BRANDED
Taco Bell Training Illustration: Not Fit for Public Consumption
(Click image for el grande)
Although simply illustrated and painstakingly generic, this Taco Bell customer training comic strip and 'Cheesy Beefy Melt' combo decal is hugely insightful into how shitty it must be to work for the burrito mill. Especially with all the rules and regulations that definitely don't encourage staff to "Think Outside the Bun." Besides actually specifying how much time you have to wait to initially greet customers—5 seconds—and how long you must then linger if they don't answer—another 5 seconds—there's all sorts of goodies in here, like their corporately constructed model for dealing with mistakes L.A.S.T: Listen, Apologize, Satisfy, Thank.
Then you have the explicit food-selling flow chart. For example, if patrons don't order drinks with their meal, employees must remind them how thirsty they are, but if they did get something to sip on, there's very specific rules for non-engagement: "No Further Suggestive Sell." The best mandate, however, comes by way of the rather precise smile requirements. Better not think about flashing some lethargic grin, it's needs to be a smile that "expresses enthusiasm and friendliness." Considering their wage, screw the smile, just don’t spit in the food and we’ll be happy.
by ANIMAL on April 10, 2008
Comments (11)
Amazing.
Posted by DuckPondInn | April 10, 2008 9:57 AM
So ridiculous.
Posted by Will | April 10, 2008 10:18 AM
I'll have a MLT-BF, please!
Posted by Flix | April 10, 2008 1:57 PM
Seriously, what is wrong with this? Would you prefer that it said "Be surly, don't offer assistance, be confrontational with customers"? Does it surprise you that Taco Bell would want their employees to act a certain way?
Posted by Ludwigk | April 14, 2008 3:36 PM
I'm with Ludwigk. At least they're trying to instill some professionalism in their employees. All companies churn out training materials, most of them full of overdone acronyms and slogans.
I think most staffers would rather read a one-page comic versus a 30-page "Introduction to How We Treat Our Customers as #1 With a Smile!" handbook. I bet the comic gets them better results, overall.
Posted by john @ Nifty News & Decent Deals | April 14, 2008 6:02 PM
Tim Horton's has pretty much the same thing. I think all fast food chains do to.
Posted by Andrew Howard | April 16, 2008 10:30 AM
Yeah, with Lidwigk as well.
Let me get this straight, you get bad service at a fast food joint and you complain to the manager or something. So when the establishment decides to encourage proper customer service you mock it online?
First off it reads "greet customers within 5 seconds" and not "wait to initially greet customers—5 seconds". To the author: within can mean 1 second or 5. make a note of that.
And what is wrong with getting food from someone that is smiling? O wait, you probably would rather have someone snapping their gum and looking away while you wait to take your order. And you'd like them to be as unresponsive as possible.
I've always told rude employees "listen, if you dont like this job then quit. If you seriously need it then do it right". Whats wrong with that?
Posted by DisasterBUSE | April 22, 2008 3:27 PM
I put my penis in your bean burrito, jackass!
Posted by Mcdees | May 28, 2008 11:46 PM
LOL! I work for Taco Bell, and those signs drive me crazy. It's mostly the drink suggestion. If you didn't order a drink the first time, chances are you don't want it. And typically when I suggest one, people sound ready to bite my head off.
Really though, it's not as bad as the "L.A.S.T Resort". Yes, I'll listen. You're screaming at me, it's hard not to listen.
I don't want to apologize, it wasn't my fault, but sure. Just stop yelling. I'm not here to be yelled at, I'm a person just like you.
Here, take a free empanada for your trouble. Satisfied?
Have a nice freakin' day!
Posted by Hannah | May 29, 2008 10:44 AM
i work at taco bell, and we arent against those things being posted at the register, it actually helps because sometimes you forget little things...such as offering drinks, and the 'no further suggestive sell' just means dont try and make them buy something else, dont be all 'ehy dont you want another taco?'
you are obviously ignorant and if you dont work there i dont really understand why it bothers you so much
Posted by doob | June 24, 2008 10:44 AM
i used to work at taco bell too, those reminders were really helpful, especially when i rolled into work hungover from the night before.
Posted by windo | July 16, 2008 1:58 PM