I hate complaining about Starbucks, but today I'm going to.
At 10am today, while the store at the entrance-way to the Sacramento Amtrak station had customers aplenty sipping and chewing, the staff decided it was a good time to dust the ceiling and overhead light fixtures.
They started in the area behind the counter (where food and coffee were being prepared) and then stepped out into the restaurant, proper.
One customer walked over to the fellow with the long-handled duster and said "I don't think you should be doing this," but the fellow pictured at right continued with his tasks. Another person sitting near me complained, out of earshot of the dusting fellow.
I don't mean to be self-righteous about this. I do dumb things all the time. But when you are in a customer-service role, you have to get your priorities straight and know what is most important. It is vitally important, in the restaurant business, not to gain the reputation of failing to provide clean food in a clean environment. Getting bits of dirt on people's food and coffee isn't clean; it's dirty.
The people at this Amtrak Starbucks all seem like excellent people, very much including the guy pictured holding the long-handled duster. But a refresher course in Customer Service 101 seems in order.
At 10am today, while the store at the entrance-way to the Sacramento Amtrak station had customers aplenty sipping and chewing, the staff decided it was a good time to dust the ceiling and overhead light fixtures.
They started in the area behind the counter (where food and coffee were being prepared) and then stepped out into the restaurant, proper.
One customer walked over to the fellow with the long-handled duster and said "I don't think you should be doing this," but the fellow pictured at right continued with his tasks. Another person sitting near me complained, out of earshot of the dusting fellow.
I don't mean to be self-righteous about this. I do dumb things all the time. But when you are in a customer-service role, you have to get your priorities straight and know what is most important. It is vitally important, in the restaurant business, not to gain the reputation of failing to provide clean food in a clean environment. Getting bits of dirt on people's food and coffee isn't clean; it's dirty.
Bits of the multicolored duster were on the floor in the wake of where "work" had been completed. |
Comments
Spent a fair amount of time in the Starbucks mentioned in this article when I was in Sacramento. Stellar.
Cheers and Blessings,
Bill Mash
woaroof.posterous.com
It was mean of me to post this item, but it all was very bizarre that they were dusting while we were eating -- even as there were customer complaints.
This particular Starbucks does, indeed, put up with homeless nonsense from my friends (and from me on more-rare occasions).