Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown of Slidell, Louisiana shares this instructive experience.
“Years ago while in a previous position, I traveled a lot and would leave my home around 6:00 AM. There was a fast food restaurant between my home and the exit on the interstate where I would stop for a cup of coffee. It wasn’t a big sale—less than a dollar. This fast food restaurant was—believe it or not—special.”
“Normally, I would stop at the microphone at the menu sign and wait for the expected raspy, non-engaged voice asking me if I wanted the latest value meal. That wasn’t the case at this place. Instead I heard the most pleasant voice say, “Good morning, this is Debra, how may I help you?” “
“Seriously? Someone at a fast food restaurant who actually wanted to help me…and wasn’t interested in pushing their latest meal deal? I was impressed. Yet, it got even better.”
“As I sat at the window waiting for my cup of coffee, Debra appeared. She had my coffee. I gave her a $5.00 bill. Her attention to detail and professionalism blew me away. She placed her hand beneath my outstretched hand, placed the bills in the palm of my hand first and then added the changed on top of the bills which allowed me to close my hand without the possibility of dropping the change all over the parking lot. Now I was even more impressed.”
“Then she handed me the cup of coffee and asked if I wanted cream and sugar for the coffee.”
“”Thank you for stopping by, have a very nice day.” I told her thank you and to also have a nice day and left for my trip and left her a tip. Tipping a fast food employee is unheard of, but I was thrilled to do it….as that brief exchange with Debra set an amazing tone for the rest of my day.”
“Every time I left on a trip I made a point to stop at THAT restaurant. Every time the experience with Debra was the same. It got to the point I stopped not for the coffee but rather to hear Debra’s voice and her good wishes. I wrote a note to management and complimented them AND Debra on how she conducted herself and how professional she was.”
“Now for the rest of the story. This experience was over 20 years ago–and I still tell that story to this day. It was about two weeks after I wrote the thank you note that I stopped by as usual for coffee. When I pulled up to the window, this time was different. Debra took my hand but not to put change in it. She said, “I know it was you who wrote the note to my manager. Because of the note, I got a raise and wanted to thank you.”
As Jim noted, he ended up going to that restaurant because of Debra. She made the kind of difference that resulted in drawing people back to her (and the restaurant) over and over. Imagine how many others like Jim she influenced.
Whether Debra ‘showed up’ as a professional because of her upbringing or because of the restaurant’s management—we’ll never know. We do know that Debra’s capabilities were recognized by management and she was ultimately promoted. Unfortunately for Jim the promotion meant that she no longer worked the window. The service, Jim later observed, was never the same.
Debra was exceptional. She stood out. She showed up as a professional would—yes, even at a fast food joint. So impressed, Jim wrote a thank you note. Nobody does that.
Every organization seeking competitive advantage should be scouring the countryside high and low, day and night for more Debra’s. Now would be a good time to start.