Lesson Thirty-Four: Dethroning the Emperor

Jack M. Greenberg
Chairman and chief executive office,McDonald’s Corporation.
c/o McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd.
McDonald’s Place,
Toronto, Ontario M3C 3L4

Dear Mr. Greenberg,

My favorite Sunday of the year is October daylight savings when we gain one blissful hour in the morning.

But on this Sunday we are out of syrup and the kids want pancakes.

So I’m in the car at 8:30 a.m. in my pajamas and slippers, desperately trying to hold on to my extended morning, driving to our neighborhood McDonald’s for pancakes.

I wait in the drive-through line and order. As the McDonald’s girl collects my order I notice a timer and sticker that says “30 seconds from the time you pay to the time you go.”The timer is at 128, 129, 130, 131… the girl passes me my order. I think about asking her, 30 seconds or what happens? But the kids want their pancakes and I’m in my pajamas. I’m not giving up my daylight savings Sunday morning.

When I get home,my wife Jess and the kids are sitting at the table. Jess opens the bag…

“They forgot the syrup,” she says.

“I don’t want pancakes with no syrup,” my 4-year-old daughter Tristan whines. Toby, my 2-year-old son’s eyes begin to tear up.

“Don’t worry, kids,” I say. I go back outside to the car and drive back to the McDonald’s to retrieve syrup.

I get to the drive-through line-up. Wait, wait, wait. My Sunday ticks by, the pancakes at home get colder, colder, colder. Finally it’s my turn at the window.

“You forgot to give me syrup,” I blurt out.

“I’m sorry,” she smiles, “we’re out of syrup.”

I’m stunned. McDonald’s is out of syrup? The company who invented modern fast food, is out of syrup. Ray Krock would turn over in his grave. How can this be?

“You can’t just sell pancakes and not give people syrup. I have kids at home who expect syrup.”

She looks at me with a blankness only a 17-year-old can achieve.

“Get me your manager,” I say.

The manager comes to the window.

“You can’t just sell people pancakes without giving them syrup,” I say.

“You should have been told we were out of syrup when you ordered,” he states, as if to say it’s my fault.

“But I wasn’t told. I wouldn’t buy pancakes without syrup. The reason I came here in the first place was because we ran out of syrup at home. I could have made no-syrup pancakes all by myself.”

“I’m sorry,” he says. I can tell by his look that he wants to end the conversation. There are other customers piling up behind me.

“GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK.”

“Certainly, sir.” I get my money and drive off.

Sunday morning, I’m in my pajamas driving around thinking ‘where can I get syrup’, when I know that no stores are open because it’s daylight savings and we’re all supposed to be enjoying the extra hour.

I go home, defeated, having to explain the syrup situation to Jess and the kids.

We make due, we’re survivors.

Mr. Greenberg, the way I figure it, next Sunday morning you owe me one extra hour to make up the one I lost today. I’m not optimistic you’ll pay up, in which case, a simple apology to my family and four orders of pancakes, with syrup, will do.


Sincerely,


Shane Sparks


Shortly after sending that letter, I received this response.

We could all learn how to keep customers from their example.

The Emperor lives!



Principles of Persuassion by Shane Spark