Recently, the number of fast food restaurants in Jamaica has increased significantly.
One one of my pet peeves is how slow the service is at most of the so called fast food joints in this country, not to mention the very poor customer service.
For those of my readers who may not know, a pet peeve is what a particular person finds particularly annoying, and what can be more annoying than having to wait a very long time for the food they order from a fast food restaurant to be served. .
What Jamaican hasn’t had an unpleasant experience at these establishments, which boast speed of service, especially for people on the road? But if you are very hungry and decide not to go to a gourmet restaurant or a sit-down restaurant, you can do so, because at least you will be seated and able to quench your thirst with a glass of water.
Not so in most of these fast food stores. Even if there are three people in line, and you are number one, you will have to wait a long time. And if you complain, you will most likely get a stupid look at you or, with any luck, a warden will appear, especially if you were ranting and raving, and will try to console your grouse with a plastic smile and not too comforting words, because in the long run you are all even in the long term.
And to top it all off, if you don’t check what you ordered before you leave the store, you will most likely receive the wrong item. This happens very often when angry customers scold the staff, who, for the most part, look very tired, dissatisfied and disorganized. Is this a classic case of overwork and underpayment?
Jamaica is flooded with fast food stores. Almost every nook and cranny has a chicken and/or hamburger place. Indeed, it’s safe to say that many Jamaicans have become so addicted to fast food that cooking at home has become a rarity. However, even with this fixation, many people are quietly tired of the poor and slow service they are subjected to on an almost daily basis.
Interestingly, the term “fast food” originated in the United States, where a fast-paced society has become a way of life. However, whenever I visit this country, I am amazed that no matter how busy the fast food establishment looks, in the blink of an eye your order is taken and you are out of there. It is, in essence, fast food. But not so in Jamaica, where everything is calm and we are still tormented by the “coming soon” syndrome.
f I may be a little joking, I’m tempted to say that the only time service is fast at many of these fast food stores is when business is slow, and even then, not all the time.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against fast food, although for nutritional reasons we are often warned not to eat fast food too much. They’re delicious, mostly filling, and yes, they can be highly addictive, so much so that many Jamaicans have wondered if they’re adding anything to their food to keep them eating.
Meanwhile, numerous advertisements on radio, television and newspapers are always trying to convince customers that they expect the best service when they enter these fast food establishments. So if one of their employees falls down at work, it should be exposed in the hope that things get better. Therefore, this author urges all fast food operators to pull up their socks by ensuring that, through constant training, quality control, and better working conditions (including wages), their workers do not continue to constantly work slowly with an equally constant “helix edge”.
Let’s face it, service with a smile should be the norm even in the most pressing of circumstances.
When it comes to drive-ins, get ready to shout out your order many times, and if you order more than one dish, as night follows day, one will be stopped or not delivered, or worse, you will get what you did. not order. Of course, if you go back and complain, you’ll be labeled as fighting the poor, too unhappy, or worse, a troublemaker.
There was a time when many Jamaicans would go home and prepare food, especially dinner. This is no longer the case as the fast food market has expanded rapidly and has captured the taste of virtually everyone, regardless of class or economic status.
This is a worldwide trend, and aside from high cholesterol and high sodium fatty foods, these eateries have proven to be convenient, easily accessible, and a source of fresh variety on the menu. However, the owners and management of many of these establishments need to pay more attention to customer service.
Unfortunately, in Jamaica, most people do not feel entitled to receive good customer service. They expect the worst, and very often that is what they get.
In the meantime, it is imperative that public health inspectors, some of whom are easily bribed into turning a blind eye to certain unacceptably low standards of service, remain vigilant, as a quick service scenario can lead to neglect of hygiene and quality standards. It’s no secret that the proliferation of fast food outlets has led to widespread rat infestation, and these parasites are known to carry various infectious diseases that can be dangerous to human health.
Aside from slowness coupled with poor customer service, fast food in Jamaica is beneficial in many ways. Many franchisees and operators have been good corporate citizens, making significant contributions to education, sports, entertainment, and cultural arts, among other areas of national life. So I wish them well, but please hurry up and serve with a smile.
Lloyd B. Smith has been active in the Jamaican media for the past 45 years. He was also a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica, where he is widely known as a governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.
Service in many fast food establishments is slow and of poor quality.online
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