"Super" Sonic
Feb. 14th, 2005 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
robotech_masterSo far nobody's expressed any interest in the free two-week City of Heroes trial. I suppose it's time to start offering it in other venues. Pity, really; I'd have thought someone would be interested in trying it out and playing it with me.
One of the fast food places where I like to eat a lot is Sonic. If you're not familiar with them, they're a drive-in restaurant, probably the last drive-in chain left over from the fifties. Unlike other fast food places, they make your food "fresh" when you order it—at least insofar as "fresh" may mean "pull it out of the freezer and slap it in the frier." I consider them sort of the fast food equivalent of a microwave oven—it may not be the best food in the world, but you know it hasn't been sitting under a heat lamp for half an hour before you've gotten it.
But one thing I've noticed about the Sonic located near my apartment (the one on the west side of Glenstone just north of Grand, for those of you in or near Springfield) is that the level of their customer service is excellent. I've ordered there enough times that they know me just by the sound of my voice and what I order; I usually don't even have to say who I am or what I want when I show up, they see me through the window and say, "We'll have that right out," as soon as I press the call button.
One time a couple weeks back, I was looking at my receipt and noticed they'd given me a 10% discount on that order. I asked what it was for, and they said, "Oh, that's just because you come here so often."
The other day, while reviewing my bank statement, I noticed that there appeared to be a double-charge on the account: two charges for $2.12, processed on the same day. I called the Sonic to check on it, spoke to the manager. They couldn't find the charge, so I called the bank and checked with them. It turned out to be two charges for the same amount, made on two different days, that were simply processed on the same day; it can be tricky to interpret these things on your bank statement.
I went to that Sonic yesterday to get a breakfast burrito and a large "Sonic Sunrise" (a cherry-limeade (that is, Sprite with cherry flavoring) with orange juice added, and as I was waiting for the order the manager actually came out to ask me if the double-charge matter had been cleared up. I hadn't mentioned it or anything, and hadn't been going to; as far as I was concerned the matter was closed. So I explained to her what it was, and that was fine. And then the girl who trotted the order out to me told me that I could have it for free because I was such a frequent customer (and they were having trouble with their cash registers).
I suppose it's possible that this feat of repeated recognition seems more impressive to me than it would to a "normal" person because I have always had trouble with names and faces and remembering people. If someone shows up and says, "Hey, Chris, how have you been? We were in high school together," I just sort of have to smile and nod and take them at face value, because I usually have no idea who the heck they are. I even have trouble telling my own brothers apart sometimes. For someone to exhibit the level of memory and recognition of me that those Sonic people have been is, to me, nothing short of miraculous.
And that's why I'm going to continue going to that Sonic for as long as I'm living in the area—excellent customer service combined with decent food makes a very pleasant dining experience. If you're in the area, I heartily encourage you to patronize their establishment, too. Tell 'em Chris Meadows sent ya.
One of the fast food places where I like to eat a lot is Sonic. If you're not familiar with them, they're a drive-in restaurant, probably the last drive-in chain left over from the fifties. Unlike other fast food places, they make your food "fresh" when you order it—at least insofar as "fresh" may mean "pull it out of the freezer and slap it in the frier." I consider them sort of the fast food equivalent of a microwave oven—it may not be the best food in the world, but you know it hasn't been sitting under a heat lamp for half an hour before you've gotten it.
But one thing I've noticed about the Sonic located near my apartment (the one on the west side of Glenstone just north of Grand, for those of you in or near Springfield) is that the level of their customer service is excellent. I've ordered there enough times that they know me just by the sound of my voice and what I order; I usually don't even have to say who I am or what I want when I show up, they see me through the window and say, "We'll have that right out," as soon as I press the call button.
One time a couple weeks back, I was looking at my receipt and noticed they'd given me a 10% discount on that order. I asked what it was for, and they said, "Oh, that's just because you come here so often."
The other day, while reviewing my bank statement, I noticed that there appeared to be a double-charge on the account: two charges for $2.12, processed on the same day. I called the Sonic to check on it, spoke to the manager. They couldn't find the charge, so I called the bank and checked with them. It turned out to be two charges for the same amount, made on two different days, that were simply processed on the same day; it can be tricky to interpret these things on your bank statement.
I went to that Sonic yesterday to get a breakfast burrito and a large "Sonic Sunrise" (a cherry-limeade (that is, Sprite with cherry flavoring) with orange juice added, and as I was waiting for the order the manager actually came out to ask me if the double-charge matter had been cleared up. I hadn't mentioned it or anything, and hadn't been going to; as far as I was concerned the matter was closed. So I explained to her what it was, and that was fine. And then the girl who trotted the order out to me told me that I could have it for free because I was such a frequent customer (and they were having trouble with their cash registers).
I suppose it's possible that this feat of repeated recognition seems more impressive to me than it would to a "normal" person because I have always had trouble with names and faces and remembering people. If someone shows up and says, "Hey, Chris, how have you been? We were in high school together," I just sort of have to smile and nod and take them at face value, because I usually have no idea who the heck they are. I even have trouble telling my own brothers apart sometimes. For someone to exhibit the level of memory and recognition of me that those Sonic people have been is, to me, nothing short of miraculous.
And that's why I'm going to continue going to that Sonic for as long as I'm living in the area—excellent customer service combined with decent food makes a very pleasant dining experience. If you're in the area, I heartily encourage you to patronize their establishment, too. Tell 'em Chris Meadows sent ya.
