The Perfect Ending to a Great Day

We were exhausted from the excitement of Spring Training. On vacation in Clearwater Beach, FL celebrating the start of another season of baseball, it had already been a great first day. The weather was amazing: 80F, not a cloud in the sky, a far cry from the miserable winter we’d been having at home.

We arrived early at Bright House Field, trying to beat the crowds expected for the Phillies home opener. A promotional RV had been setup by 2K Sports in the parking lot of the ballpark inviting gamers to demo the highly anticipated MLB2K11. I’m not ashamed to admit that at 34 years of age I’m still a huge gamer. I’ve owned every copy of 2K Sports’ classic baseball game since 2007, and a chance to play the upcoming 2011 installment before its release was a BIG DEAL! Shortly after completing my demo of the new video game, I provided my “expert” analysis and feedback to one of the event coordinators, who in return gave me a free MLB2K T-shirt! Shot – SCORE! Let’s just say I was living pretty large in all my geeky glory. Great day.

Heading back through the parking lot towards the main entrance, I passed Phillies Ace, Roy Halladay. Surrounded by team officials acting like bodyguards, the 7-time All-Star and 2-time Cy Young Award winner was heading to an exclusive appearance for the same 2K Sports event that I just came from. It was obvious to all onlookers that this chance encounter was not going to yield any photo ops or autograph signings. So I did what any determined fan would do – pulled out my driver’s license, shamelessly waived it in his face and yelled “Hey Roy! It’s my birthday! How bout a pic?” It worked. It was a really great day.

After being in the sun and consuming more than a few beers at the game, a late-afternoon nap suited us just fine. Unfortunately, we overslept and woke up starving with few dinner options. Clearwater Beach on a Sunday night isn’t exactly “happening”. I typically refuse to be the guy who walks into a restaurant as the staff is watching the clock and making their own plans for after-work cocktails. But we were on vacation and jonesing for some seafood, not some deep-fried pub food we could get in any local bar.

We found a restaurant online called The Lobster Pot Bistro, located less than one mile from our rental (731 Bayway Blvd: 727-446-8809). It was 9PM, so we called ahead to make sure they would still be open by the time we got there. I was almost afraid to ask, but at the same time ready to plead my case for whatever the kitchen was still willing to serve. The young lady who answered the phone was pleasantly spirited and encouraging. She said, “Of course! The kitchen is open and we have live music until 10PM”. I know a few places that would discourage new customers this late, even with an hour to spare before the scheduled closing time.

We arrived to find a dimly lit, virtually empty restaurant. Our server greeted us warmly with a smile and offered us some drinks while we looked over the menu. I was pleasantly surprised at how cheerful, enthusiastic and hospitable she was considering the place would’ve looked about the same with a “Closed” sign hanging on the door. Our server, Katie, seemed genuinely excited that we came in. She went on and on about how amazing the food was. She made several suggestions and offered us all the time we needed to look over our menus. We never felt rushed. She later shared with us that she had just moved to Florida from Kentucky to work at her boyfriend’s parent’s restaurant. She had a soft twang in her voice that made her seem even more genuine when she asked how we were enjoying everything. The food was really great but it was the service that was truly memorable. Maybe I have high standards but low expectations. Maybe I’m just used to the Northeast, where everyone has someplace to get to and is in such a hurry to get there. It truly was the perfect ending to a great day.

The Dunkin Donuts Saga: Part 2 (VIDEO)

Held Captive by Convenience: The Dunkin Donuts Saga

God I love a good cup of coffee! In fact, there aren’t many things in this world that I look forward to more. I enjoy all different types of coffee, from common grinds to unique and exotic blends. I’ve tried to cut back, even switch over to tea completely, only to find myself holding a freshly brewed cup as I type this post. Thankfully this particular cup’o-joe was made with my Keurig One-Cup Brewer, sparing me the agonizing pain of venturing out to my local Dunkin Donuts. While it may sound a bit dramatic to describe a simple run to Dunkin Donuts as agonizingly painful, I’m willing to bet you’ve never had the opportunity to visit the folks over at 20 Main Street in Asbury Park, NJ. Well, consider yourself fortunate.

