I had an unbelievable customer experience at a quick service restaurant. I know you may be surprised, but I think it happens more than you know. Especially if there are more Deborah’s in the world.

Now, I will preface my comments by saying that I don’t eat a lot of food from the quick-service restaurants. But in this instance, I was headed to an overnight business retreat and stopped for a quick lunch because my hotel room was not yet ready.

When I walked into the restaurant, I was acknowledged right away by the counter person, Deborah, who was in the dining room cleaning. She told me she was just finishing up, and that she would be right there. And then she almost ran to get back to her counter.

She then asked me how my day was going (before she even asked for my order!), and then asked me for my first name! Now, that happens sometimes when there is a long line ahead of you. But there was no one in front of me.

She thanked me for my order (using my first name)! She not only treated me with that kind of respect, but as I sat and ate my lunch (and observed her); she gave the same quality service to everyone. Customers left her line with a smile on their faces. Why? Because Deborah cared and made everyone feel important.

As she came back into the dining room later to continuing cleaning, she came over to me to chat and see how I was doing. And because customer service and hospitality training is so important to me, I had to ask her…

“How are you so happy and friendly? Was it the culture of the restaurant? Was it just you? Or both?” And she proudly answered, “I feel blessed to be here every day, and I love meeting and taking care of people.” Her goal is to wake up each morning and make people feel happy. You could tell that she has a passion for service, and it was infectious.

There is a bell to ring (at the end of the line) if you received great service. While I was sitting there, two people rang it within five minutes. Why? Because of Deborah! Guess what. I rang it too (and I never do that!).

I’m disappointed, however, that I feel I got the Star Treatment. Why? Because we should be getting this type of service every day wherever we go. Why don’t we? Either we aren’t training people the right way, the workers don’t care, or any other number of reasons. Maybe we just need more Deborah’s in the work force.

Postscript- I stopped in about 8 months later to the same restaurant and guess who was there with a bright smiling face to greet me- Deborah! I told her of my visit about a year ago and how much her service to me made my day! She thanked me and said- “I wake up every day happy, and I love making other people happy too!”

Deborah- you made my day again! I could not have said it better myself!

Have you seen people act like this in person? If so, please send them to Bob@BobPacanovsky.com. I am always amazed by how people behave and more importantly, I want to know how you reacted to this behavior.

If you would like more information about our Training Programs and seminars, check out our website- www.BobPacanovsky.com or call us at (330) 352-6084

Bob Pacanovsky

Bob Pacanovsky is a Keynote Speaker and Strategic Trainer

who works with organizations to help them deliver Service Excellence and Hospitality that exceeds the expectations of their customers!

To learn more, and to book Bob contact him:

Call (330) 352-6084 or email Bob@BobPacanovsky.com