Ever noticed, no one has ever complained about bad service or bad ambience or even bad decor inside a KFC or a McDonalds - even the bride and groom of big fat Indian weddings would fall flat competing the big gracious smiles of the people at these counters. I, personally, remember many times that I wanted to buy at these places just to appease these "wonderful, sweet people"...
But why is that the service/ambience/decor at most bakeries/fast food/comfort food joints jut way above the benchmark/people's expectations? No its not because they are American or Western or they are the new emblems of customer centricity. I'm sure there is bad service even in America. So what is it then? I can only think of one thing - when a book is empty, you will have to adorn its covers to sell it. Imagine if the McDs/Pizzerias/KFCs of the world had bad service, bad ambience to top their negative nutrition food, how would they sell?
Agreed these are "comfort" foods - remember how in almost every English movie - the female lead is downing a big bucket of ice cream after she's had a major showdown with her boyfriend/boss/husband/girlfriend/pet animal. So comfort food provide you the sort of comfort where you feel totally liberated while eating it, followed by hours and hours of discomfort, not to speak of the guilt, especially if you are a weight watcher. Don't get me wrong, no, I'm not against people eating junk food (cant care less) and this blog is not about the ill effects of junk food.
It just interests me that crap comes loaded with a lot of dressings and fluff, no pun that! In a world of advertising and derived social tastes, we fall flat to places/things/people who can boost our ego, but in reality are taking our intelligence and instincts for a ride. I have never seen MTR or a Saravana Bhavan, go that extra mile to pat our egos or even ensure we are comfortable there - they are just in the business of good food and they draw the line there, they take that seriously and nothing else.
Let me cut some slack here for the really fine restaurants which are in the business of good food and good experience as well - here they understand that good experience is beyond the walls of the restaurant - they invest in good food too. In the meanwhile, the spread, the offers, the choices and the frills just get better and better at the McDs, KFCs, Dominos and Pizza Huts - after all the better you package the deal, the more it sells!
But why is that the service/ambience/decor at most bakeries/fast food/comfort food joints jut way above the benchmark/people's expectations? No its not because they are American or Western or they are the new emblems of customer centricity. I'm sure there is bad service even in America. So what is it then? I can only think of one thing - when a book is empty, you will have to adorn its covers to sell it. Imagine if the McDs/Pizzerias/KFCs of the world had bad service, bad ambience to top their negative nutrition food, how would they sell?
Agreed these are "comfort" foods - remember how in almost every English movie - the female lead is downing a big bucket of ice cream after she's had a major showdown with her boyfriend/boss/husband/girlfriend/pet animal. So comfort food provide you the sort of comfort where you feel totally liberated while eating it, followed by hours and hours of discomfort, not to speak of the guilt, especially if you are a weight watcher. Don't get me wrong, no, I'm not against people eating junk food (cant care less) and this blog is not about the ill effects of junk food.
It just interests me that crap comes loaded with a lot of dressings and fluff, no pun that! In a world of advertising and derived social tastes, we fall flat to places/things/people who can boost our ego, but in reality are taking our intelligence and instincts for a ride. I have never seen MTR or a Saravana Bhavan, go that extra mile to pat our egos or even ensure we are comfortable there - they are just in the business of good food and they draw the line there, they take that seriously and nothing else.
Let me cut some slack here for the really fine restaurants which are in the business of good food and good experience as well - here they understand that good experience is beyond the walls of the restaurant - they invest in good food too. In the meanwhile, the spread, the offers, the choices and the frills just get better and better at the McDs, KFCs, Dominos and Pizza Huts - after all the better you package the deal, the more it sells!
