So The Employees Will Like You...
You walk into a fast food restaurant. There are people everywhere and it's loud and there's a lot to read on the menu... It's just so hard to decide what you want under this kind of pressure and in this kind of atmosphere! But, you're the customer, so it's okay if you're annoying to the employee taking your order, because you'll be paying and they want you to come back! Right? WRONG!!
If you're annoying, the employees don't want you to come back! You're making their day at work difficult! Only the business cares whether or not you come back, because they want your money! The business loves you, not the employees. To the employees, dealing with customers is only part of their job, and sometimes their least favorite part- especially when the customers are obnoxious to them.
Now that you know this, what do you do? We both know you don't mean to be an ignorant customer! Some of the sins you are committing you don't even know you're doing! Is there anything you can do to make the employee's life at work easier? The answer is Yes!! This is what you must do:
1) Learn to read.
And become proficient at it! Use it in your daily life- including when you go to restaurants!
Now that you can read, read ALL of the signs around. These signs are there for a reason, I promise. Then, because you read all these signs, you'll know exactly what line to get into, where to stand, what promotions are going on in the store, and much more! It will also save you time, because now that you've read everything around you, you won't ever accidentally wait in the wrong line again! You won't ever put the employee in a fluster or waste an employee's time because you got in the ice cream line instead of the grill line. You will also know what the food-of-the-month is, without even having to ask!
This next part is tricky, but it goes along with reading: learn to read menus. Menus might be large, written on walls, written on papers, in a variety of formats and fonts. I know it's hard sometimes to decipher through them all, but I assure you that by reading the menus, you will make your own life and the employee's life easier. Because you can read menus, you will know everything that the place has to offer. Then, when you get to the front of the line, you don't need to ask dumb questions like, "Do you sell frozen yogurt?" or "What kinds of fries do you have?" and instead you can ask intelligent questions like, "How much more is it if I..." or "What type of fries is the most popular?" Trust me, the employee will like you so much more. Many of my customers refuse to read, and do you know how many times I recite the kinds of fries that my grill has to offer? A gazillion! And I only work for three hours at a time! Learn to read menus, and apply that knowledge in your daily life.
2) Learn to Speak. Preferably in the language that is native to the country you're in.
First, learn to communicate effectively by learning to speak loudly and towards the person you're talking to. As the employee, I can't here you over the radio, the grill, the other customers talking, the overhead microphone, and my walkie-talkie if you're speaking like a mouse to the ground or to your friend standing next to you. How am I supposed to get your order right if all I hear from you is, "I would like... with cheese."
Second, speak English! When you talk to your friends right there in front of me in Arabic or whatever, I automatically assume you're talking about me and our store's bad service. I know you can speak English, because you ordered something in English just fine but now that I've told you the price is more than expected, you're ticked so you complain to your friends! I mean- leave me alone, I don't call the shots in the store obviously, I'm running the cash register.
3) Don't be stupid when you pay.
If your total is $1.49, don't give me a $20 bill. Don't give me a $50 bill. If you're not going to pay me in exact change, then make it close! Two dollar bills, or a five dollar bill at the most, is all I want to deal with for you right now.
4) Don't cut in line.
Don't put me in the awkward position of calling you out. It makes me, you, and the customers that you cut feel awkward. Let's just save us all some grief here. Wait your turn, because everyone has places to go and things to do, and your things are just as important as anyone else's.
5) Get off the phone.
I'm sure your conversation is very important. I know that you don't know me at all or anything, but it'd make me feel better if you acknowledged me as a person instead of some kind of low-life that's working at a fast-food place. You don't know my life story- for all you know, I'm working to pay my way through college, or giving all my money to my family because we need it as a family for food more than I do for fun. I'm supposed to be nice, polite and personable to you as the customer, I think it'd be cool if we could make our relationship go two ways.
6) Have your order ready!!
You've been waiting in line for around probably around five minutes. There are people behind you. When you come to the register, don't stand there and finally decide now is a good time to look at the menu because you were too busy texting on your phone or talking to your friends while you were waiting in line. That was inefficient planning. Let's make the whole thing run more smoothly: everyone just have your order ready!
If you do these six things, I promise you that the employees will like you so much better. Heck, you'll probably become their favorite regular customer! The nicer you treat them, the nicer they'll treat you. Soon, you'll develop the kind of relationship where you can call in favors- "Do you mind if I mix kinds of fries?" Being friends with the employees will make your once stressful outing to the restaurant more enjoyable, and it will make the employee's day at work more enjoyable. It's a win-win game!
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