20 Main Street |Asbury Park, NJ

It’s bad. It’s really bad. The outdated pictures on the drive-thru menu should be replaced with warnings of what’s to come. The broken speaker from which I can barely hear the staff asking for my order. Oh wait, that’s because they DON’T ask for my order. That’s right, I’m lucky if I might get a “Good Morning”. After waiting for several moments with my window down, I usually just start speaking in hopes that someone inside is listening. They’re normally out of at least one thing I’m looking for, which is a lot considering I’m usually only ordering for myself. They confirm each item while I’m ordering like it’s that last thing I’m ordering. This is NOT for accuracy, rather to hurry me along to complete my order. Definitely NOT for accuracy, as the standard greeting when I finally get to the window is “What was your order again?”. One time the agent rang me up, took my credit card, charged it, and then told me they were out of what I ordered while simultaneously handing me the receipt (Multitasking?). I would call to complain but the number on the “for comments and suggestions” sticker posted outside of the cashier’s window has been aggressively scratched off…seriously?!?

The place is always in absolute chaos. Whether I am one of many people waiting for service or the only customer in the store, the staff is running around like the sky is falling. They’re leaning over each other for paper bags, sugars, stirrers, napkins, etc. They’re shouting orders to each other, not like the hipster barista at Starbucks but like a mean mom yelling at her kids to pick up their toys. What’s obviously lacking here is a leader, someone to maintain some level of control. I also question the efficiency and organization of the physical operation, as nothing seems to flow in any sensible order. Furthermore, I would be surprised if any training has ever taken place here, ever. No individual staff member appears to have a defined role or set of responsibilities. Lastly, I understand that all operations have bad days, even crisis days, but it is critical to never show the customer the “backstage drama”. However, despite what I perceive to be an absolute train wreck of an operation, they are always busy and presumably profitable.

I don’t think that all Dunkin Donuts are bad. I’ve always been a fan of the Company’s business model and products. But in my opinion, this store serves as a prime example of everything that is wrong in today’s service industry. So why in the hell do I find myself back in the drive-thru every morning? Convenience? This particular store is located just outside my small town, on the way to and from work, and shares the parking lot with a reasonably priced gas station. But it’s not like I don’t have other options. There are some pretty damn good DD stores nearby, one of which is less than a mile up the same road (1401 Main Street in Asbury Park, NJ). The staff is friendly, always smiling and genuinely appreciative of my business. They always seem to have what I’m looking for and always get my order right the first time. So don’t they deserve my business? Don’t they deserve the extra few minutes out of my way each day? Of course they do! But I’m drawn back to the entertaining dysfunction of my usual stop. For me, it’s like the guilty pleasure a person gets from reading the tabloids or watching reality TV. How can any place be this messed up and still, presumably, turn a profit? Has the value of good service and a positive experience been replaced by convenience or has it been thrown out the window all together?

This saga will continue with quick posts to follow…post your comments and stay tuned!

It’s All About People, People!

I guess I got it from my Father. Sunday mornings at the diner after church, or in line at the Wawa (insert your local convenience store), he always displayed an incorrigible amount of respect and courtesy for the line-level staff members responsible for taking our order or ringing us up. Growing up in New Jersey it wasn’t often, if ever, I’ve heard the customer referring to the server as “Ma’am” or “Sir”; but my Father always did and still does today. Even at a young age I recall it sounding odd, a grown man speaking in such a manner. It was the manner in which a well-raised child respectfully addresses his or her parent or elder. It was the manner in which a newly-hired employee addresses his or her boss. It was the manner in which a US Army private addresses his or her drill sergeant…just not as loudly. My Father was born and raised in New Jersey with no military background. A self-employed and successful businessman, my Father started a modest construction company nearly forty years ago and fostered a few lucrative real estate transactions thereafter. So how is this possible? How can a middle-to-upper class man living north of the Mason-Dixon Line, in New Jersey of all places, be so genuinely courteous and respectful to absolute strangers?

