ABM is-A-B-(ig) M-(arketing) campaign

[ira]

Wendy's has passed Burger King as #2  to McDonald's...as it positions itself as a casual/dining/fast food cut-above restaurant like the fast charging Panera's..Chipotle etc.

 

Bringing back the "Pretzel" AND choosing "ABM" is a REAL big deal at a time when EVERYTHING is trending Wendy's way.

 

Again...Eric.....For all the pleasure you've given so many..May you ALWAYS have it your way..

[AnneNR]

Despite how amusing and nostalgic the commercials are for Wendy's hamburger joints, out here in Northern California, they have a serious problem --- communication.

 

A decade or more ago, Wendy's was a favored place for me and others of my acquaintance, but a gradual decline in getting the orders correct is more or less a crap shoot, even if you just order one item.  Going through their drive ups, I have ordered a classic hamburger with NO condiments (mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup) as I like to control the amount.  When you go to bite into the burger and mayonnaise, or mustard, or ketchup oozes out of the bun, something is off.

 

To avoid overloading like this I have gotten used to ordering burgers with just the pickles, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce, and add what I choose or don't choose to when I get it home.

 

Now, my pet peeve comes into play.  If a person is working out in the American public and has to communicate with people, I am a firm believer in the need to having a good working knowledge of written and spoken English.  I cannot tell you the number of times I have dealt with Hispanic personnel at Wendy's in our area, and it is the norm rather than the exception that the orders come out wrong, and when trying to correct it at the window, they STILL seem to get it wrong.  (Burger King out here has also declined for similar reasons for me and others.)

 

I remember one time recently, I asked hubby if he would take me to Wendy's for one more try, (I liked their burgers and chili best) it had been a while.  He said yes, but we were going inside this time to speak personally at the counter to be certain the order was placed correctly.

 

Once again, there were employees there with heavy Hispanic accents chattering back and forth to each other on the line (which I really could care less about, but this usually means they don't speak English well...), and I was hoping against odds that things would go alright.  Hubby very clearly placed his order, minus some things he did not want on his burger, I only wanted just a plain baked potato minus any margarine and a cup of chili I was going to put over it when we got to the table.

 

What ensued was quite a jumble of failure to communicate with us.  I told the server that my potato had margarine melted on it when it got placed on our tray at the counter, could I just get a plain one  ----  then she very RUDELY spoke in rapid Spanish to her supervisor in front of me (which by the way I could understand, my first ex was born and raised in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, so I picked up quite a bit in the years he and I were together) and the female server was complaining that "the lady" (me) says something is wrong with the potato, not telling her I asked for one without margarine.  I interrupted the conversation, speaking directly to the supervisor  ---who spoke much better English--- what I had asked originally, and she told me, "Oh, I'm sorry, but all the potatoes are baked with margarine on them."

 

If the person taking my order in the first place had told me that, I would have chosen something else.  In the meantime, someone who ordered after us got their order filled and on the tray and off the counter before hubby's burger was finished, and now hubby was wondering what was the matter, and asked the supervisor where the rest of our order was.  She said, "Just a moment," then started talking in rapid Spanish about our order to the server in front of us.  Hubby is pretty laid back, but this order was getting really out of hand, and when the supervisor essentially dismissed my Matt by talking to the other employee in Spanish (you had to have been there to see the attitude and air of dismissal presented) he lost his patience altogether, and in a raised voice said, "Why don't we just forget the whole thing, and please refund me back my money."

 

Then other people who were waiting for their orders were coming forward to check the trays waiting to be finished.  The first time the supervisor refunded, the money was wrong, and Matt showed her the receipt, but would not leg go of it while she read it, so then the manager came and tried again, and it still came out wrong.  Finally Matt asked, "Can you just VOID the original transaction and deal with your other mistakes later so I may leave??"  Once again, he was told, "Just a moment," but this time with a little more respect from the manager, and FINALLY refunded the correct amount, so we left with the original receipt and went to Five Guys Burgers --- they are a bit pricey compared to others, but have yet to get one order wrong.

 

So while I am tickled that ABM is being used commercially --even if the the lyrics have been altered a bit-- and that Mr. Carmen should be compensated for the use of ABM, I am not happy with the establishment advertising with it.

 

AnneNR

[Mary Ellen]

Happy for Eric! (=

[Catnip]

I grew up in Spain and never had a problem with the Spanish people taking our orders. We didn't go to Wendy's often there and it was considered a "usa/taste of home treat" when we did. They were not required or expected to learn English and our service was always great, but I was the guest in their country.  =)

[AnneNR]

Catnip ---

 

I can completely identify with your scenario.  It sounds like your time in Spain was very wonderful.  I would love to go there sometime.  I believe Spain is where Ringo Starr says he feels at home and resides there (?) last I heard.

 

Although the few times the first ex and I went into Mazatlan, Mexico, I made it a point to try to communicate in Spanish, broken though it may have been,  (took 5 years of French in school--- but French conjugation and Spanish were similar enough that it helped)  with anyone who had to serve me at the restaurants, bazaars, markets, shops, airport terminals, out in the barrio or campos, or on the playas.  One needs to learn a good conversational command of the language of the country you visit, if you can possibly do it.

 

Wendy's has always been a treat for me as I've always liked their food, it's just courteous service and correct order production that has put me off going to them, though I give it some time and keep trying hoping it gets better.  The waiting and trying has been at a minimum this last decade, at least here in Northern California  --- now that I think about it, other locations outside this area I haven't had a problem with.  So, I don't know why it has been such a difficulty here, and I am not the only one who's experienced this situation here. 

 

After waitressing in a restaurant for 3 days when I was 16, I couldn't handle it.  As a result, I have a great respect for those who are in similar positions and go out of my way to be clear ordering and polite myself, as I know how the other side of the counter feels.  But good communication needs to be a priority, secondary languages are always a plus, but everyone needs to speak English, I believe.

 

Learning English is important, and if I were living in Mexico, for instance, I would consider it important to learn how to speak more than broken Spanish  to use regularly, especially if I had to deal with the public.  It doesn't matter if I wasn't born speaking Spanish, the major language spoken in Mexico is Spanish, and my knowing English they could probably care less about if I were a server / cashier in some city in Mexico.  My first ex came up here in 1975, and he knew how important learning English was and couldn't understand how some of his fellow countrymen coming here didn't really bother to learn it well.  I guess I see it the same way.

 

But I keep trying and hoping . . . .

 

AnneNR  

[paperdoll82]

I've always had fantastic experiences at Wendy's. Great service, and the food's good. Haven't had the pretzel this go-round, but it was pretty tasty last time.

Cheryl

[Matthew C. Clark]

I thought that McDonalds was # 1 & Subway was #2 & Burger King was # 3 & Wendy's was # 4????     Matt 

[ira]

Matthew..Wendy IS now #2 in Burger sales...I know Subway is bigger especially in number of locations...the start-up costs for a Subway are much smaller than for a McDonald's franchise I believe.