On March 2, bloggers from all around the world participated in the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign. It was a coordinated effort to discourage people from using the word “Retarded” as a casual insult, by pointing out the negative impact this word has on children with special needs or developmental delays.
One post in particular did more than share a heart-wrenching story. It taught a valuable business lesson that every brand manager needs to be aware of.
Titled “The Retard in the Next Booth,” this post shared one family’s tale of taking their autistic child Eli to an Outback restaurant. Like many busy chain restaurants, this one got a little behind on filling orders and delivering food in a timely fashion. This family waited over an hour for their meal: a wait that lead to Eli making some noises as he became frustrated and hungry. Eli’s family actually apologized to other diners nearby; the food eventually made it to the table, and it would seem like the situation was under control.
That was, at least, until Eli’s mother overheard a nearby diner complaining to the server that having to listen to “the retard in the next booth” had ruined the meal for them.
The server apologized and offered the woman a free dessert.
Eli’s mother was not impressed. This incident raises a lot of questions for Brand Managers: at that moment, Outbacks’ entire reputation in the eyes of this family hung upon the actions of that server. The young man, by going through the routine of “appease the complaining customer” likely did what he was trained to do—but at what cost?
Luckily, the story has a happy ending:
To their credit, when Outback found out about it, they responded quickly and decisively. They brought us back for several meals on them. They identified the woman who said those words and said she wouldn’t be welcome again in their restaurant. It was a joy to see a business take something so seriously. And it wasn’t just that the service was bad that night…they were furious a patron acted in the manner this woman acted toward us.
Outback, when it became aware of the situation, acted in a way that concretely demonstrated their Brand Values to Eli’s family. And, of course, by extension, to everyone who read Eli’s story, which was heavily promoted as part of the Spread the Word Campaign. They did what any responsible organization would have done.
But what would have happened if no one had brought the incident to Outback’s attention? Eli’s mother would have still had a story to tell, but Outback would have looked no better than the inconsiderate woman. That’s why it is essential that every member of an organization knows, understands, and most important of all, is empowered to act in a way consistent with the company’s values. Small moments matter, especially when the entire world is a Tweet away. Outback may not be responsible for their customers’ rude, inconsiderate behavior, but it certainly doesn’t have to reward it with a free dessert!
Outback knows that their customers value a family-friendly dining environment; kudos to them for acting so decisively for making sure that their offerings match what their customers expect. Could the situation have been handled better? Consider this and the experience your best customers can expect when they do business with you. Do your best customers know that they’re so important to you that you’ll turn other business away in order to keep them? That’s valuing your customer—and that’s how great brands are built.