It’s Not My Job

Eat. Drink.

“It’s not my job.” I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this. Thirty years of hearing this.

“I am a bartender, I don’t have to clear tables. I am a chef, I don’t want to work the floor and carve beef. I am a salesperson, I don’t go out on deliveries. It’s not my job.”

The best employees are those with can-do attitudes. They recognize that providing excellent hospitality means going above and beyond to take care of the customer. No matter what the task is. They don’t let a title stop them. The best employees just jump in and do.

I have plated up, bussed, expedited, cleared, set up buffets, delivered, waited, bartended, carved, and washed dishes throughout my career as a salesperson. I also learned the more I jumped in, the better I was at my job.

Inspire.

I am sitting in an airport lounge at Heathrow right now. My flight is delayed so I have lots of time to observe people and things. A woman sitting next to me just departed for her gate. She left behind her coffee cup, a plate of crumbs, and a stack of used paper napkins. One of the napkins just hit the floor as she grabbed her bags to go.

Okay, I know, I could’ve picked up the napkin myself because it’s the right thing to do. Instead, I decided to make a hospitality experiment of this and see how long it takes for someone to pick it up.

It’s been ten minutes since the “drop”. I have watched a minimum of eight employees walk by this dirty napkin on the floor. One guy just cleaned up her dirty cup and plate and still left the napkin on the floor.

At first, I assumed these employees just didn’t see it, but now I think this is more of a case of, “it’s not my job”.  The floor sweeper with her broom and dustpan hasn’t walked by yet.

It took about twelve minutes, but the lounge manager just walked by and picked it up. This wasn’t his job, but it was the hospitable thing to do.

The Human Touch

Eat. Drink.

Living in the culinary wonderland of Fulton Market in downtown Chicago, I have a choice of grabbing a cup o’ joe at several coffee houses within a half-mile radius.  Every custom blended local bean that can be grounded, roasted, steamed, poured-over and crafted imaginable. However my daily stroll takes me to the familiar green-logo’d mermaid a block away. Why? Not because they make the best cappuccino I have ever tasted; but because they have provided me the best customer service experience in the past ten years.  At this local corner shop, they have mastered the art of true hospitality through the human touch.

When you think of a corporate food service behemoth and the future of the hospitality industry, the conversation always leads to technological advances.  What does the consumer of today desire? Speed, efficiency and a “no wait” experience. Today’s urban consumer wants the ease of ordering from their smartphone. The drive-thru allows the suburban consumer to not even get out of their seat. Uber, DoorDash, Caviar and GrubHub have changed the face of our catering industry. Restaurants deliver food now and are “Caterers”. Technology has changed our world. It has certainly made things convenient for the customer. But is it better? Is it still the hospitality industry?

Jen and Jermaine

INSPIRE.

Several months ago I stopped in to grab my standard drink, a grande non-fat “dry” cappuccino. The barista was unfamiliar with “dry”, so I explained to him that I was recently educated on that as well (more foam, less milk). So as we were chatting up, I asked him his name. He said Jermaine. I said “Jermaine, I am Jen, it’s nice to meet you.” And it has been a pleasure to meet him. He has a lovely smile, demeanor and genuine pleasantness that is a welcome asset in any service industry.

Since my introduction to Jermaine, he has now trained others at the “shop”; “Lucy, that’s Jen. She has a grande non-fat dry cappuccino”.  There will be a line ten people deep and Jermaine will see me, smile and say “ Hi Jen!”.  You can see everyone in the line turn around thinking, who is this Jen person?  To think such a large corporation has created such a community for me as a customer, why would I go anywhere else that is so impersonal?

So each and every morning, I continue to marvel at the beauty of my simple five-minute hospitality experience. This really comes down human touch vs. technology.  When it comes to the service industry, I am still leaning toward the conversation, the smile, my daily hello and knowing someone’s name. I’m not just “Jen” on a label.  Thanks Jermaine.  I appreciate you keeping me in touch with true hospitality.