Chick-fil-A

– for those of you in a part of the country where you have the privilege of eating regularly at this fantastic quick-service restaurant, you understand that their experience is unmatched in fast food. No fast food chain delivers the consistency of message and service to the community and customers that Chick-fil-A does.

I am not an owner or operator of Chick-fil-A, just a lover of the #1 dinner meal with a cookies and cream shake. This is not a paid advertisement; however, it is an endorsement of their consistent behavior as a retail food establishment.

GROOMING FROM THE BOTTOM UP

I read Dee Ann Turner’s book It’s My Pleasure over the weekend. This book describes Dee Ann’s view from the head of HR for Chick-fil-A. She documents the how and why of Chick-fil-A behavior and provides practical advice on how to groom great talent and keep great talent. She also shares the extensive process that Chick-fil-A uses to vet out future operators and owners of their quick service, but not fast food restaurants.

What I loved about this book was the transparency Dee Ann used in describing her 30-year experience at the corporate office. She opened my eyes to why Chick-fil-A delivers consistent behavior and food in all their locations. It was encouraging that this company was designed around those who never would have had a chance to succeed in a normal route to owning or running a business. Chick-fil-A grooms from the bottom up – constantly looking for good talent that can be trained into GREAT talent.
 

CREATING A CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE

What about you? Do your customers experience consistent delivery of your product or service every time they interact with you or your company? Does your reputation precede you in the community? Can people recognize the excellence in your workplace and the desire you have for investing in your people?

Chick-fil-A is a standard bearer for excellence in our country. They reliably deliver great service, food and profits, and they do it working only 6 days a week. They respect the family and their employees. They constantly look for ways to bring out excellence in those that work within their organization.

We can all learn a lot from Chick-fil-A’s example.

Want to learn more? Get the book.