As a two-year Experience Maker (aka the red shirts), I have done my fair share of selling the beloved chicken sandwiches. I learned a lot during my time at Chick-fil-A, especially when it comes to the sales we like to call, “the guest experience.”
CFA is way more than a chicken joint. Guests notice it the second they walk through the door. This is why they keep coming back. Sure, the food is great, but the experience draws them in and makes them loyal.
It all begins with the training. The first shift I worked consisted of meeting our operator and hearing his story, sitting in the manager’s office to watch a video on the history of our founder Truett Cathy, watching videos about how to handle guest interactions, and then being brought back to the front to sample all of our amazing sauces. The second shift was about meeting the team and being slowly eased into the craziness that is our restaurant. We interact with guests in the dining room to hammer “My pleasure!” into our minds. All of this was done with our Director of Talent by my side to encourage, affirm, and call me on.
The biggest thing I learned from working at Chick-fil-A is the idea of “second-mile service.” The idea is Biblical, stemming from Matthew 5 when Jesus encourages His disciples to go the second mile when someone compels you to go one. This is why so many people get free stuff from CFA! This is why we jump out of the window in the drive-thru to chase someone’s car down when they forget their meal or beverage! This is why we open doors for you, have conversations with you, and call you by your name! At Chick-fil-A, we care about the guest experience.
This has and continues to change my perspective not only as the seller, but the buyer. I believe that is what good sales is. When you are a good seller, you become a better buyer. Because of the CFA standards, I had to treat guests a certain way. When they were rude to me, I had to grin and bear it. I understand how irritating that truly is now. When I interact with anyone in sales, especially food, I make sure to be kind to and engaging with the person serving me.
Good sales and customer service also draws different crowd of people. Most of the time, it draws good people. I made some amazing connections, was able to celebrate accomplishments with people, and even make someone’s day better with a free meal if their card was declined or forgot their wallet entirely. Some people will become demanding however, like when a woman got the wrong cheese on her sandwich. She said she needed a new sandwich and fresh fries to go with it, as well as a card for a free menu item, “a lunch one, not breakfast.” It definitely keeps us in a place of accountability, sometimes to the extreme.
Good selling creates good customers, whether it be the sellers as they become customers, or the customers the sellers draw. Chick-fil- A has definitely taught me that on a whole new level. It has changed the way I look at sellers, especially from the customer perspective.
BoweryJE22
As someone who also worked at Chick-fil-A for two years, I completely agree with this! I think the initial training they do is so important to give you the right mindset- that our customers ought to be thought of as guests, and that our primary job is to give our guests an amazing experience. Even though this service is fairly small-scale at Chick-fil-A, and normally looks like getting people refills before they ask or throwing out their trash for them, I think it is an invaluable life lesson which will definitely help in sales. The mind set that when you are at work, your ultimate goal is to give your guest the best experience possible is a great principle to apply in the workforce, especially when it comes to sales. This selflessness and thinking of others at work will truly make for an enjoyable sales experience for both the seller and the buyer.
I really appreciate that “second mile service” idea. I have never heard of that before, but that does explain the food service in a nutshell. It makes it even better when it is relate able back to the Bible.
I definitely agree with the whole idea of the “second mile” service. Unfortunately not all businesses operate like this but to be sure, selflessness goes a long way and has more benefit in the long run than harm.
I love how CFA does so much with a Christian or Biblical attitude without out-rightly being a Christian restaurant. Hearing about the first few shifts their new employees work is fascinating because I would have assumed it would be like most other restaurants, go in, meet the other workers, learn the ropes, start working. The fact that they do so much more to encourage positive work ethic really shows, and you’re right, that’s why they have such loyal customers, myself included!