I've eaten at Chick-fil-A maybe a dozen times, usually while traveling, which means I typically go to different places. Regardless of what part of the country I'm in, I'm always met with a smile at the counter, served in moments, given food that resembles the picture on the wall, and while I ate, was repeatedly asked if I wanted my sweet tea (!!!) refilled, also with a smile. And that is in the lobby. I can't even begin to comprehend what is going on with their drive-throughs. The competence routinely demonstrated in that operation is hard to fathom. No matter the time of day or location you visit, your car barely stops moving through the wending drive. Anyone who has ever tried to develop a complex system involving that many moving and disparate parts, reproduced with the consistency you see here, has a sense for what a business-engineering marvel that is.

I mentioned this customer service observation to a relative. He said he saw bad service at a Chick-fil-A once. He had just ordered his food and stepped aside, waiting for his to-go order. At a neighboring register, the cashier got curt with a customer who was confused about their order. Before the surly cashier could say a second sentence, a blue-shirt manager tapped their shoulder and said they were needed in the back. The blue shirt completed the customer's order with the expected smile. The cashier was never seen again (ok, so I added that last part for dramatic effect, but I'm confident that person was not permitted a repeat performance).

These days, you hear a lot of business owners complaining about how hard it is to get workers, let alone workers who seem to have an ounce of concern about the effort they give. Yet you walk into a Chick-fil-A, any Chick-fil-A, and you'd wonder what all the fuss is about. I recounted this story to Marty while we were eating at a Chick-fil-A during a trip down south after one of the two lobby hostesses asked if we needed refills. Marty scanned the room and, before taking her next bite, flatly said:

MARTY
It looks like the people who run this place actually care about their customers.

TROY
Why do you say that?

MARTY
Look at all the employees. They aren't running a skeleton crew. Walk into most places, and it looks like they figured out how many people it takes to run a place and schedule three less than that.

TROY
You're right. There are almost as many employees as customers here.

MARTY
People want to know that the business owner cares about their product as much as they expect their employees to. Hell, I'd work here. I'd be great at refilling people's drinks.

Marty would be great at that. And that might not be as big of a joke as you might think it is, as the American education machine isn't exactly lavishing its resources with support or respect these days. So, if you think that might have been Marty who just asked if you need your drink topped off, it would be worth giving her a second look.