Don't Cry Over Spilled Coke Zero

Earlier this week when I accidentally knocked Carson's cup (lid removed) of milk off the counter, I reminded myself not to cry over spilled milk. Lawrence told himself the same thing this morning when he spilled some milk after fixing his coffee.

This afternoon at Chick-fil-a the manager must have had the same thought running through his head, only he was focused on not crying over the large cup of Coke Zero that I had dropped after he had kindly filled it up for me so I could take a full cup home to enjoy while the children napped. It was totally my fault that all 32 ounces of pop landed on the counter and oozed their way to the floor, not to mention about 20 ice cubes that toppled onto the gooey mess. I should have known better than to grab the cup (filled to the brim) at the top. I should have set down Coralyn's water and taken the cup at the base. Shoulda, woulda, coulda, but didn't. Thus, a huge puddle of Coke Zero for the manager to deal with.

He didn't bat an eyelash. He immediately asked if I had gotten any pop on me. I said my shoe had just a drop or two on it, and he promptly handed me some paper towels. Embarrassed at the mess I had made and the scene it created, I quickly bent down to scoop up as many stray ice cubes as I could and mop up some of the pop while I was at it. The manager graciously told me that they would take care of it and the paper towels were for me to clean off my shoe. Then, he noticed that my plastic bag (I was taking my salad home since Carson and Coralyn didn't seem to think they should have to wait on me to eat before they got to play) had some pop on it. He offered to get me a new bag, along with another cup of Coke. By the time he returned with my salad and pop, another employee was sweeping up the ice cubes and another was bringing out the mop. Not once did any of the Chick-fil-a employees look or act upset about having to clean up my mess. Crying , or even frowning, over the spilled Coke Zero didn't even cross their minds. Or if it did, they did a fantastic job of covering up their frustration and/or annoyment and happily took care of the problem.

I wish that I always had that same kind of reaction when accidents happen at home. Because, it is a guarantee that accidents will happen, every day. They are unavoidable. And the next time someone spills milk or crumbles their blueberry muffin all over the kitchen floor (right after I swept) or uses the wall to draw a picture instead of the paper I gave them or doesn't quite make it to the potty on time, I want to respond the way the Chick-fil-employees did today.

"My pleasure," that's what they always say after helping you, which they do quite often. In the course of the 10 minutes that I was actually at my table, doing my best to convince Carson and Coralyn they needed to eat their chicken before they could go play, at least 4 employees stopped by to check on us and see if we needed anything. One brought me a fork. One refilled my Coke (which I didn't spill that time!). And one told me to have a great day, since I didn't need anything right then. Finally, one not only brought me a to-go bag, but put my soup and salad in it for me. Customer service is definitely something they excel at, not to mention they make delicious food! Oh, and they let you use multiple coupons at the same time. For instance, today I got a grilled chicken salad, a bowl of chicken noodle soup, 8 chicken nuggets, and a Large Coke Zero all for free!

Today confirmed my previous thought, "If I ever have to work in fast food, I would want to work for Chick-fil-a." They have super customer service, make tasty food and sell it at reasonable prices, honor coupons like none other, and don't cry over spilled Coke Zero.