During the month of March, any restaurant with a television screen will be tuned in to the NCAA tournament. And with it, a surrounding crowd pulling for “their” team. A recent Saturday night was par for the course. Gonzaga was playing Xavier so we decided to find a fun place to watch and that’s how we came across The Pub. Picture it…a step back in time as if you are walking along the streets of London. The menu offered more to choose from than I could decide so we engaged our server Jessica for some help and that’s when the fun experience began.
I love it when my travels allow me to have a great customer experience. And when a great experience happens, you feel compelled to share it. And that’s what occurred with Jessica. She was nothing short of delightful. She brought some qualities that may not be difficult in concept; they require a degree of intentionality that makes all the difference in creating great customer experiences.
She kept it FUN.
Okay, the restaurant was a pub, so fun should naturally be part of the experience right? Well yes, but when you are hungry and thirsty (oh and it’s a crowded March Madness night), frustrations can set in very quickly. Not so with Jessica. She actually used the craziness of the crowd to check in with us – even making comments about the game. In some ways it was like she was dining with us. And when you think about it, we were pretty dependent on her for our meal. Despite a stressful, busy environment, she ensured that’s not what we experienced. When those crazy times happen in your business, how do your employees translate that with your customers? Do they gripe or perhaps even make excuses? She made the difference for us.
She was KNOWLEDGABLE.
The menu had many great selections so we asked her for assistance. She helped us navigate with a brilliant process of elimination (traditional english fare vs a burger & fries, etc.). Sounds simple in concept but much more difficult to do but she helped us in a fun, memorable way. Jessica knew the menu (aka their offerings) so well she could navigate with ease around the variety of options. From how dishes were prepared to portion size, she helped us make our decision. Of course she offered her personal favorites when we asked her. After all, isn’t it great when your employees have favorites with your offerings? It means she had tried everything on the menu.
She was GENUINE.
From the moment she said hello, Jessica made sure we felt welcome in “her restaurant”. Given my personality, I wanted to know a bit more about her (big surprise). How long she had worked at The Pub (3 years) and what she loved most about her job (meeting new people every day). So when I asked if I could share our experience, she was flattered beyond words. Showing the level of interest in her job that she does isn’t “normal” so when you see it, you want to tell others. What’s funny, is from our time with her, her natural friendliness naturally shone through. And isn’t that what we hope from each of our employees?
So how did our night end? Well Gonzaga won the game (yay) and we had a wonderful dining experience. So much so, The Pub became one of our new favorite places in Cincinnati. Thanks Jessica for making our night so much fun. Can the same thing could be said of everyone on your team. I hope so. And here’s the good news..it can!
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