Why You'll Never Hear An Employee Say 'You're Welcome' At Chick-Fil-A

When you think of Chick-fil-A, one phrase surely comes to mind: the ever-amusing, "My pleasure." Rather than responding to appreciative statements with the typical, "You're welcome," like other fast food chains might, Chick-fil-A employees are trained to respond with, "My pleasure," and must do it sincerely and with a smile. This differentiation has been intentionally implemented since Chick-fil-A's early days.

Chick-fil-A was established in Atlanta in 1967. Founded by restaurateur S. Truett Cathy, Chick-fil-A was opened with the intention of creating a harmonious, caring space for both its customers and its employees. But what in particular inspired the use of the signature polite response? As stated on the Chick-fil-A website, after visiting a high-end hotel, where he was once met with a gracious, "My pleasure," after thanking a hotel staff member, Cathy felt inspired to incorporate the heartfelt phrase in his restaurant to ensure his customers experienced the same heartwarming feeling he felt when receiving the phrase himself.

According to Reddit, Chick-fil-A's strictness with the usage of the famed phrase varies by location. While some Chick-fil-A workers mention they "aren't punished or reprimanded if [their] 'caught' not saying 'my pleasure,'" and base their usage on the quality of their interactions with customers, other employees state their "operator will reprimand and even write [their] front of house up for not saying 'my pleasure.'" Nevertheless, whether the phrase is used or not, its association with the company remains strong, demonstrating the importance of brand identity and the powerful connection between customer service and customer loyalty.

Chick-fil-A has a strong backbone of loyal customers – often playfully described as cult-like. Of course, Chick-fil-A has a plethora of mouthwatering meals on its menu (as well as equally delicious menu hacks), yet this intense customer loyalty is much derived from how distinctively superior the restaurant's customer service is in comparison to other fast-food restaurants. Chick-fil-A's implementation of the formal turn of phrase has ultimately created a warm, benevolent environment customers can't seem to get enough of.

As Chick-fil-A has created this overtly friendly environment, it has established a keen brand identity: one that values consistency, compassion, and community. In any business environment, excellent customer service can lead to several benefits: trust, confidence, emotional connection with the customer, and competitive differentiation, to name a few. This ultimately increases customer lifetime value: a metric businesses use to measure the total revenue they can expect from a customer throughout their lifetime. By incorporating the seemingly-simple phrase into each customer interaction, Chick-fil-A continues to build a strong allegiance of adoring customers. Perhaps other restaurants should take a page out of Chick-fil-A's book and incorporate something like this into their own practices. Anyway, thank you for reading (and no, you don't have to say, "My pleasure," though we would sincerely appreciate it if you did).