I am becoming obsessed with great service, and am increasingly intolerant of bad service. I recently received great service in a completely unexpected place — the T.G.I. Friday’s in the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. (You know what airports are like — crowds, lines, cranky people.) When I approached the hostess and gave her my name, I was told there would be a 10-minute wait. My wait, however, turned out to be less than 10 minutes. That was the first pleasant surprise. Then, when I was seated, the waitress politely asked for my order. My food arrived in less than 10 minutes and it was fresh, hot, and delicious. Surprised, I asked my waitress, Monique, “What is going on here?” She replied, “Our guests need to get in and out quickly, so we have to move fast to get them to their planes.” (Monique also said she has worked at other restaurants but this place has been, by far, the most financially rewarding.) My overall experience was refreshing, especially considering I had just left a pricey Florida resort where, poolside, we waited almost an hour for our food. I guess the resort staff wasn’t overly concerned, maybe because no one needed to catch a plane.

Do your customers/clients feel like I did at T.G.I. Friday’s? Are your associates, like Monique, working hard because they’re proud to be affiliated with your business?