Probably one of the hardest restaurant endeavors has to be in the fast food industry. Think about it: you have to provide tasty food in a very short amount of time. While we here at One Fat Frog Restaurant can provide any fast food restaurant with equipment to help them out in the kitchen, we can’t always help with how to run the restaurant. Of course, some pointers can be offered.
I recently went into a fast food restaurant (whose name will not be mentioned, but I will say you’ve heard of them) in a certain location (again, kept confidential) for a quick bite to eat after my work day had ended at One Fat Frog. I went to the register, as one would do, and made my order. I got a combo meal that comes with a side and a drink. Well, they forgot to hand me a cup. Now I know what you’re thinking: it’s really not that big a deal that they forgot to hand me a cup. But again, the fast food business is all about quick service. Waiting to be handed a cup or me having to ask for it (which I ended up doing) is a huge no-no.
To be honest, that’s not even the worse moment. About a week earlier, I visited this very same establishment and ordered the exact same meal. They forgot to give me my cup, and I had to ask for it. This is not a good sign. They then told me they ran out of what I ordered but a few items would be ready in a couple of minutes. Now I’ve been in this situation before, so I told them I was fine with that and they told me that they would bring the food out to me. I then sat down and began browsing online via my smart phone.
The browsing distracted me and I lost track of time. Fifteen minutes had past without any food being placed in front of me. I looked up to watch as several more customers came in to make orders and they were promptly served. I decided, for reasons I am unsure of today, to wait a few more minutes before standing up and going to the front counter. One of the employees looked at me and realized that I hadn’t been served, and she pointed out to the man at the end of the main line that he forgot about me. He then blamed a completely different woman that she forgot about me. They practically leaped to get my meal put on a tray for me and then threw in an extra side at no charge.
I’m a big fan of the establishment not mentioned, so this isn’t meant to beat up on the restaurant nor is it meant to beat up on the employees at the establishment I visited. It is merely to remind them that they are in a very useful and yet very hectic sector of the restaurant business. We all need a quick meal sometimes, and in our fast-paced lifestyle, they are very helpful in that regard. But there are some points I can mention as a frequenter of fast food establishments. For one, if you take the order, make sure you give the customer everything you can give them at the register. If all you give them is a cup, don’t forget to give them that. Also, when you’re on the end of the line, you’re probably the last one to see the food wrapped and ready to go before the customer gets it, so be sure you know every order leaving the kitchen space. Lastly, don’t pass on blame to people because, other than the fact that it’s lame, that’s no way to fix the problem.
I know, and we all know, that the fast food business is tough. But keep up on the simple things, and everything else should be fine.
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