Expanding on myspace blog and venting
So I have come to the conclusion that most of america thinks themselves as "above" the person making their food at a fast food restaurant. I find this completely repulsive and infuriating. When watching the new Burger King commercials where they stop selling the Whopper for a day, do you laugh? Do you find it funny that adults are treating the person behind the counter like crap? I found those commercials so replusive I can't stand to watch them. How people can find that kind of abuse hilarious is beyond me. Why aren't more people saying...."How can someone become so biligerent over a freakin hamburger? And to someone who only does what they are told?" I just want to find those people and smack them. If you are unhappy you can't get your fat laced microwaved burger from them, get over it and move on. Is it really that important to you that you feel the need to raise your voice or threaten another human being? I mean really?
From time to time at Wendy's we get complaints that are logged by international Wendy's through their website and they are sent to the store after everyone and their brother reads them. Some of these are legitimate and they were truely wronged and they are kind and considerate about it and we call and make them happy again. But this one really got under my skin and I'll post an excerpts from it:
"They are also not very friendly there. I'm not saying they are
rude, but they just have a blank look on their face and hand the order to
you. I don't usually like to complain but it's frustrating when you are
having a busy evening and decided to get something to bring home and when
you get home, it's wrong. And I don't live close enough to the restaurant
to go back and fix it. I don't have that kind of time. That's why I went
there, to save time from cooking dinner. Thank you."
O.K. so we're not very friendly there? We're not rude, but we have blank stares huh? You are coming through a drive thru at 10pm. Do you think you're the only person on the planet that is busy all day? Do you think these teenagers slept all day and were refreshed and ready to go at 8pm to serve you with a smile on their face, should they do cartwheels? Yes, perhaps it would be nice to get a smile, but did act like you deserved it? I'm very pleasent to customers who are pleasent to me, and even some of the bad ones I try to kill them with kindness to really piss them off. But not everyone is like me. Not everyone can swallow the crap that is dealt in a drivethru and keep a smile on their face, I know I can't always. You treat me like crap? Well I'm not going to put alot of concern in your care, I'm sorry, but sometimes that how it goes. When we have customers that have had bad experiences in the past, they make sure to tell you all about at the speaker, at the first window and then again at the second window.
Let me ask you this. If you have had many bad experiences in the past, would you not check your order before driving away? Would you not take the two seconds to open the bag to see if we forgot your straws? Oh my, how could we, it's not like we don't have eight cars in the drivethru we are worried about. Did you stop to think that the person that bagged the order might have let it slip their mind? Are they perfect? No. I can tell you that while you are baggin an order you have another order going off in your headset, three employees asking you questions while you are dropping fries, getting drinks and helping the other employees. I'm so sorry that I forgot your straw and you waited until you got home to notice. What ever happened to personal responsibility? You just paid an average of $3/person for a meal. You get what you pay for. You want 5 star service? Go pay for it.
I'm not saying you can't have a pleasant experience at a fast food restaurant, but you must stop and think about it. These teenagers get up at an average of 7am to get ready for school, they spend all day at school until say 3pm. Then they have enough time to get home, and get ready for work and be there between 4 and 5 pm. Then they work until just after midnight, go home and start over. I mean really, how many of these people do that 5 days a week? You think you have a tight schedule? And not only that, but they do this for MINIMUM WAGE!!!! They find they are not above serving food to the public, if these kids were not here to do it, who would? Who would ensure you could get a meal for $3 to serve to your family because somehow you're to busy to cook yourself?
"And I don't live close enough to the restaurant
to go back and fix it. I don't have that kind of time"
I mean really? The address for this woman is less than a 2 minute drive from the restaurant. You would rather have your kids screaming or going hungry just because you can't turn around and let us fix the mistake? You would rather not call and inform us of the incident? In you busy schedule you somehow found the time to get online and register a complaint, rather than come back and let us fix it so your family can eat their meal? Wow, I guess everyone isn't me. I would have no problem calling and being plesant and getting it taken care of. But I personally would check the bag before I drove off that LONG Distance to make sure my food was right. ESPECIALLY if I had had a bad experience before. But that's just me I guess.
