Saturday, July 30, 2011

Simple Smile... and a Cinna-mint

I have a question.  Why do we (Americans) have low standards of service?  We love everything done so quickly sometimes that we forget to smile.

Craziest place to have this all come to light today was a Long John Silvers in Lancaster, PA, on the way home from vacation.  After a long drive, and my one complaint being I didn't get to have the infamous Crabber Cove hush puppies seeing as how Crabbers Cove ceases to exist, so I opted for LJS.  Good faithful Garmin, aka Mary, picked a LJS on Manheim Pike in Lancaster, when we actually passed another to get to it.  I noticed something different at this fast food restaurant when I was getting my drink, when one of the workers actually brought my food over to me instead of calling out my number.  I thanked her, nodded to myself thinking 'wow that was nice,' and took my seat.  Friends followed suit.  We were just finishing up our meal when around comes the women that took our order with a basket of cinnamon mints (my favorite), stopping at each table asking how everything was and handing out the mints.  She even joked with my friend about how his meal was from Wendy's!  So simple.  Less than 1 minute of her time at our table.  Entire dining room, less than 8 minutes.  We sat there as she walked away discussing the amazing service.  How for a fast food restaurant it was unheard of!  How the workers there actually were smiling.

Rewind quite a few hours to our departure from the beach and our stop out of town at Dunkin' Donuts, I think I saw maybe two smiles in the packed place from co-workers and customers combined.  We laughed about how everyone leaving was sad vacation was over, and how locals were annoyed the vacationers made the place so crowded.  But service with a smile, some manners, and an extra minute, that's really where it's at.  Kudos Long John Silvers on Manheim Pike in Lancaster, PA, I don't even like fish but I like you.

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