Last week, during a Regional planning meeting, I was once again moved by the profound but simple approach of Chick-fil-A's corporate purpose. Stated simply, the purpose is "To Glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." Since this reminder, I've been dwelling a bit on where this vision has lead us as a company as well as were it will lead us in the future.

So here are a few of my musings: First, it's very hard, impossible even at times, to faithfully steward all God gives us. This means we must work harder, think on different, higher levels and always be vigilant in looking for opportunities to serve God in our spheres of influence. I think of Truett Cathy himself, who is a living example of this philosophy. Second, it means we have to be counter-cultural. I cater everyday as part of my job... and I never cease to be amazed at the waste of resources I see in the major coorporations I visit. I'm excited for a $500 catering order but when I arrive and cater the event for 10 people, I am a bit let-down. I've heard it a million times, "Oh, it's not a big deal. Corporate's paying for this so we didn't care what we ordered." Because we are commited, as a corporate culture, to being stewards of our resources, I personally work even harder to find the best deal, manange resources and people better, and even make repairs to my store on my own. And with a whole company following this principle, we save many valuable resources. Lastly, this purpose presupposes the basic fact that people are our greatest focus. In order to have a positive influence on all, this means we hire the right people and have a positive influence on each other as a team. It means we serve every person we contact as a company as we would like to be served- from the suppliers, to customers to people we meet in public, especially if they are aware of our commitment to Chick-fil-A.

What this purpose means at this time is that Chick-fil-A is growing conservatively, leaving debt behind and looking to manage our resources in the best possible ways. We attract high caliber individuals to work on our teams, giving us a very competative advantange. We're going even further with serving others, implementing Recipe for Service and the new Give More, Get More campaigns for our teams to influence the community.

Most importantly, people everywhere view Chick-fil-A as set apart. I'm in a low awareness market right now and I find so much joy when people find out we're closed on Sunday. The bewildered expression on their face is just the opening I need to share why, and what makes us different as a company. A company I'm proud to be a part of.

Hanging out with Christy Ramano :)

Last night, my team and I had the unexpected privilege of serving a true Disney Channel celebrity, Christy Ramano. The star's appearance revealed a funny generation gap. I personally was excited to meet the star from the once popular Even Stevens. However, the teenage team members hadn't heard of Even Stevens but were crazy about meeting the star from the current show, Kim Possible. Anyone older than me had just plain never heard of her. Her appearance certainly dated each of us and our Disney Channel watching days.


Regardless of how we all related to Christy Ramano, I'm excited to report that this very congenial actress is a Chick-fil-A Raving Fan!! We were excited to feed her and her team dinner while she signed autographs and met her fans. One of my team members threw on his marketing hat and strategically positioned Chick-fil-A merchandise around the actress. Now when her fans look back at their pictures and autographs, they will associate Chick-fil-A with their experience as well!


A great end to our busy Saturday, complete with autographed photos!

TRAINING DAYS

After the flurry of December Menlo Park has settled down a bit, providing time for extensive training. Beginning with the leadership staff, each team member will go through training modules specific to their current positions. I firmly believe that leadership will be the catalyst for any change we hope to achieve here at Menlo, so I'm pouring my attention into this positive, motivated, but fledgling group of potential leaders.

I am requiring each individual to complete at least six full training modules. They will begin by watching a DVD specific to their area while learning from a pamphlet as well. Using this technique, I hope that the team learns that Chick-fil-A has very specific standards and procedures that everyone in the Company must consistently follow. Establishing correct standards and procedures will help remove the personal opinions and preferences that currently preside over too many activities. After watching the training modules, the leadership will move to the hands-on portion of their training where I will spend time teaching them, from the Chick-fil-A pamphlets, how to perform their tasks. They will then replicate what I have done and repeat the process until comfortable. The final step in their training will be for them to turn around and teach me what they have just learned. This not only reassures me that they have grasped the training, but helps prepare them to eventually teach others.

