prepare the order and when it came out, well if those shrimp would have been any harder and overcooked any more we could have put them in a museum as fossils.
But what bothered me the most is when I said "Thank You and have a Blessed Day " and got "No Problem" as a response. Doesn't anyone ever train these people how to say a simple line like "Your Welcome" "Have a Nice Day" "Enjoy your meal". But NO PROBLEM as a response accompanied by apathy, indifference and a total lack of understanding that the Customer is the one paying the bills so at least use a little courtesy in dealing with them. Sad how times have changed and what we will accept as the standard.
Seeking Opportunities
7 年I think it's a little unfair to single out "Krystal" when the phenomenon that you're describing is a cultural failure across our society. The scenario you're describing is played out millions of times a week in the QSR industry. I have been to many Krystal's and had an exceptional experience. The challenge facing the industry is finding Management that can recruit, train, mentor, challenge and create a culture that encourages pride, creativity and personal enrichment. By working in a culture of support and encouragement many of the challenges such as salary, hours and working conditions can be greatly marginalized. It also encourages peer to peer competition and elevates the performance of the entire operation. It begins with selecting the right people and giving them the nourishment to succeed. The challenges of weeding out the labor pool and creating career minded employees is an ongoing and very challenging undertaking at any QSR and the shortcomings of management are prevalent across the industry.