A while back I stopped at a Pizza Pizza for a quick slice. Pizza Pizza is far from gourmet pizza but one thing you do get in terms of taste/pizza from location to location, is consistency. Kudos to them.
The post’s image is from my visit. What do you notice when you look at the photo above?
The majority of the chairs were askew and the place was in a state of disarray. This was the state of the place when I arrived and the state of the place when I left some 30 minutes later. The restaurant wasn’t busy, the photo reflects the occupancy during my stay.
I realize that some patrons may not have noticed nor cared at all. I can only speak for myself when I say it left a taste of unease and discomfort eating amidst what seemed the aftermath of a localized tornado. I didn’t find it very welcoming and can’t help but think that at the very least, at a subconscious level, other customers would have felt the place lacked care. I don’t know about you but I don’t enjoy visiting places that are unkempt. If the owners/managers/servers don’t care about the place, will they care about their customers? That’s the association many of us make whether consciously or subconsciously.
It wouldn’t take much more than 30 seconds to reposition the chairs and bring order back to the room, making it much more welcoming.
Many questions come to mind, including: Did the cashier/attendant even know this was his/her duty?
ACE Tip
Employers:
Encourage your employees to notice and report areas of improvement, and areas needing attention. Give them examples.
If the dining area is a mess and unkept, what does the kitchen look like where the food is being prepped. Are the employees even working by the heath and safety standards of hand cleanliness etc…scary!
Indeed Wanda, it’s very likely other patrons will ask the same questions you did. Wondering how much of what they see is reflected in places hidden from the public. As you say, it can be “scary” 🙂
I feel the same way you do about unkempt public places and I cannot help but think, with the highest degree of admiration, of the Japanese people who in their culture, take it upon themselves, individually, to keep one’s environment clean and tidy.
“This idea of having respect for one’s environment is something that is instilled in the Japanese from an early age. Children are encouraged to clean their own schools, not as a means of making use of available child labour but to teach them life skills, environmental awareness and respect for others.” (Source: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/why-were-japanese-fans-cleaning-up-after-themselves-at-the-world-cup/)
Here in Canada the onus is on employees to keep public places clean and tidy but I think we also need to learn from the example of the Japanese people and pick up after our own selves a little more. Excellent report, thank you Gilles.
Thanks so much for sharing your bit about the Japanese culture and its connection to cleanliness Joanne. How interesting.
You’re correct, we can learn from them. How interesting it would if the “cleanliness of your environment” was taught to our North American children by parents and in our schools.