We're excited about the new changes that will promote consistent high performance here at Menlo!

Edison, NJ

Welcome to Edison, NJ and Menlo Park Mall which sits on the ground where Thomas Edison tinkered in his invention labs to perfect his now famous lightbulb. Ironically, I'll be reinventing and revamping here as well... revamping food and reinventing people. Over the next weeks and even months, we'll be perfecting the famous Chicken Sandwich and taking it back to it's original, perfect recipe. I'll also be developing leaders who confidently serve customers and know our brand and vision by heart...because they believe in our mission with their own hearts.

We've already begun this process. To start out our first leadership meeting the store has had in years, I gave $5 to each person and told them to purchase some food from the competition in the food court. I also told them the first person back would win a prize which simulated the hurriedness many of our customers feel. This exercise sparked great conversation as I asked each leader to evaluate their interactions with the competition and outline what operational excellence would look like to them. It turned out that the leadership team's own thoughts were very similar to the four keys Chick-fil-A believes are crucial to customers: Speed of Service, Attentive and Courteous Team Members, Taste of Food and Cleanliness. With this in mind, I shared my vision for the re-creation of our store: Taking each of these areas, evaluating and making positive changes in order to reach operational excellence. The team will see major changes over the next months, but it was imperative that they understand my spirit and the heart of why I'm making each change which is: to increase the quality of each customer's experience when they visit with us and to build positive, lasting impressions of our store and brand as a whole in the community.

I'm looking more forward to the future of our store with each interaction. We will make this team successful. I have no doubts.

R & M

While the holidays approach, so does my next transition! I'm excited about the change and am wrapping up one last necessary task in order to ensure a great transition... Repairs and Maintenance! Over the past few days, I've inventoried our equipment and facilities one last time to ensure that the new operator takes over with the best equipment, in the best condition. New light bulbs are in, the hood vents are scheduled for a final cleaning, and the Henny's are now in great working order, cleaned and with new parts. Pheasant Lane Mall is now ready for a busy Christmas season and a new operator!

The Great Thanksgiving Race

The holidays are just around the corner and the mall traffic is increasing. Potential Raving Fans are here- the trick comes in enticing them to visit us after they buy the latest and greatest fashions from retailers. To make this happen, Chick-fil-A at Pheasant Lane is hosting The Great Thanksgiving Race for all the stores in the mall! Each participating store has been given PALS to distribute to their customers. The store with the greatest return of coupons will receive a Chick-fil-A party at the end of the month. Competition is stiff. Many stores have already finished distributing their first coupon batch and and we are only on Day 3....so look for more results later!

New Hampshire Loves Chick-fil-A!!

Chick-fil-A fans inspire me to love the company, our food and our values so much more, energizing me and making me so proud to be a part of such an amazing company!

I’ve been pleasantly surprised to meet a couple of Raving Fans here in Nashua!

One fan, Sue, gleefully told me a story of a party she and her husband hosted last weekend. Of course, Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets were the party favorite!! Many of her guests had never eaten a delicious nugget and became Raving Fans at first bite. One party attendee, a proper and very mannerly lady, sheepishly confessed to Sue that she dropped one of her nuggets on the floor. She was so upset that she went back to the tray to get another, only to find no nuggets left! So, without a thought, she picked the dropped nugget off of the floor, blew it off, and popped it into her mouth!! This lady is now ordering party trays from us!


Another gentleman drove 45 minutes to visit us for the first time this past Saturday. He connected with our friendly Team Leader, Vicki, at the register and told her his story. He's one of the many small business owners who has been hit hard by the tough economic climate. Even though he had never eaten at a Chick-fil-A, he decided to read one of Truett Cathy’s books on business. Despite the hard times, he said, he’s feeling more joyful and hopeful than ever- all because of “Eat More Chicken, Inspire More People”. He just wanted to come in to say thanks… and have his first Chick-fil-A Sandwich.