7 Minutes or it’s Free!

Mother’s, a popular fast food restaurant, has recently been promoting the tagline,’7 minutes or it’s free.’

This is not a new promotion as it had already been introduced with good results. Consumers hate waiting and the time spent in lines if they could be accumulated would probably amount to years taken from our lives.

I have had several pleasant dining experiences at  Mother’s stores locations across Kingston. I am always promptly served by friendly servers and cashiers. I was interested to see what change if any the ‘ 7 minutes of it’s free’ promotion would have on the stores and their customers.

Rushed Servers

After visiting the same stores, which now have with the tagline boldly displayed throughout the stores, I had a different experience.

The quality of the food was the same but there was a distinct difference with the behaviour of the staff. There were less smiles and conversations and more rushing around as they tried to fill each order quickly.

The intensity of the servers while they filled the orders also made me wonder who pays for the meal if they take over seven minutes to get it to the customer. I wonder if that  meal is paid for by the individual servers who delayed the order.

If so then that would certainly result in less talking and more working to ensure they do not give anyone a free ride.

I jokingly asked my server to take time on my order since I wanted to ensure a free meal.  The look I received from the server was so despondent that I hurriedly went on to say I was only joking and I did indeed receive my meal in four minutes.

I wonder though, if we should skimp on customer interactions because it does add to the dining experience. There is much to be said for taking the time to offer customers a smile and friendly demeanor.

When restaurants stress on efficiency it certainly improves their customer relationship and encourages repeat business but while customers  should be served quickly there should be no sacrifice of customer interaction.

So what do you think of the promotion?

Let me know what you think!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online writer