Southern Hospitality?
I'm not sure that phrase works in Florida. Case in point: a recent experience my family had at the local Arby's restaurant.
This was a few weeks ago now, and my father, my Minion, and myself were out shopping and since it was close to lunch time and my Minion had been exceptionally well-behaved that day, we decided to reward her with Arby's. She loves the food and we don't get out to eat much, since taking my grandmother out in public usually ends in embarrassment.
So the three of us walk in and there's no one in the lobby. No customers. And no customers in the drive thru, as we had just walked past it to enter the building. The assistant manager was taking orders for the lobby, identified on her name tag as ASSISTANT MANAGER. I forget her name by now, but she was a cute little brunette. She took my father's order while my Minion and I took a detour to the bathroom. When we came back, my father asked if he was paying for us or if we were splitting it. I said we were splitting it, so he paid for his food. I was still standing by the counter with my daughter, deciding what she wanted to order. She's almost 4 and loves to tell people what she wants to eat.
The assistant manager looked directly at me when I said I would pay for my food and my daughter's, yet she turned around and started writing in some book on the counter. 10 MINUTES LATER.......: she finally turned around and noticed I was still standing there! I had tried to get her attention, but she was too busy telling the employees that just came in that she "had too many employees" and "didn't have anywhere to put them", as they weren't busy enough to have everyone working at stations.
When she finally took my order, I was a little upset but tried not to let it bother me, because I didn't want to create a scene. I try to behave in public for the most part. :)
But when I ordered the jalapeno bites, she didn't even call them back to have someone put them in the fryer until AFTER all of my food was ready and waiting in the bag, on the counter, not under the heat lamp. Now, my very first job 15 years ago was working at an Arby's in Wisconsin, and I know damn well that it takes a few minutes to cook the jalapeno bites to order. They aren't made ahead of time. So while my food and my Minion's food was getting cold on the counter, we had to wait for the bites to cook. With all the "extra employees" that the assistant manager claims to have had, why did it take so long to get my food?
On top of that, when we finally got our drinks, the ice bin in the lobby was EMPTY! How can it be empty when you have "extra employees" and "nowhere to put them"?! I asked for ice and an employee too a cup from the holder behind the counter, used HIS FREE HAND WITH NO GLOVE TO SCOOP ICE INTO THAT CUP, then shook that ice into my cup! His hand didn't actually touch the ice, but he still should have had a glove on the hand that could possibly touch the ice. Public Health Issue right there.....I don't know where his hands have been or when he last washed them.
Now, they may seem trivial to most people, but I work in customer service and have for the better part of 15 years. I know how to acknowledge customers and make them feel like they are number one to the company, the only person that is important in that moment of interaction. Well, needless to say, we didn't feel very important that day. So a few days passed and I decided to let Arby's know how disappointed I was in my experience. This was not the first time my family had been treated like this but it was the first time I had experienced it.
So I posted a review on Arby's Facebook Page, letting them know how the visit went and that we were probably not going to come back, because being treated like crap twice was enough for us. Well, they emailed me back and said that they were going to send me 2 vouchers for complimentary meals, in the hopes that we would return and the next visit would be up to our standards (read: maybe they wouldn't have lazy people working when they claim to have too many employees on hand).
I probably won't ever stop going to Arby's because, let's face it, their curly fries are AMAZING. But the term Southern Hospitality doesn't exist in Florida. We missed the memo that we are, in fact, a part of the South. I had better service from people in Wisconsin than I have had in Florida, and I don't understand that. Why is everyone down here in such a bad mood ALL THE DAMN TIME?! I just don't get it.....Life is not as bad as you think. And even if it is, there is always someone who has it worse. So stop being rude and mean and downright obnoxious! If you have a job, be happy you have one! There are plenty who wish they could find a job. If you have a job, at least pretend that you are in a good mood. You're being paid to be nice to customers. So be nice. If you have to recite to yourself that stripes are not your color and you don't look good in orange to help you get through your day, fine! But be nice to people. You will have a much better day if you let things go and don't let one bad person ruin your day.
I see hundreds of people every day. If I let one person ruin my (sometimes pretend) good mood, I'm in for an agonizingly long 8 hours. But work goes a lot faster when you pay attention to the customers and don't let one bad apple ruin the bunch. I may not go back to Arby's for months, but I won't let one bad experience ruin my whole opinion of the brand. I just wish sometimes that I could yell and scream and create an issue like people do when they come to where I work.
