Fast Food Restaurant’s
Have you noticed the cost of eating out lately? It cost as much to eat at a fast food restaurant as it do to eat at a full service restaurant. In driving around I have from time to time patronize fast food, I have noticed two things happen. So I started to keep track of my stops and have come up with the following percent’s.
Orders going through drive thru get screwed up 25% of the time.
Orders going inside are less likely to get screwed up by 10%.
So what is the reason and what is the answer.
The staff turns over is the largest reason and then training gets lost in the mix with the younger staff. Now I am not complaining at all about younger staff, in fact I think that is a good thing. I like the look on our young peoples face when I thank them. I had one young person ask me why I was thanking him. After I told him that it was nice to see that there are some young people that want to work. He shared with me how he has friends who think that he is nuts with his busy school and sports schedule to be working.
So here are the things that have happened to me over the past two years.
I have more napkins in my car then what I ever would go through, they must think I am extremely messy.
I have also had to learned to repeat my order and have the person taking my order repeat it back to me. This drops the mistake percentage by 5%. Taking your responsibility to help train todays staff at fast food restaurants and some full service restaurants has become the norm.
Below are a few things I have run into, now you would think that I am a fast food junky. I just travel a lot and most of my travels are driving in a car.
Most of the issues below can be corrected by better training I feel.
I was in a McDonalds and I walked up to the counter. We all have seen the new look. I waited for a four minutes before a person asked me if I needed something. I told them I wanted to order. They with out hesitation told me that that is what the kiosk in the center of the room was for. I then ask if they were not capable of taking my order. Answer: Well if I have too. Also if you want hot French fires, order them with out salt and take a salt packet and sprinkle your own. Your doctor will appreciate this tip.
Culvers is notorious for punching in the wrong meal. I have ordered a single butter burger many times and not until I started having them read back my order have I received, and been charged for what I wanted. Before I would always get a double butter burger and charged for a double butter burger.
Taco John’s: If you don’t mentioned that you want hot potato Olay’s they are always just warm. I asked for hot ones and they took and dropped the cold ones back down in the fryer. (I told them to keep them). I have not been back to that one, but I must be honest I am a Taco John’s fan and I know where the best ones are at.
Burger King: This took place a few years back, a place where your can have it your way. Well I order it, asked the person repeat my order and it still came out wrong. I ordered a burger with no mayonnaise (I have an allergy) that I explained to the person taking the order. It came to me and to be safe I always check, yup it had mayonnaise on it. I brought it back to the counter and asked if they could fix the issue. A minute later I got my burger back, and this seamed kind of fast. So I opened my sandwich and I looked at the bun. They scrapped the mayonnaise off it and gave me the same bun back. I explained to the person that who ever was preparing food in back needs to take a little more pride in their job and I invited him to my funeral as he just killed me. I explained how my throat closes up in minutes just like a person with a peanut or a seafood allergy. I left the sandwich and left.
Jersey Mikes Subs: I was trying to place and order and I needed like above to make sure that there was no mayonnaise on the sandwich, in the sauce that was on the Italian Sub. I asked the person taking my order all the right questions. explained I have an allergy. But she did not move. So I asked her what ingredients were in the sauce for the Italian Sub. She looked at me and said she did not know. OK, is there someone who can tell me? She again just stood there. I told her to cancel the order as I did not feel comfortable and I left and went down to Fire House Subs.
Fire House Subs: I was very pleased with the very young man who took my order. I asked the questions, noted my allergy, and as I was finishing up my order he was changing gloves, replaced is cutting board, and his knife. The sub was great, but the attention to detail and concern tells me I will be going back to that Fire House Sub again.