"There's That For Ya" (A learning moment for the customer service industry)

Serious show of hands (leave it in the comments), how many times have you been in the drive-thru only to be greeted at the window with "$is.your.total", then EVERY INTERACTION FOLLOWING (starting with having your card or change handed back to you) is "There's that for ya."

This can't just be a Nebraska thing, can it? I can't be the only one who FREQUENTLY experiences this, can I?

Seriously. I want to know. This topic is one that makes me saltier than a McDonald's french fry, dammit.

"There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya.There's that for ya."

THERE

IS

THAT

FOR

YA

The pandemic of customer service in the fast food industry is when attendants, drive-thru workers—anyone—hands you something in a mindless, monotone "There's that for ya" acknowledgement.

Giving you your credit card back? "There's that for ya."

Giving you your drink? "There's that for ya."

Handing you a straw? "There's that for ya."

Delivering your order? "There's that for ya."

Look, I get it, my very first job was at Burger King when I was 14 years old making $5.15 an hour (for 2 years before I was "eligible" for a raise).

I started as a dishwasher (and I did a damn good and thorough job). I vowed one day to be The King of the Drive Thru! (I eventually got there, in fact I was a manager at 17 years old). I worked in fast food for 7 or 8 years, then in the restaurant industry for another 3 years.

And. Not. Once. Did. I. Say. "There's that for ya."

Fast food prices today hardly resemble the actual food "quality" itself. We used to be paying an appropriate price for mediocre food done fast—that was the unspoken agreement. Now, you're finding yourself ordering at Arby's for $20 or $30...hell even Taco Bell orders are in the $15 to $25 range. Put in a more statistical way, according to a report from food research group Datassential, the median price of a fast-food hamburger in the US has leaped 54% over the last decade to ~$6.95. Similarly, the median price of a chicken sandwich was reported to be up 27%, as per Bloomberg, with both sums surpassing inflation during that period. "You used to go to fast-food places with $5 and expect to get change." That simply isn't the case anymore. So, shouldn't a more premium price come with a better customer service experience?

There's a reason McDonald's is the world's largest fast-food restaurant chain and one of the best-known brand names. The company has more than 39,000 locations in approximately 100 countries—and not by accident. One thing rarely in their employees' lexicons is "There's that for ya." Chalk it up to better-than-average training designed to deliver a more genuine and personable customer service experience. So, beyond one of the most—if not THE most—consistent food quality experiences, their customer service (for the most part) is on par too, especially for being such an incredibly Supersized Fried Food Empire.

Let's take another look at the Pinnacle of customer service in the fast-food segment—Chick-fil-A. "Serve customers moar better," 71% of people who went to Chick-fil-A in the last six months said, "Chick-fil-A had the best customer service." These Conquerors of Customer Service are all about manners and "my pleasures." So much so, they would rather be caught selling second-hand Whoppers out of a dusty old trench coat on a street corner than telling a valued customer "there's that for ya" in a disinterested tone.

I'm not here to point out a problem without providing solutions. The reason why "there's that for ya" is awful is because it's lazy customer service—it makes the whole experience disingenuous and forgettable (so the food damn well better be great to make up for it). Thinks about it, just a little more context to a short transaction can be helpful verbal cues to those of us sitting in a drive-thru preoccupied with several other thoughts about work and life while we wait for food.

Grab this training manual I'm going to write in 30-seconds and please feel free to share it with friends or family members who are working their first fried jobs.

Giving you your credit card back?

"Thank you for being our customer. Here's your credit card back." (Acknowledge someone is spending probably more than they should for what you're giving them with a thank you. Then either count the change back to ensure accuracy or verbally confirm you are giving their credit card back. How many times have you left a vendor—not just fast food—wondering if you actually got your card back or if you accidentally left it behind?)

Giving you your drink?

"Here's the [flavor] you ordered." (This line helps ensure order accuracy and reduce frustration by giving both parties a chance to confirm the correct drink in real-time.)

Handing you a straw?

"Here's your straw. Your order will be ready soon, would you like any additional condiments?" (This is a good opportunity to give a customer a quick update on how long they can expect to wait for their order in addition to being a nice touchpoint to ask if they want or need anything else with their meal to make it as enjoyable of a customer service experience as possible.)

Delivering your order?

"Have a great day! We hope to see you again soon!" (Man, what a great send off. In just 11 short words, you can deliver an expression that quickly conveys positivity, recognition, and appreciation. There are 50+ fast food brands with ~198,337 fast food restaurants in the U.S. in 2020. Restaurants MUST be more than just another overpriced Burger Server with underwhelming customer service or else this will negatively impact their market share over time.)

*I'd like to give special recognition to Sonic, Wendy's, Arby's, Burger King, Subway, and Taco Bell (especially Taco Bell) for being my Greasy Muse for this post. This article wouldn't be possible without you, and for that I'm thankful.

**Exemptions from the "There's that for ya" poor customer service list include (but is not limited to): Chick-fil-A, Runza, Culvers, and (more often than not) McDonald's.