I didn’t pay it much attention at the time, as I was more interested in the golden stack of pancakes that awaited me. Today I think about it all the time, his simple courtesy and respect towards an unfamiliar, seemingly insignificant server or cashier. I still love pancakes, but it’s the everyday interaction between customer and service provider that has become my passion. We are all too familiar with the saying, “treat others as you wish to be treated”; however I believe this overused phrase holds especially true today, both in business and in life. Unfortunately, the lines of acceptable and unacceptable social behavior (common manners) have been blurred. Some might blame television (MTV’s Jersey Shore immediately comes to mind), or the Internet, or that damn rock’n-roll music! The reality is, we are the ones to blame. In life, we are to blame for identifying anyone outside of a planned acquaintance in our busy day as insignificant or inconvenient. We are to blame for having our nose in our smartphone while simultaneously ordering our morning coffee. We are to blame for losing sight of the fact that the tens, even hundreds of people that we interact with each day are actually other people, people just like us. The Starbucks barista, the valet attendant, the banking teller, the restaurant server – just like us. And in the end, who loses out? We do. We lose out on sharing and appreciating the small, personable interactions with the people in this world who might possibly lend to making our day just a little bit brighter. It might take no more than a simple compliment, a shared smile or a firm handshake, but it’s these seemingly insignificant interactions that truly dictate the “kind of day” we’re having. But I am not only an advocate for the service provider, as he or she is often just as guilty of losing focus on the expectations of the consumer.

Now, let’s apply this simple-minded ideology to business. I am not the guy who complains at a restaurant. I have never sent my food back – regardless of how tasteless, salty, over or undercooked it was – and I have certainly never asked to speak to a manager about it. However, I am the guy who chooses whether or not to return to a particular establishment based on the service I received, regardless of how great the food was. I will go so far as to rave about a particular establishment for outstanding service alone, even if I had a notably lousy meal. I will leave assuming I just order the wrong thing off the menu and planning to try something else the next time. I will consider returning because the service provider, most likely the server in this case, was successful in reading me, the consumer. I will consider returning because I was convinced that he or she truly cared about my experience or, at the very least, cared enough to act like it. I will consider returning because he or she understood and appreciated my expectations and how his or her actions could impact my overall experience.

In today’s business world, retail and hospitality companies spend millions of dollars each year on new customer service training programs and brand standards aimed at setting themselves apart from their respective heard. The goal of these initiatives is simple – to increase customer loyalty and, of course, revenues. However, the success of such efforts ultimately lies in the hands of both the individual tasked with providing the service and the always unpredictable consumer. This is where things can get a little tricky…and these are the moments that define what hospitality really means today. I have been working in a managerial capacity in the hospitality industry for several years, yet I make no claims of being an expert on the topic of service. I believe that what constitutes good service can only be determined by the provider and the recipient based on his or her own interpretations. I know what I consider to be good service, and even that is often subject to the circumstances in play. Sometimes a simple “Good Morning” and a genuine smile might suffice. Other times it may take much more than a well-scripted greeting or parting to earn my repeat business.

Now let’s get this straight – this is not Chow Hound or another outlet for wannabe critics and self-proclaimed “foodies” to sing the praises of their favorite local haunts. This is not a review site, not an Angie’s List, not a Trip Advisor, etc. I am sure such sites and services certainly serve a viable purpose for some people, somewhere – just not here. Rather, this is a blog about service dedicated to both service professionals and consumers who have a genuine appreciation for the value of good service. Together we will celebrate the efforts and unsung successes of those who truly deserve our business – the ones who keep us coming back! We will also share the horror stories of service failures (disasters!), the interactions we will never forget and the special people who made them possible. My rules for this blog are simple: If you agree, say so. If you disagree, say so. If you have a story to share, share it!

I look forward to sharing with you!