Is saying “My Pleasure” weird or wonderful when it comes from a Chick-fil-a employee?
This Week on ThoughtWorld: 9/27
The same scene plays out every day, probably thousands of times in a Chick-fil-a drive-thru or dining room.
A satisfied Chick-fil-a customer, appreciative of the service, offers gratitude to the Chick-fil-a staff member who assisted in assembling their delicious chicken, waffle fries, sauces, and drink.
“Thank you!” customer says.
“My pleasure!” employee retorts.
Say what? Believe it or not, that phrase, “my pleasure,” is divisive.
For some, the rejoinder is a delightful way to reply to a thank you. “My pleasure” creates the impression that the employee approaches their job enthusiastically and that they enjoy the task they’re performing. Here’s what anonymous ThoughtWorld Thinker @Ulysses had to say about the practice:
On the other hand, “my pleasure” is a record scratch for others.
Anonymous Thinker @Shelley’s opinion is 180 degrees away from Ulysses. Shelley thinks the “my pleasure” response is strange and inauthentic.
This battle over what’s an appropriate conversational pleasantry to use in a customer service environment continues to rage on ThoughtWorld.com.
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What do you think about the “my pleasure” debate? Head over to ThoughtWorld.com and vote on these thoughts you see in this blog post. The more popular thought on the platform will rise like a mountain, and the less popular thought will remain low on the horizon. Seriously, ThoughtWorld is fun and beautiful. Go get inspired now!
As you can see from the statistics above, the pro-”my pleasure” thought from Ulysses is currently more popular with a 20.2 altitude rating and 31 interactions, vs. the non- “my pleasure” thought, which has a 3.8 altitude from 27 interactions.
Seems like polite rhetoric is a winner.
For what it’s worth, Chick-fil-a company lore says the phrase was a favorite of the founder. From the Taste of Home site:
How it became store Chick-fil-A culture
Legend says the chain’s founder, Truett Cathy, got the idea while staying at the Ritz Carlton. When he said “thank you” to a hotel employee, the employee replied, “my pleasure.” Cathy thought those two small words made the Ritz Carlton stand apart as a luxury establishment. He wanted to bring that feel to his own restaurants, and the rest is history!
Though there’s nothing in the official Chick-fil-A employee training on saying “my pleasure,” according to a Reddit user who works there, it’s still an important part of the company culture. “‘You’re welcome’ seems too indifferent, and we’re told to use elevated language,” the employee says.
Greetings and salutations are among the only things Chick-fil-a customers debate about the broadly admired and religiously zealous chicken chain, which, by some measures, is the most popular in the country.
Even the company’s penchant for closing on Sundays seems to be a popular move, according to a rising thought from anonymous Thinker @BlueSky1.
Another thought by @Ulysses claims that Chick-fil-a runs the most efficient drive-thru line of any fast-food chain, and a lot of people agree. The thought has an altitude of 23.4 from 31 interactions, which means it’s pretty popular.
Starbucks or McDonalds fans might not agree with that efficiency rating, however. What’s your opinion on fast food line speed? Have you noticed a particularly slow or fast chain? Come tell ThoughtWorld and visit food island for more. Leaders want to hear your thoughts about all sorts of things and one of them could create real change.
Avoid the trolls, post it on ThoughtWorld. It would be our pleasure to welcome you.
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