Ok, I’ll admit it, I actually love to eat fast food. I know it’s not the best food for my health and physical well-being, but every once in a while, it’s just a treat. I was able to land my first real job at a place like that. As a child in the 1970’s, that Happy Meal has deep roots in my psyche that I probably won’t ever forget! Ever since then, I’ve observed the service and atmosphere at these organizations with different eyes.
Recently, I noticed one employee running bags of food out to cars parked in the parking spots designated “for to-go customers”. Hastily running out into the rain or cold, back in to start another order, and then deliver another batch to another customer, and so on. Somehow I sensed that this had become a habit, rather than an exception for this worker and her team that night. Perhaps you’ve seen these situations. A car originally ordered through the drive through window, but something held up the order, so a decision was made to move that car out of line, hopefully keeping the line behind moving while whatever was needed to fill that order became available. Ok, I get it, but I don’t know if that is the best solution. I can imagine someone somewhere came up with this idea, and is probably praised for thinking of such a solution. I can hear the regional manager now: “Way to go, Bob. You’re going places son.”
This quick fix to the problem was certainly easier. However, what I observed that evening now had created several other problems. Here are three ways treating only the “symptom” of a problem can be easier, but never the best thing to do:
It’s cheaper. I can imagine having the right variety and quantity of food ready basically all the time is very difficult, especially during busy lunch or dinner rushes. Of course, the restaurant already has several parking spots that can easily be converted with low cost signage. However, the reason someone is choosing to go through the drive-through is probably because they are in a hurry. While the solution might be cheaper in the short run, I’m guessing it wasn’t cheaper for that customer!
It’s quicker. I get it. Once again, the customers behind that car were perhaps served sooner. However in the long run, time is also a resource . Some may question the quality and commitment we have if speed is our primary focus. This employees time walking from the building to face an agitated customer can be much more costly in plenty of other ways, including the person’s long run loyalty (or lack of it!).
It moves responsibility to someone else. Many times in organizations, we see ideas that simply move the burden of the problem around to somewhere (or someone) else. I had a great view of these customers reactions as this poor young lady delivered their food. If they had already ordered in the line, paid for their meal at the last window, and perhaps received only a portion of their order, now waiting for the remainder was not pleasant. I am not an expert in the nuance’ of fast food restaurants. The team was not working together well, and a customer ultimately bore the burden of whatever the problem was that slowed the service.
As leaders, especially those like me who are “idea driven”, we may be tempted to place the “quick, cheap fix” onto a problem without asking too many questions first. That is a mistake. I would recommend asking at least 5 “why” questions to track that culprit back to it’s true source. Throwing a quick cheap solution onto the symptom could prove even more detrimental in the long run. To see more of the “5 Why” strategy, check out my YouTube video or recent Encouragers United Podcast for further explanation.