I, however, was raised to behave better in public than I do at home.
This was a few weeks ago now, and my father, my Minion, and myself were out shopping and since it was close to lunch time and my Minion had been exceptionally well-behaved that day, we decided to reward her with Arby's. She loves the food and we don't get out to eat much, since taking my grandmother out in public usually ends in embarrassment.
So the three of us walk in and there's no one in the lobby. No customers. And no customers in the drive thru, as we had just walked past it to enter the building. The assistant manager was taking orders for the lobby, identified on her name tag as ASSISTANT MANAGER. I forget her name by now, but she was a cute little brunette. She took my father's order while my Minion and I took a detour to the bathroom. When we came back, my father asked if he was paying for us or if we were splitting it. I said we were splitting it, so he paid for his food. I was still standing by the counter with my daughter, deciding what she wanted to order. She's almost 4 and loves to tell people what she wants to eat.
The assistant manager looked directly at me when I said I would pay for my food and my daughter's, yet she turned around and started writing in some book on the counter. 10 MINUTES LATER.......: she finally turned around and noticed I was still standing there! I had tried to get her attention, but she was too busy telling the employees that just came in that she "had too many employees" and "didn't have anywhere to put them", as they weren't busy enough to have everyone working at stations.
When she finally took my order, I was a little upset but tried not to let it bother me, because I didn't want to create a scene. I try to behave in public for the most part. :)
But when I ordered the jalapeno bites, she didn't even call them back to have someone put them in the fryer until AFTER all of my food was ready and waiting in the bag, on the counter, not under the heat lamp. Now, my very first job 15 years ago was working at an Arby's in Wisconsin, and I know damn well that it takes a few minutes to cook the jalapeno bites to order. They aren't made ahead of time. So while my food and my Minion's food was getting cold on the counter, we had to wait for the bites to cook. With all the "extra employees" that the assistant manager claims to have had, why did it take so long to get my food?
On top of that, when we finally got our drinks, the ice bin in the lobby was EMPTY! How can it be empty when you have "extra employees" and "nowhere to put them"?! I asked for ice and an employee too a cup from the holder behind the counter, used HIS FREE HAND WITH NO GLOVE TO SCOOP ICE INTO THAT CUP, then shook that ice into my cup! His hand didn't actually touch the ice, but he still should have had a glove on the hand that could possibly touch the ice. Public Health Issue right there.....I don't know where his hands have been or when he last washed them.
Now, they may seem trivial to most people, but I work in customer service and have for the better part of 15 years. I know how to acknowledge customers and make them feel like they are number one to the company, the only person that is important in that moment of interaction. Well, needless to say, we didn't feel very important that day. So a few days passed and I decided to let Arby's know how disappointed I was in my experience. This was not the first time my family had been treated like this but it was the first time I had experienced it.
So I posted a review on Arby's Facebook Page, letting them know how the visit went and that we were probably not going to come back, because being treated like crap twice was enough for us. Well, they emailed me back and said that they were going to send me 2 vouchers for complimentary meals, in the hopes that we would return and the next visit would be up to our standards (read: maybe they wouldn't have lazy people working when they claim to have too many employees on hand).
I probably won't ever stop going to Arby's because, let's face it, their curly fries are AMAZING. But the term Southern Hospitality doesn't exist in Florida. We missed the memo that we are, in fact, a part of the South. I had better service from people in Wisconsin than I have had in Florida, and I don't understand that. Why is everyone down here in such a bad mood ALL THE DAMN TIME?! I just don't get it.....Life is not as bad as you think. And even if it is, there is always someone who has it worse. So stop being rude and mean and downright obnoxious! If you have a job, be happy you have one! There are plenty who wish they could find a job. If you have a job, at least pretend that you are in a good mood. You're being paid to be nice to customers. So be nice. If you have to recite to yourself that stripes are not your color and you don't look good in orange to help you get through your day, fine! But be nice to people. You will have a much better day if you let things go and don't let one bad person ruin your day.
I see hundreds of people every day. If I let one person ruin my (sometimes pretend) good mood, I'm in for an agonizingly long 8 hours. But work goes a lot faster when you pay attention to the customers and don't let one bad apple ruin the bunch. I may not go back to Arby's for months, but I won't let one bad experience ruin my whole opinion of the brand. I just wish sometimes that I could yell and scream and create an issue like people do when they come to where I work.
I, however, was raised to behave better in public than I do at home.
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