Meaningful Distinction -- Part 2 "Chick-Fil-A

(Seriously - who doesn't love Chick-Fil-A?!)

Recently, i made a post regarding "Meaningful Distinction" -- what it is and its relevance to us. After writing that piece i really began to see things that just jumped out at me as great examples of "Meaningful Distinction" in our culture.

Chick-fil-a is one of those. When it comes to so-called "fast food" chains Chick-fil-a has definitely created separation from the other main chains. In fact, i dont even think of CFA as a typical fast food restaurant. Yes they are fast and convenient but they are certainly a step above the others. CFA has created a meaningful distinction between themselves and their competition.

If you have eaten at CFA i want you to pause for a moment and think about how your experience there is different from other "typical" fast food joints. Think about how the restaurant looks inside - how it operates - how the employees act - how you are treated - how the food tastes & looks - etc.

Some things you might have thought of:
How it looks -- the restaurant is always clean...from the restrooms to the top of the garbage cans to the floors to the tables to the condiment stations. It is always bright and sterile looking (white is an overwhelming choice of color). There are fresh flowers on the tables in some stores.

How it operates -- effecient is the keyword here. The lines always move fast and the order is always correct. Smooth operation.

How the employees act -- courteous. You will notice they refer to "customers" as "guests." The name change indicates that you are not viewed as a client or a source of money but as a guest. The emphasis is on hospitality not on getting you to empty your wallet. You will also notice that if you say "thank you" the response back is "my pleasure." Again, the emphasis is on being glad & proud to serve the guests. If time allows a host will be around to offer a refill and check on your meal. What other fast food chain offers that?

How the food tastes/looks -- they dont just show great looking food in commercials. They actually have it like that in the store as well. They put great effort in providing the same looking food on your tray as what you see on TV or in an add.

Bonus -- who gives away more food than Chick-fil-a. I can't recall how many times my friends and i have made trips to a local CFA store for free breakfast items.

My point is this: Chick-fil-a has made great efforts to not just be another fast food chain. They want to be your only convenience restaurant. And they have done that by creating meaningful distinction. They didn't invent the chicken -- just the chicken sandwich (and the best customer service in the business). The last part of the slogan was obviously added by me.