Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Mon, Jun 04 2007
Taco Bell: Stop rushing customers through the drive-through window!
Since I get an error every time I try to go through the lengthy form on the official Taco Bell web site I'm going to continue with a bit of a rant on this blog instead. For the last several months, or perhaps a bit longer, we've had this strange experience when we use the drive-through service at our closest Taco Bell restaurant. I don't blame the local workers, because it's obvious that this policy did not originate with them. The workers at the service window have apparently been put on some sort of timer that begins ticking off when a customer pulls up to the window. Several times we've been asked politely to back up, once we were already at the window. (No one was behind us.) The first time we laughed with the young woman who apologized for having to ask. The second time we asked what the reason was and were told that they're being timed each time they serve a customer. This happened once again several days ago. It's mildy annoying, but not severely annoying. What has become a definite issue is the bum's rush we get after we receive our bag of food and our drinks. If we stop to put straws in the drinks, put change away or double-check for sauce or inspect the contents of the bag, we get a barrage of "Thank you-everything-okay? Thank-you-for-choosing-Taco-Bell-thank-you-could-you-please-drive-forward- because-i'm-on-a-timer-thank-you-thank-you". The poor worker is obviously under duress because we have not hit the gas and sped away. Being asked to back up because the system is idiotic is one thing. Being asked to rush away is quite another. Fast food means the restaurant, not the customer, moves fast. My spouse nearly lost his temper this time, but he knew the poor young person at the window was under the gun and that it would have done no good to fuss at him. I think there might be a visit with a manager soon, though I suspect that this unfortunate policy came from someone a bit higher-up in the corporate hierarchy. If that person happens to stop by this blog, this message is for you: The policy is annoying, inefficient, stressful for the worker and (worst of all) stressful for the paying customer. We've done business with that particular Taco Bell for many years, but if this keeps up, we're going to be thinking way outside the bun and moving along to other restaurants who don't rush us through the process.
posted at: 10:10 | category: /Food | link to this entry
Since I get an error every time I try to go through the lengthy form on the official Taco Bell web site I'm going to continue with a bit of a rant on this blog instead. For the last several months, or perhaps a bit longer, we've had this strange experience when we use the drive-through service at our closest Taco Bell restaurant. I don't blame the local workers, because it's obvious that this policy did not originate with them. The workers at the service window have apparently been put on some sort of timer that begins ticking off when a customer pulls up to the window. Several times we've been asked politely to back up, once we were already at the window. (No one was behind us.) The first time we laughed with the young woman who apologized for having to ask. The second time we asked what the reason was and were told that they're being timed each time they serve a customer. This happened once again several days ago. It's mildy annoying, but not severely annoying. What has become a definite issue is the bum's rush we get after we receive our bag of food and our drinks. If we stop to put straws in the drinks, put change away or double-check for sauce or inspect the contents of the bag, we get a barrage of "Thank you-everything-okay? Thank-you-for-choosing-Taco-Bell-thank-you-could-you-please-drive-forward- because-i'm-on-a-timer-thank-you-thank-you". The poor worker is obviously under duress because we have not hit the gas and sped away. Being asked to back up because the system is idiotic is one thing. Being asked to rush away is quite another. Fast food means the restaurant, not the customer, moves fast. My spouse nearly lost his temper this time, but he knew the poor young person at the window was under the gun and that it would have done no good to fuss at him. I think there might be a visit with a manager soon, though I suspect that this unfortunate policy came from someone a bit higher-up in the corporate hierarchy. If that person happens to stop by this blog, this message is for you: The policy is annoying, inefficient, stressful for the worker and (worst of all) stressful for the paying customer. We've done business with that particular Taco Bell for many years, but if this keeps up, we're going to be thinking way outside the bun and moving along to other restaurants who don't rush us through the process.
posted at: 10:10 | category: /Food | link to this entry
Cancer, coma, pneumonia, awake
A lot of sites seem to be carrying the story of the man who woke fully from a come after 19 years. The waking is remarkable, but I noted one other detail in the man's case story that intrigued me. On top of everything else, doctors had apparently told Mr. Grzebska's wife that he had brain cancer. Yet he's alive today. It would be interesting to know what progression, if any, the cancer made during his 19-year coma and whether or not his waking state will change the course of the disease. I'm hoping there will be some follow-up information on this man's very odd medical history.
posted at: 07:47 | category: /Health and Fitness | link to this entry
A lot of sites seem to be carrying the story of the man who woke fully from a come after 19 years. The waking is remarkable, but I noted one other detail in the man's case story that intrigued me. On top of everything else, doctors had apparently told Mr. Grzebska's wife that he had brain cancer. Yet he's alive today. It would be interesting to know what progression, if any, the cancer made during his 19-year coma and whether or not his waking state will change the course of the disease. I'm hoping there will be some follow-up information on this man's very odd medical history.
posted at: 07:47 | category: /Health and Fitness | link to this entry