WE ARE NOT PERFECT!!!! WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS CAPABLE OF MISTAKES!!! I hear the comment ALL the time..."That place screws up my order EVERY time I go there" .....ummmm really? So uh.....why do you continue to go back? There must be something worth going back for, because there are three other restaurants right next to it, and yet you keep choosing this one? Why? There are 5 managers and 30 employees. Do you think it is the same people every time watching you drive around and then screwing up your order because it's you? Perhaps....now stick with me.....perhaps, it is you that screws it up? How did you order your food, was it really fast? Did you allow proper time for the employee to catch everything? Was your radio turned down or did you leave it up for the crew to hear whatever it was you were listening to? Did you bother to open your window? (yeah this happens), Was your kid screaming bloody murder in the back seat? It's kind of difficult to hear over that. How about your passenger, were they talking to you at the same time, because yes, we hear them too. How about your cell phone, were you having a conversation with someone while ordering? Did you perhaps forget to request a sauce? Did you happen to forget to request ketchup? Did you happen to order a specialty burger and not realize it doesn't have pickles on there to begin with and that's why you don't have pickles on your sandwich? Did you just assume that the person taking your order was a psycic and could read your mind that you wanted no salt fries?
We had a call a few years ago, this woman was screaming at the manager because her kids wanted bar-b-que sauce with their nuggets and they didn't get it. Our manager asked if she had requested bar-b-que sauce for those nuggets to which she snapped back "No, it's supposed to come with the nuggets" Really? Should we choose one sauce out of the 6 we have to just throw in the bag for only 42% of the population who enjoys the bar-b-que? Do other restaurants just give you bar-b-que, I doubt it.
It's the little things like this that really drive me up the wall. Why can't people just take a step back and think before they act. Don't treat this person who is PREPARING THE FOOD YOU EAT like crap. I know at Wendy's we make the food as ordered and everyone working on your food can hear you order. Do you want to take the chance that your sandwich maker is a safe and clean person? Or do you want to take the chance that they put no value on the job and could care less if you get sick? I'm not using that as a threat, but you have to realize this is a minimum wage job, some of these people don't put alot of thought into their work. You have people that were making nearly a dollar over minimum wage and took pride in going far, that had been there for two years and cared that suddenly are making the same as the 16 year old that got hired yesterday. What would that say to you? How would you feel? Would you care anymore about your job?
These people are just that, they are people. They are your kids, they are your neighbors kids, your grandkids, your nieces or nephews. They are your classmates, they are your friends and they are the people paid to prepare you burgers that only cost .99 cents. If these people were to all get "real" jobs where would that leave you? That's right, at home in your own kitchen preparing your own food. Take a minute and put yourself in their shoes. They don't work for tips, they get paid the same. How much crap would you be willing to take at that job? Do you think you could make 150 sandwiches in an hour and not make a mistake? Do you think you could take a $25 order on a complex register system without making a mistake? Do you think you could clean an entire restaurant from top to bottom while preparing $300 worth of orders at the same time? Do you really think it's that easy? There is more skill to these jobs than most people realize, don't be so hasty at the window.
So if the person handing out your order has a blank stare on their face maybe it's not all about you, maybe they had a death in the family, maybe they are not feeling well, maybe they just got screamed at by the customer ahead of you, maybe they are having a bad day. Are you 100% smiley and chipper at your job, or have you had a bad day too? Have you ever made a mistake? Have you ever pushed the wrong button? Have you ever had obsenities screamed at you because the company you work for discontinued a menu item? Have you ever been called a bitch because the company had to raise their prices? Have you ever served a drunk biligerant S.O.B? Have you ever been called a fat ass for no reason at all? What makes you superior to these people? What is it that makes you better?
