I posted about the most stupid question I've ever been asked a while ago. Basically a man wanted to know if we threw away the UNUSED IN WRAPPERS disposable cups at the end of the night. No we don't.
But, I think that this question potentially beats that one, and the person who asked it adds to it's stupidity.
I'm loitering on the front, in an apron when a man with a white shirt and grey tie comes up to me. He is a McDonalds manager. He then said "Do you have an angle grinder we could borrow?". "An angle grinder?" "Yeah" "Err no...sorry". Why he thought Pizza Hut would have an angle grinder is beyond me. I suppose it would be good for cutting pizza !
Monday 29 October 2007
Thursday 25 October 2007
Rotten smell and CHRISTMAS!!
A rancid and/or rotten smell decided it would make itself known today in the centre. It was like sewage, but worse.
The centre staff noticed it pretty quickly, and they clocked us sniffing the air. Security were looking round, one had the nerve to come up to me and ask "Err - is your extractor on ?" Yes it is thank you!
The outcome was, that it was a burnt panini. I seriously doubt that explanation - it smelt worse than sewage. And I have had a recent experience with sewage when someone decided they'd tip oil down the sink and some pipes had to be ripped out and replaced as it had got clogged with various substances. The same person also put a separator (a plastic disc which allows pizza pans to be stacked on top of each other) through the oven and melt onto the conveyor. I do like this person but wish they wouldn't be so thick.
And on the subject of smells. Making pizza and dough is a smelly occupation. I come home and I stink like oil and dough, and my hands no matter how many times I wash them, still smell of cheese.
Being in the kitchen doesn't provide many customer stories - which for me is rather pleasant. I do enjoy the odd complaint however. I have noticed though, that for some reason customers seem to respect you more when you come from the kitchen out to the front to help them. I wonder if it is the apron or that I've just been lucky.
Christmas isn't far away now and this will be my second Christmas at Pizza Hut. I can't wait for the centre to go all festive. The trees, the lights, the robotic animals, the music, the festive cheer from customers (!). Last year I posted about what I should say to customers at Christmas. I ended up just being the same and not say anything special. This year I've got a lot more confidence with customers (potentially bordering on cocky) so I don't know whether to be happy and jolly or delibrately miserable. I might be delibrately miserable to express my disgust that Pizza Hut don't pay ANYTHING extra for working Christmas Eve, Boxing Day or any other bank holiday for that matter. And the likely recognition we will get at store level will be "Disappointing Christmas, down on last year" forgetting the fact we gave up our family and holiday time so we could sell pizza - and be paid the same as if it was any other weekday.
There we go, another moan over with. I've done meat and pay rates now... Next time it might be about the constant nagging for brand standard quality products. We try but when you send wafer thin "chunky tomatoes" and tomato concentrate which is 30% thinner but don't tell anyone until 3 weeks after its introduction, it really isn't easy! And the fact you have got rid of the Pizza Hut logo on the napkins (any other PH employees noticed that?) but you want to build the brand. Oh AND the way they are selling off some restaurants to franchisees and telling the store team and managers after it has happened with a phone call saying "by the way, you are now owned by.."
Motivation and communication are not Pizza Hut's strongest points.
The centre staff noticed it pretty quickly, and they clocked us sniffing the air. Security were looking round, one had the nerve to come up to me and ask "Err - is your extractor on ?" Yes it is thank you!
The outcome was, that it was a burnt panini. I seriously doubt that explanation - it smelt worse than sewage. And I have had a recent experience with sewage when someone decided they'd tip oil down the sink and some pipes had to be ripped out and replaced as it had got clogged with various substances. The same person also put a separator (a plastic disc which allows pizza pans to be stacked on top of each other) through the oven and melt onto the conveyor. I do like this person but wish they wouldn't be so thick.
And on the subject of smells. Making pizza and dough is a smelly occupation. I come home and I stink like oil and dough, and my hands no matter how many times I wash them, still smell of cheese.
Being in the kitchen doesn't provide many customer stories - which for me is rather pleasant. I do enjoy the odd complaint however. I have noticed though, that for some reason customers seem to respect you more when you come from the kitchen out to the front to help them. I wonder if it is the apron or that I've just been lucky.
