The Good Customer

~The Gates of Ramen Heaven~

As you saunter pass the red curtains outside entrance…. you can’t help but wonder, why are all these people standing on the street? What is it? Why are they waiting?. It’s ramen! Throughout the years there have been a number of Japanese noodle places popping up all over the city of Vancouver. But Kintaro has stood the test of time… being one of the older establishments, it still boasts a line up during the meal hours every day.

Waiting for food usually deters me from visiting a food establishment. But unable to shake my intense craving for ramen, I gave in and made my way down to this institution during lunch hour, on a weekend, no less…. Yikes!

While waiting in line, one of the servers came out and started passing out menus to the customers. As you progress in the line, the server then comes to take your order. When you get a table and sit down, your food arrives shortly thereafter. Excellent! I love efficiency!

I applaud Kintaro for making the “line-up” process as painless as possible. Getting in the orders of the customers waiting in line speeds up the turnover in tables. Customers spend less time at the tables therefore customers waiting spend less time in line. What more can we ask for?

Popularity: 2% [?]

~Cubana Torta~

~Choriqueso Torta~

 

Ok Ok …. sorry, no tequila here… I just wanted your attention. But boy, do we have tortas!  A fairly new establishment in Vancouver… new kid on the the block in Cambie Village. It had been on my list of places to try… and yesterday was that day – my inaugural visit to Las Tortas. This rather small establishment caters to both take-out and dine-in customers with 5 small tables. Upon entering we were greeted by the friendly counter person. She asked if we had been there before. When we told her “no”, she explained to us the ordering procedure.

Step 1: Take a paper bag and marker

Step 2: Write your name on the top of the bag; indicate if this order is for take-out or dine-in; mark your food choice(s)

Step 3: Hand over paper bag to counter staff; pay for order

Step 4: Wait for name to be called; collect order (in your paper bag) from counter

I noticed that almost every customer that walked in proceeded to the counter to make an order. Couldn’t help but think how tiresome it is for the staff to repeat the ordering process over and over again. Although a cute and novel idea, I question it’s feasibility.

Things I considered….. What are we trying to save here?  We ate in the restaurant. The restaurant requests that you use 1 paper bag per person. The bag itself is of substantial size (I guess it’s size is dictated by the size of the menu).  After receiving my torta in my paper bag I found my sandwich wrapped in wax butcher paper. Lots of paper was discarded.  Does it expedite the customer line? If you have any questions about the menu, you would have to inquire at the counter. Time at counter does not seem to be minimized.

Advantages: Great idea for take-out orders. DIY ordering is a unique idea. Errors with meal orders are reduced as they are prepared according to YOUR order bag.

Disadvantages: Lots of paper for dine-in customers. Time consuming. Direct ordering makes it easier to ask questions.

Order Station

Popularity: 10% [?]

~BCBG - Oakridge Shopping Mall~

What gal doesn’t enjoy shopping for dresses? I made a visit to BCBG in Oakridge Mall yesterday with a friend… purely for moral support, of course. Unbeknownst to us, we arrived 20 minutes before closing. Feeling a bit rushed, we thought about heading elsewhere to continue the damage to our pocketbooks. One of the sales associates was very sweet… assured us that we would not be kicked out and even insisted that we take our time. Incidentally, the personnel had to stay late anyways… so they were not in a hurry to leave. Something so simple… an offer that was certainly not necessary… but much appreciated. The same associate was very attentive, offered suggestions, most importantly, was genuinely nice in her service towards us. I’ve always had good service at BCBG, but my customer experience on this visit was superb. 20 minutes in the dressing rooms… and 5 minutes thereafter, my girlfriend and I walked out with fabulous dresses.
 

 

Points of exceptional service:

• Was acknowledged and greeted within seconds of walking into the store
• Was offered to have a fitting room started within 3 minutes of holding a garment I had picked off the rack
• Was interested in how the garments fit, offered wearability suggestions, offered suggestions for accessories – exhibited knowledge of industry
• Lots of smiles, eye contact, and some jokes too…  – being personable is a must but being genuine is a plus
• Offered a garment bag for my dress
• Thanked us for our business – such a basic thing, but you would be surprised the number of times this has not occurred
• Wished us well – “have a great evening and dinner!” – not a big deal but she was obviously observant and noted our conversation about going out for dinner

Popularity: 1% [?]