Just take a minute and try to remember all of that when you place your order. Remember the people in that building are working at 11pm on a Friday night, that their friends are out having a good time and you were just out having a good time, because it's because of people like the people in the restaurant that you can get 2 double cheese burgers and a kids fry for $2.97 and absorb the alcohol you just had on your way home.
Because if you're an ass and have an open container, or reak of alcohol......some of us love to get your licence plate number, watch you leave and call 1-800-grab-DUI. It's so much fun.
From time to time at Wendy's we get complaints that are logged by international Wendy's through their website and they are sent to the store after everyone and their brother reads them. Some of these are legitimate and they were truely wronged and they are kind and considerate about it and we call and make them happy again. But this one really got under my skin and I'll post an excerpts from it:
"They are also not very friendly there. I'm not saying they are
rude, but they just have a blank look on their face and hand the order to
you. I don't usually like to complain but it's frustrating when you are
having a busy evening and decided to get something to bring home and when
you get home, it's wrong. And I don't live close enough to the restaurant
to go back and fix it. I don't have that kind of time. That's why I went
there, to save time from cooking dinner. Thank you."
O.K. so we're not very friendly there? We're not rude, but we have blank stares huh? You are coming through a drive thru at 10pm. Do you think you're the only person on the planet that is busy all day? Do you think these teenagers slept all day and were refreshed and ready to go at 8pm to serve you with a smile on their face, should they do cartwheels? Yes, perhaps it would be nice to get a smile, but did act like you deserved it? I'm very pleasent to customers who are pleasent to me, and even some of the bad ones I try to kill them with kindness to really piss them off. But not everyone is like me. Not everyone can swallow the crap that is dealt in a drivethru and keep a smile on their face, I know I can't always. You treat me like crap? Well I'm not going to put alot of concern in your care, I'm sorry, but sometimes that how it goes. When we have customers that have had bad experiences in the past, they make sure to tell you all about at the speaker, at the first window and then again at the second window.
Let me ask you this. If you have had many bad experiences in the past, would you not check your order before driving away? Would you not take the two seconds to open the bag to see if we forgot your straws? Oh my, how could we, it's not like we don't have eight cars in the drivethru we are worried about. Did you stop to think that the person that bagged the order might have let it slip their mind? Are they perfect? No. I can tell you that while you are baggin an order you have another order going off in your headset, three employees asking you questions while you are dropping fries, getting drinks and helping the other employees. I'm so sorry that I forgot your straw and you waited until you got home to notice. What ever happened to personal responsibility? You just paid an average of $3/person for a meal. You get what you pay for. You want 5 star service? Go pay for it.
I'm not saying you can't have a pleasant experience at a fast food restaurant, but you must stop and think about it. These teenagers get up at an average of 7am to get ready for school, they spend all day at school until say 3pm. Then they have enough time to get home, and get ready for work and be there between 4 and 5 pm. Then they work until just after midnight, go home and start over. I mean really, how many of these people do that 5 days a week? You think you have a tight schedule? And not only that, but they do this for MINIMUM WAGE!!!! They find they are not above serving food to the public, if these kids were not here to do it, who would? Who would ensure you could get a meal for $3 to serve to your family because somehow you're to busy to cook yourself?
"And I don't live close enough to the restaurant
to go back and fix it. I don't have that kind of time"
I mean really? The address for this woman is less than a 2 minute drive from the restaurant. You would rather have your kids screaming or going hungry just because you can't turn around and let us fix the mistake? You would rather not call and inform us of the incident? In you busy schedule you somehow found the time to get online and register a complaint, rather than come back and let us fix it so your family can eat their meal? Wow, I guess everyone isn't me. I would have no problem calling and being plesant and getting it taken care of. But I personally would check the bag before I drove off that LONG Distance to make sure my food was right. ESPECIALLY if I had had a bad experience before. But that's just me I guess.
