Quick-Service and the Ritz - Separated at Birth?

Horst Schultze, formerly of the Ritz Carlton, recently spoke at Dine America. He noted three keys to guest loyalty: timeliness, defect-free, and service. Ritz Carlton created their legacy based on these three principles--they charge higher prices for that legacy and guests continue to rave about them. Looking into our industry, drive-through or dine-in, the same legacy can be created using similar components: speed, accuracy, and hospitality.

Whether your company practices timeliness in a hotel setting or speed in a quick-service setting, all guests want the same results: their requests/orders completed in a timely manner. Build all your systems with speed in mind--what can we do to deliver the orders more quickly? Don't swing the pendulum too far, however. Too much speed causes mistakes to be made or guests to be pushed through the process.

Defect-free in any industry is a must. Anytime you purchase a product or service, you want it to be right. Accuracy is a must to build TRUST. Repeating the order and doublechecking it ensures it's correct and the guest soon trusts you without looking in the bag or slowing the line down. Institute systems such as one straw per drink, condiment requests while ordering, and so on to ensure you don't forget something the guest may need or hadn't thought of yet.

Finally, add a dose of hospitality. Lose the canned "Next." "Can I take your order?" "No problem." and other phrases. Show the guest you are interested in them--think long-lost friend vs. someone you care less about. The bellman at the Ritz greets arriving guests while discreetly obtaining their name, for example, "My name is TJ and you are..." They then radio it to the front desk so as the guest arrives to check-in, the front desk agent already knows their name.

While that system is likely difficult in the quick-serve setting, your team can certainly learn guests' names/orders and begin personalizing the service. What kind of stealth systems can you put in place to wow the guest and add some hospitality? As we move into summer, wow your guests by focusing on the same three components as the two-time Malcolm Baldrige Quality Service Award Winner, the Ritz-Carlton: timeliness (speed), defect-free (accuracy), and service (hospitality) and you'll soon be creating a service legacy of your own.