Come Ona Tijuana!

Justin Hollis — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:50:32 +0000

We recently got a Tijuana Flats in Lakeland, FL and I wasn’t sure how I’d like it. I’m a big fan of some of the local southwestern style and Mexican establishments in town and like supporting the local guy instead of a chain. But let me tell you, these guys get IT! They are extremely friendly upon entering their doors with a pleasant smile and an eagerness to explain their menu if its your first time dining with them. It’s decor is funky, loud, and bright. Everything you wouldn’t expect to find.

I walked up and the young girl at the counter first asked my name and if I needed any help or if I was ready to order. I said, “my name is Justin” thinking she would just need it for the waiter later. I gave her my order and thought that was that. Whoops I forgot my drink order. This young gal did not. She said, “justin, what would you like to drink?” “I’ll take a Coke, please.” As a side note, whenever you order a drink in the South its a Coke. If you want a Sprite, its a coke, just a different type of Coke. Okay, glad to get that out of the way. I signed my credit card receipt and she handed my copy and said thank you Justin, we appreciate your business. Hmmm that’s interesting.

My wife and I had very good meals, but we noticed a girl who had been there a while and hadn’t been served yet. A manager came over to see if she had been helped and she said she was still waiting on her order. He went to see what was wrong and said he would fix it. He came back with her taco and said it was on the house and also gave her a coupon to come back again. The first thing out of the managers mouth was, we screwed up and we’re sorry for that. I hope you will come back and see us and thanks for stopping by today.

We also saw a couple outside waiting on a to go order. They were content because it was nice out and weren’t complaining, but they’re order took a little longer than usual. Someone arrived to their table with nachos and salsa and said, “were very sorry it’s taken longer than expected. We hope you enjoy some yummy chips while you wait.” Now, that person didn’t have to do that, but I’m sure it kept that couple thinking about other things than, what is taking so long?

So, a couple lessons here: 1) people LOVE the sound of their own names. I know I do and I liked Tijuana Flats more so because of it. 2) When you screw up is where you really differentiate yourself from your competitors and can win a customer over. My local TF did just that.

So for all you people living in Lakeland and you feel like some good food and even better customer service, head over to Tijuana Flats where the Lake Miriam Publix is.

What will First Class Service be?

Justin Hollis — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:52:23 +0000

Hi there, my name is Justin Hollis. I’m from Lakeland, FL and I’m a HUGE believer in great service. Whether it be a hotel, restaurant, grocery store, or a business service. I feel that great customer service stories need to be shared. It’s not just, “I had a great meal at Chick-Fil-A today.” What made it great? Who made it great? What was the story that went along with it? People are much more likely to remember it if it’s told as a story and they’ll re-tell it to their friends.

A lot of people blog or write about bad customer service and at times, it is worth noting, but statistically we know that if you have a good experience somewhere you aren’t as likely to tell as many people if the service was not up to par! Why is that? If I had a good experience somewhere, I want others to have that same experience.

I hope you enjoy hearing about the great things that companies are doing for their customers and if you have a good story to tell, please let me know and I’ll be sure to post it!

Justin