The KFC restaurant in Fuquay Varina, N.C., recently received a national customer service award from the mystery shopper firm Consumer Research Group. The restaurant is among the 82 owned by Luihn Food, a Morrisville, N.C.-based franchisee of Yum! Brands Inc. Luihn operates outlets of all of Yum’s concepts, including KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s and A&W. The culture at Luihn is steeped in Yum’s “Customer Mania” philosophy, so the award was a great honor, but no surprise, said Craig Bartles, operations director for Luihn’s KFC and its co-branded restaurants. Bartles encouraged all of the employees at the award-winning KFC to get in the picture when Consumer Research Group president Don Bode presented the award to Jody Luihn, president of the company.
What’s the secret to delivering outstanding customer service?
We just decided we wanted to hire the people who smile. When you are greeted with a smile, it sets the tone for the business.
Luihn bought this Fuquay Varina store in the fall. It hasn’t been a part of the company for that long. How did it become award-winning so quickly?
We came in wanting it to be the best on the block. We improved the curb appeal, made some changes in the dining room, added some flat screens, and made sure the parking lot was well-lit and the restrooms were clean.
What about the employees?
We spent time with them, and we trained them. We went back to the service basics; made sure everyone knew their job, held them accountable and paid attention to them and showed an interest in them. The key is to connect with them and develop a relationship. If you have a relationship, everyone can be successful. And we wanted to make sure we had fun.
How do you have fun at work?
We do some recognition and rewards, like a pizza night after they had a tough shift. When we heard about the award, we made it a big deal, we had a pizza night and recognized them. When they came out to present the award and take the photo, they were surprised to be in it. But we felt it was for them, and that’s a big piece of their motivation. It’s not all about operations, or the owner or the franchisees—it’s the team.