I imagine just about everyone has heard of the guy in Philadelphia who put the sign in his cheesesteak joint saying, "This is America. When ordering speak in English". Joe Vento is his name, and he explains the policy with, "Your loyalty should be to America and America only." The policy grants no exception for the half million tourists from outside of the U.S. who visit the City of Brotherly Love every year. I suppose our guests from all over the world can pack a sack lunch if they want to see the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall and the birthplace of freedom as far as Joe is concerned.
Having traveled throughout Europe, Asia, South America and Mexico with only a pathetic knowledge of pigeon Spanish to supplement my English, I would have been mighty hungry had the restaurant owners I came across in my journeys shared Joe’s ignorant customer service philosophy. The ones that didn’t speak English bent over backwards to find someone who did, or they played Charades with me until they were sure I left a satisfied customer.
Maybe Joe has all the money he needs, or maybe he just forgot who keeps him in business – his customers. No matter what your viewpoint is on immigration or any other social issue, telling customer to go to hell is just plain stupid.
Joe can go to hell as far as I’m concerned. He is an embarrassment to all Americans when he makes a mockery of the ‘birthplace of freedom’ and the ‘city of brotherly love’,.
And Joe is an embarrassment to all customer driven business people.
The title, for those whose Spanish is a little rusty : Hey Joe, Stick Your Cheesesteak Where The Sun Don’t Shine
English Speaker says
This is about lean in what way? To be fair, the guy isn’t denying service to anybody. He’s asking them to speak English. The sign says “please” but the media leaves that out (as did you) in your efforts to attack him and to appear all high and mighty.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,199620,00.html
Bill Waddell says
At the Copeland Corporation long ago – before Womack, Jones and Roos coined the term ‘lean’ we looked long and hard at the Toyota Production System and decided that the best name for it was Customer Driven Manufacturing.
The gist of lean is aligning the company’s resources and processes in the manner that best creates value for the customer with the least amount of waste. It is listening closely to the voice of the customer, then tranforming the operations to respond as effectively as possible to what that voice says.
Dictating terms to customers is an abomination to the principples of lean – especially terms like those of the cheesesteak guy that serve no business purpose.
Don, let it be said that I did not meet Joe courtesy for courtesy, however. I have changed the Title to “Hey Joe, Stick Your Cheesesteak Where The Sun Don’t Shine Please”
Barry "aka the Hillbilly" says
Bill has made a very important point. In many cases American companies have lost a focus upon the Customer. Bill has succinctly described what many Japanese Companies know, give the customer what they want, provide a reliably functional product with good service and you might be successful. The focus upon the customer becomes the first and a very critical step in becoming a World class competitor. A major impediment for American and European companies is this attitude that if the Customer doesn’t like it, they can just hit the road Jack. I have found, in general that the Japanese place much more emphasis upon the Customer than in the West. I suspect companies with the Hit the road Jack attitude, may also have other problems, such as how they treat their own employees. This take it or leave it attitude is worse in industries where there isn’t a lot of foreign competition. Its hard to make much money with a business, if you are focusing mainly upon how much you can give your Shareholders the next quarter. That subjugation of the Customer and Employees ends up not yielding substantial profits in the final analysis and perhaps is a waste greater than OVERPRODUCTION. Is the American form of Capitalism (Wallstreet Qtr Profit Focus) capable of creating the types of Excellent, reliable products that Japan produces at the cost level of Japan ??? There is a new trend in America recently which carries this lack of respect for the Customer one step further. Many companies (Big Box Retailers) are now using outside firms to determine who is a “Good” Customer and who is not. Apparently if you are a “Bad” customer, (Someone who only buys the On Sale items, or returns too much) then you will be flagged in the Retailers computer systems and you won’t receive the same treatment as the “Good” Customers. I would expect just this type of attitude from a bunch of people solely focused upon hitting Wallstreets next Qtr target. Sadly many US companies get away with these kinds of things, just becaust Japan doesn’t compete in all segments.
rd says
Bill please give your thoughts on who exactly is the customer in the insurance, doctor, hospital business. Pre authorization to the insurance company, patients sitting endless hours in the doctors office, and inadequate service from the hospital. Looks like many industies are moving in the wrong direction
Bill Waddell says
I’m workin’ on that one rd. Obviously the customer is the patient – although the groups you mentioned don’t seem to be too well aware of it.
Lean health care is dangerous ground for me, so give me a few days to finish my research and I’ll see if I can’t get that pot good and boiling.