Chick-fil-a: A Customer Experience Oasis

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Still being somewhat new to this adventure called parenting, my wife and I recently made a chickfilacritical discovery. On long road trips with kids, restaurants with indoor play structures are pure gold. After being cooped up in a car for several hours it’s a law of nature that kids will have pent up wiggles and they must get them out. In all honesty, we have visited some disgusting indoor playgrounds and overlooked all of that just so our kids could play.

On a recent trek home from Colorado to California, my weary family stopped for dinner at the Chick-fil-a in St. George, Utah. We had driven a solid stretch of at least four hours and about eight total for the day, so anything with air conditioning, food and a play structure would do. As we entered Chick-fil-a we got that and so much more. Here’s our experience in bullet pointed fashion:

  • Cold AC- After stepping out of the car into triple digit heat I will never take this for granted. The ice cold air conditioning lured us in.
  • Friendly Cashiers- We were immediately greeted with smiles and friendliness from the people behind the counter. Being located next to a major interstate, I’m sure people enter the restaurant with all different levels of sanity. The sense of warmth and welcome was extremely refreshing to the weary traveler.
  • Play Structures- Kids are going to get their wiggles out one way or another especially after sitting in a car for hours. If there are no play structures they either scream in their seats or walk around and talk to all of the guests. The fact that Chick-fil-a has this makes them a preferred destination for travelers with kids.
  • Clean Play Structures- As I mentioned earlier, any play structure is nice but Chick-fil-a’s were both clean and new. Many play structures you find are dirty and in disrepair leaving you to wonder how many strains of bacteria the kids will bring home with them.
  • Wet Wipes- There was a container of wet wipes next to the play structure so the children could wipe their hands. I list this separately because it’s one of those small details that many would miss. These little details often set companies apart from their competition.
  • Clean Bathrooms- For some reason after such a long drive we spent a significant amount of time in the bathroom. Sorry if this is getting a little too personal but I’ve heard it said that you can tell a lot about how a company values their customers by the condition of their bathrooms.

Did you notice I didn’t say anything about the food? The quality of food at Chick-fil-a is always a cut above other fast food restaurants with plenty of sensible options and for a reasonable price. That however is secondary to everything else. As a family with little travelers, Chick-fil-a has crafted the ideal experience for us. While I don’t travel through St. George often, I can guarantee that as long as we are traveling with children, that is most likely the place we will stop to get our wiggles out.

Republished with author's permission from original post.

Jeremy Watkin
Jeremy Watkin is the Director of Customer Support and CX at NumberBarn. He has more than 20 years of experience as a contact center professional leading highly engaged customer service teams. Jeremy is frequently recognized as a thought leader for his writing and speaking on a variety of topics including quality management, outsourcing, customer experience, contact center technology, and more. When not working he's spending quality time with his wife Alicia and their three boys, running with his dog, or dreaming of native trout rising for a size 16 elk hair caddis.

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