Arby's Meltdown when it Comes to Customer Service

I know that it has been a couple of weeks since my last post. This has to do with the fact that I have not yet nailed down a subject that I want to research. To me, the subject of business is so broad that I really would hate to commit myself to just one subject within the area. What if there is an issue on another topic that I would like to write on but it does not fall into the realm of business on which I am writing. I admit that I am probably just making excuses as to why I am not committing to a certain subject but that is not why I am writing today.

The topic I am writing does have some relevance to the previous post about Taco Bell's "Good to Go" campaign, although it is a stretch. It is a stretch, because the similarity between this post and the previous mentions fast food restaurants, nothing more. Also another link could be made could be made between the two in that both stem from a trip to Chicago.

This past weekend, I was on another trip to Chicago. I travel there frequently, because that is where my family lives. Unlike most trips, my fiancee did not accompany me; however, my two-year-old twins did. I picked them up from daycare and immediately left without going home to feed them. It was a risky move, but I figured that I could handle it. After all, I have been responsible for their care for the past two years. I just wanted to get on the road so that I did not hit Chicago at the wrong time (depending on when you get into Chicago, you could end up stuck in traffic for several hours.)

On Route 30, there are four convenient stops to make for food, restroom, etc. I know this, because I have made the trip countless times. The stops are Columbia City, Warsaw, Plymouth, or Wanatah. My goal was to make it as far as I could before the kids just had to eat. Somewhere between Warsaw and Plymouth the kids started getting cranky. So, I decided to stop in Plymouth.

In Plymouth, there are two fast food restaurants right off of 30, Wendy's or Arby's. I chose to go to Arby's. Upon entering Arby's and walking up to the counter, the man that took my order seemed like a nice enough guy. He was jovial and promptly took my order. He even went as far as to smile and say hello to my son and daughter. He asked me whether or not I would like my food for eat-in or take-out. I explained to him that I would like to eat-in, but I would like to make carrying my food as easy as possible.

Perhaps, here is the best place to do some explaining for reader's without kids, especially two-year-old twins. Two-year-olds have just recently mastered the craft of walking. They are now learning to run, and they love to practice it whenever possible. This is all fine and good when they are in a park or the backyard; however, they seem to have the belief that anywhere they can walk is a perfectly acceptable place to run even if it is an... oh let's just say... Arby's. Furthermore, the problem with two-year-old twins is that they never run in the same direction. Rather, they like to give their fathers a challenge. They run in completely opposite directions. It is upon the shoulders of the father to employ tactics to outwit his little but deceivingly clever children. To thwart my children's plan of escape, I usually hold there hands. For some reason, they have not yet figured out that if they just let go they are free to run. I pray that they will never come to this realization, but I know that these prayers will go unanswered and savor what little control I have over them.

Back to the story at hand. After making my order and request for an easy way to carry my food, the Arby's employee suggested a bag. I agreed that this would be the right course of action. My order finished, and a nice lady handed me my bag of food along with my three empty drinks. With a bag of food and three cups in one hand and twins holding the other (they walk side-by-side one holding my pointer finger and the other holding my pinky while I walk behind), I made the journey over to the ice/soda machine. Here is where it became tricky. In order to fill the drinks, I had to let go of my children's hands. I let them go and much to my surprise they stayed next to me while I filled the first two drinks. This was clearly done in order to instill in me a sense of trust. About half-way through filling the third cup with water, my children simultaneously bolted in opposite directions. It was as if it was all part of the plan from the very beginning. With cat-like reflexes, I snagged both of them by the collar grabbing my son first because he has much more speed than my daughter could ever imagine. If I had let my son go and grabbed my daughter he would have easily made it to the bathrooms which were a good fifty feet away. By grabbing my son, I had plenty of time to stop my daughter's plans of escape.
In all of the commotion, I forgot about the water in my hand. In reaching for my son, I had accidentally thrown the water on the ground. Much to my relief it had landed directly on top of a drain and had not made much of a mess.

Here is when the story becomes relates to some sort of business aspect. After grabbing my children and realizing I had dropped my water, I immediately heard, "Someone spilled a drink in the lobby." It was the once before jovial Arby's employee who had taken my order.

Someone immediately replied with a resounding, "Damnit! Shit!" Excuse the vulgarity but I used direct quotes to make a point.

I explained, "Yeah. It was me. Sorry, I spilled my water."

To which the disgruntled employee replied, "But I still have to clean it up."

From here, I would love to rant about everything that is wrong with this scenario, because I was obviously deeply perturbed enough to write about it for the purposes of a class. But, I cannot. Rather, I must make analytical view of everything that is wrong and what could have been done in this situation by both myself and the employees of Arby's. Obviously, it will be hard because the story is personal.

In the case of Arby's, there are some issues of legality. Arby's does have a duty of care to its customers. If someone were to slip and fall on the puddle of water, he/she could turn around and sue Arby's. So in the defense of the Arby's employee, he/she (cannot remember if the employee was male or female) did, in fact, "have to clean it up." However, the way in which the employee handled the situation was unprofessional. That kind of language should not have been used in front of the customers.

Whatever happened to a sense of customer service? Sure, it is of utmost importance in places where large amounts of money are typically spent in one visit. But, that does not mean it is any less important in a fast food restaurant, especially in Indiana which used to claim it was the State of "Hoosier Hospitality." Customer service should be of utmost importance to any business which is for profit. There is no way for the company to make money without customers.

According to Arby's policy (http://http://arbys.com/about/values.php), this employee did not handle the situation in an appropriate manner. The whole thing could have been avoided, if someone had taken the time to notice that I may need help and offered to carry my food to my table. I know it may sound like I am just complaining. But, is it really too much to ask?