I was talking to someone who is not in the Corp last week, and as we were talking about the Corp's image, she said something that was pretty straightforward, but that has stuck with me since she said it. After I had said something along the lines of "yeah, we're working on making the DPAC Cafe a little more professional, a little more classy," she responded with "but you guys have to make sure you stay cool...you know, like the funny tip signs...they're what makes the Corp great."
I, for one, haven't made a new tip sign in a while. When I was first hired, I was really into it and poured a not insignificant amount of energy into making tip signs that were funny, attention-grabbing, and/or pathetic to encourage people to leave change. Full disclosure: I have never received more than $5 in tips in a shift, and I was even a lunch rush specialist freshman year. I hardly think about it anymore, though. When I buy food at Vittles, I can count on there being a tip sign there, more than likely one that makes me laugh. But when I think about what people appreciate or criticize about the Corp, I would never have thought about tip signs, and that was the #1 attribute in this girl's mind.
Makes me think, as the CEO, what I really should be encouraging and pushing for. To "Serve Students", what should we be thinking about? Does that kid in our discussion section want consistency and professional-quality appearance in Vittles? Does the student leader want more money to be given out by philanthropy? Do the new students visiting the DPAC Cafe want to see something with the gleams and polishes of a Cosi?
Or...do they want a funny tip sign? To see a casual, cool fellow student behind the counter, to hear the same music that's on their most recent playlist, to order drinks with creative names and to leave the store in just a little bit better of a mood than when they came in? Isn't that our most important customer - the one that finds what they're looking for in more complex ways that just caffeine -> mouth or boxes -> storage?
I suppose in my position, it's my job to push for the things in the first paragraph so that they can sustain the existence of this company and its reputation for providing needed services well. But it's also my job to help craft the Corp's image, and that's a challenging balancing act. Because if there were no tip signs, boring names, scripted customer service, and Musak, would we still be serving students? This is especially pertinent for the DPAC Cafe, where I really do believe enhancing the quality of our equipment, the precision of our planning, the training of our staff to a level the Corp has not yet demanded of its services will pay off in so many ways. So when we seek to preserve the Corp's identity in a new form...how can we make those mesh?
I'm not sure. Still working on it. I guess there's just a faith that I have that the virtues that make the Corp the Corp can be preserved while eliminating those faults that make the Corp (sigh...) the Corp.
And do not get me started on equipment maintenance. Argh.
December FE Updates!
13 years ago
i enjoyed this post and found it very insightful, so thanks! as a recent sfs grad ('09), i have a couple of comments and suggestions for the corp. first, whatever you do with the dpac cafe, you should keep it casual and "artsy." i really enjoyed the atmosphere in midnight mug and ug ... especially the ridiculously comfy couches. a couple of suggestions i have for the corp in general (and i know that these are the sort of petty things that come from spending 4 years shopping at vittles at least once a day), are to stock more hummus veggie pane bella pita sandwiches at vittles. i worked at the voice and when i went down for dinner on wednesday nights and found every other kind there except for hummus veggie, it was disappointing. this happened often enough that i think it could be an inventory issue.
ReplyDeletealso, you should really post more prices in vittles. it would be a small, but necessary gesture that would lend the store a more professional air. imagine what a parent of an incoming student might think going into the store and seeing no prices ... it might make that person feel like the corp kids aren't as on top of running a business as you are.
anyway, though, thanks for all the coffee and food and books and storage over the past 4 years. i preferred it over having to buy everything from subway and the bookstore. good luck with the dpac cafe; i'll stop by to check it out when it opens.
I think you hit it right on the head... keeping that fun, comfortable atmosphere isn't really something you can IMPLEMENT, but you can only decide to allow it to happen. You're right that your job is to train the staff to reach a higher level of service and make sure everything else is professional--the rest comes from letting the employees build (or continue) creating that environment and not stifling it when it comes to deciding whether or not it's a good idea. After all, artsy and fun is a professional atmosphere too--just look at Jamba or dare I say, Starbucks.
ReplyDeleteI personally would welcome a more professional atmosphere to the corp. Keep in mind, you are not only reflecting Georgetown culture, you are also shaping it. A more professional face on the corp would better reflect the ambitious drive of students, and shape a stronger sense of responsibility among all students.
ReplyDeleteAnd prices in Vittles are my #1 complaint against the Corp. Are you assuming your customers don't care what the prices are, or needn't be concerned with them? Either is insulting.