WE ARE NOT PERFECT!!!! WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS CAPABLE OF MISTAKES!!! I hear the comment ALL the time..."That place screws up my order EVERY time I go there" .....ummmm really? So uh.....why do you continue to go back? There must be something worth going back for, because there are three other restaurants right next to it, and yet you keep choosing this one? Why? There are 5 managers and 30 employees. Do you think it is the same people every time watching you drive around and then screwing up your order because it's you? Perhaps....now stick with me.....perhaps, it is you that screws it up? How did you order your food, was it really fast? Did you allow proper time for the employee to catch everything? Was your radio turned down or did you leave it up for the crew to hear whatever it was you were listening to? Did you bother to open your window? (yeah this happens), Was your kid screaming bloody murder in the back seat? It's kind of difficult to hear over that. How about your passenger, were they talking to you at the same time, because yes, we hear them too. How about your cell phone, were you having a conversation with someone while ordering? Did you perhaps forget to request a sauce? Did you happen to forget to request ketchup? Did you happen to order a specialty burger and not realize it doesn't have pickles on there to begin with and that's why you don't have pickles on your sandwich? Did you just assume that the person taking your order was a psycic and could read your mind that you wanted no salt fries?
We had a call a few years ago, this woman was screaming at the manager because her kids wanted bar-b-que sauce with their nuggets and they didn't get it. Our manager asked if she had requested bar-b-que sauce for those nuggets to which she snapped back "No, it's supposed to come with the nuggets" Really? Should we choose one sauce out of the 6 we have to just throw in the bag for only 42% of the population who enjoys the bar-b-que? Do other restaurants just give you bar-b-que, I doubt it.
It's the little things like this that really drive me up the wall. Why can't people just take a step back and think before they act. Don't treat this person who is PREPARING THE FOOD YOU EAT like crap. I know at Wendy's we make the food as ordered and everyone working on your food can hear you order. Do you want to take the chance that your sandwich maker is a safe and clean person? Or do you want to take the chance that they put no value on the job and could care less if you get sick? I'm not using that as a threat, but you have to realize this is a minimum wage job, some of these people don't put alot of thought into their work. You have people that were making nearly a dollar over minimum wage and took pride in going far, that had been there for two years and cared that suddenly are making the same as the 16 year old that got hired yesterday. What would that say to you? How would you feel? Would you care anymore about your job?
These people are just that, they are people. They are your kids, they are your neighbors kids, your grandkids, your nieces or nephews. They are your classmates, they are your friends and they are the people paid to prepare you burgers that only cost .99 cents. If these people were to all get "real" jobs where would that leave you? That's right, at home in your own kitchen preparing your own food. Take a minute and put yourself in their shoes. They don't work for tips, they get paid the same. How much crap would you be willing to take at that job? Do you think you could make 150 sandwiches in an hour and not make a mistake? Do you think you could take a $25 order on a complex register system without making a mistake? Do you think you could clean an entire restaurant from top to bottom while preparing $300 worth of orders at the same time? Do you really think it's that easy? There is more skill to these jobs than most people realize, don't be so hasty at the window.
So if the person handing out your order has a blank stare on their face maybe it's not all about you, maybe they had a death in the family, maybe they are not feeling well, maybe they just got screamed at by the customer ahead of you, maybe they are having a bad day. Are you 100% smiley and chipper at your job, or have you had a bad day too? Have you ever made a mistake? Have you ever pushed the wrong button? Have you ever had obsenities screamed at you because the company you work for discontinued a menu item? Have you ever been called a bitch because the company had to raise their prices? Have you ever served a drunk biligerant S.O.B? Have you ever been called a fat ass for no reason at all? What makes you superior to these people? What is it that makes you better?
Just take a minute and try to remember all of that when you place your order. Remember the people in that building are working at 11pm on a Friday night, that their friends are out having a good time and you were just out having a good time, because it's because of people like the people in the restaurant that you can get 2 double cheese burgers and a kids fry for $2.97 and absorb the alcohol you just had on your way home.
Because if you're an ass and have an open container, or reak of alcohol......some of us love to get your licence plate number, watch you leave and call 1-800-grab-DUI. It's so much fun.
AMEN!
ReplyDeleteI love it Pete. Keep preachin!