Not usually a big Taco Bell fan, but this is an excellent example of XCS at work!
My daughter (24) and I (29) were moving on Saturday. It was very hot in So Cal (99 degrees in Brea, CA.). We decided fast food was for us; but where?
We agreed on Taco Bell, drove up and Stacey orders a #1. My turn – I’d like a Tostada – hold the sauce; a Burrito, hold the onion – and a Small Pepsi -hold the … Pep? He laughs, and says, “This isn’t Burger King, but you can still have it your way!” then suggests we add Hot Sauce to the Pepsi to make it “A Bloody Mary” – Ha, funny. Coincidentally, the store is about 100 yards from The Brea Improv, so, just before he gives us our total, I ask him if he escaped from the Improv. “What Improv?”
We turn the corner approaching the Window, and there, waiting for us, is a hand stretched out holding a Soft Drink and a Straw. When we pull up, he says, “What took you so long?” then, as I pick up my empty water bottle from the cupholder, he gestures to take it from me (for the trash). My usual experience is that the attendant looks at me funny and points to the trash receptacle at the end of the drive – as if to say, “There’s the trash…. ” – Mr. Taco Bell, however, says, “Yes, I’ll take that from you! That is how I Trash the Competition!“.
He’s right – He made every effort to make our fast food lunch enjoyable. I told him we’d be coming back for dinner. Then, embarrassed, he said, “Not so fast, I need some cash”; In all the fun, I had forgotten to pay him – oops. My daughter laughed, and said she thought he was asking for a tip, well deserved.
As we drove away with smiles on our faces, Stacey summed it up perfectly, “Mom, you’d think he was the Owner …”
Moral of the story:
- Extreme Customer Satisfaction and thus, Loyalty is FREE.
- Choose employees that are capable of having the “mind of an owner”.
