"Would You Like Fries With That?"

In my younger days as a teenager (a long, long, long time ago) I worked at McDonald's. Most people today would make fun of this job. However, I found it to be a very worthwhile experience. I learned to multi-task, the value of quality, consistency, hard work and a paycheck. But most of all, I learned the value of a customer and how to deal with a wide range of personalities. My favorite and least favorite role while working at McDonald's was drive-thru (yes there were cars then). The drive-thru role required a clear voice, patience and excellent customer service skills. Customers felt bolder and were typically more demanding on a speaker phone than being face-to-face over a counter. As a result, listening skills and an understanding of the value of a customer were critical in this role. As part of our training, suggestive selling was mandated. If a customer just ordered a sandwich or a drink, we were trained to ask if they would like additional menu items such as french fries. I usually suggested french fries since they were the best item on the menu. So, as part of my order response routine (in front of my managers anyway), I would ask the customer if they "would like fries with that" as part of their order. Much to my surprise, about 5-10% of my requests would turn into a successful sale. Now most of you would say that a 90-95% rejection rate is something you would never be able to withstand as part of your personality. Little did I know that this experience would be the beginning of my sales and marketing career.

The term " Would You Like Fries With That?" also became the mantra I have used with my children when they under-perform or show a lack of motivation in their academic endeavors. Simply stated, I did not want them working an hourly job at McDonald's because they did not have the motivation to try in school. I have nothing but fond memories of my job at McDonald's (except when someone with a machete came through drive-thru late one evening) and it taught me a lot. To this day, I am a frequent visitor of McDonald's (and to every one's surprise have managed to avoid joining the obesity epidemic). But instead of an employee, I am a stockholder. As a teenager, my son currently works at McDonald's just like Dad. I am hopeful that he also will be a shareholder when he gets older.