Today I went to a large multinational fast food outlet for my lunch. I’m not a snob, but I don’t often go to fast food restaurants, because I’m trying to hang on to my fairly sylph-like figure at the age of 55. I don’t want to turn into a ‘typical’ middle-aged man. Anyway, a little bit of what you fancy does you good from time to time, and I fancied a slightly ‘junky’ lunch!
The young lady who served me was perfunctorily pleasant, but no more than that. While I was waiting for my slightly healthier option to be prepared, I cast my eye around the parts of the establishment that were visible from the service area. It was then that I saw it! A large ‘No Entry – Manager’s Office’ on the door that was obviously where the manager lived. I was just digesting that piece of information and its implications when a young lady emerged from the manager’s office, strode through the service area without even looking at a member of the team or a customer, and performed what I am sure was a very important update on one of the tills. Then she went back into the office and closed the door.
What do those actions say about the attitude of that company (a massive international fast food retailer, not the biggest, but a major player) to its people and customers?
Oh, the tip: If you want your front line people to treat your customers well, don’t lock yourself away in an office for a moment longer than you absolutely have to. If you work in a restaurant and you think being a manager makes you too important to serve customers, clear tables and clean kitchens, you are sadly mistaken. Try changing your behaviour and see the impact it has on your people and the service they deliver to your customers, then watch your business thrive!