Christmas isn't far away now and this will be my second Christmas at Pizza Hut. I can't wait for the centre to go all festive. The trees, the lights, the robotic animals, the music, the festive cheer from customers (!). Last year I posted about what I should say to customers at Christmas. I ended up just being the same and not say anything special. This year I've got a lot more confidence with customers (potentially bordering on cocky) so I don't know whether to be happy and jolly or delibrately miserable. I might be delibrately miserable to express my disgust that Pizza Hut don't pay ANYTHING extra for working Christmas Eve, Boxing Day or any other bank holiday for that matter. And the likely recognition we will get at store level will be "Disappointing Christmas, down on last year" forgetting the fact we gave up our family and holiday time so we could sell pizza - and be paid the same as if it was any other weekday.
There we go, another moan over with. I've done meat and pay rates now... Next time it might be about the constant nagging for brand standard quality products. We try but when you send wafer thin "chunky tomatoes" and tomato concentrate which is 30% thinner but don't tell anyone until 3 weeks after its introduction, it really isn't easy! And the fact you have got rid of the Pizza Hut logo on the napkins (any other PH employees noticed that?) but you want to build the brand. Oh AND the way they are selling off some restaurants to franchisees and telling the store team and managers after it has happened with a phone call saying "by the way, you are now owned by.."
Motivation and communication are not Pizza Hut's strongest points.
Friday 19 October 2007
Salt
I'm not a company spokesman, so I'm not going to defend the fact that a report has found we are the most salty fast food restaurant. But are we really fast food? We're a chain of restaurants who provide dine in, collection, delivery and a relatively new fast food format. Not really fast food, but we are in the Fast Food Song. So in that way the comparison isn't really fair.
But...they used the Pizza Plus meal deal for 4. They divided the salt content into 4 and got as 12.3g of salt each. They then say thats 4 times the recommended amount for a 6 year old. Just a little problem though, 6 year olds don't each as much as adults so are unlikely to have a quarter of the meal deal.
It is interesting to note that McDonalds came out reasonably well (shock: bag of apple and grapes has less salt than a chicken wrap). McDonalds being so big and the stereotype of fast food, has meant they need to be careful with everything now. It all tastes different now. They know where their meat comes from - and are proud to tell everyone. Pizza Hut on the other hand hasn't really been picked on, so has so far managed to get away with what they want - but maybe it will change. Slowly we are changing. When I started they said the chargrilled chicken would be changing to "real 100% chicken breast", a year on and they are still babbling on about how it will be "real" soon. Just how does it take to stop putting the entire carcass in the mincer.
Well after that small moan and definitely not a company advert - I will just mention - PHQ! A new delivery only format has launched in two cities (forget which). They have explicitly stated in the 'Big 5' newsletter that it is to rival Dominos and target a younger market. They do have a website, but it doesn't work. Good start guys.
But...they used the Pizza Plus meal deal for 4. They divided the salt content into 4 and got as 12.3g of salt each. They then say thats 4 times the recommended amount for a 6 year old. Just a little problem though, 6 year olds don't each as much as adults so are unlikely to have a quarter of the meal deal.
It is interesting to note that McDonalds came out reasonably well (shock: bag of apple and grapes has less salt than a chicken wrap). McDonalds being so big and the stereotype of fast food, has meant they need to be careful with everything now. It all tastes different now. They know where their meat comes from - and are proud to tell everyone. Pizza Hut on the other hand hasn't really been picked on, so has so far managed to get away with what they want - but maybe it will change. Slowly we are changing. When I started they said the chargrilled chicken would be changing to "real 100% chicken breast", a year on and they are still babbling on about how it will be "real" soon. Just how does it take to stop putting the entire carcass in the mincer.
Well after that small moan and definitely not a company advert - I will just mention - PHQ! A new delivery only format has launched in two cities (forget which). They have explicitly stated in the 'Big 5' newsletter that it is to rival Dominos and target a younger market. They do have a website, but it doesn't work. Good start guys.
Thursday 18 October 2007
Donations
So for 4 weeks we can now ask for a 20p donation to be added to a customers bill.
I really don't mind whether someone donates or not, but it does draw your attention to them a bit more if a customer does not agree to the donation.
Two which stuck out for me were:
One who looked at the cause poster (we got them now as well as badges), and said a cold "No, don't care bout that". Fine. Then went on to moan about everything: Ice, Tango, gas, having to wait, the straws being 2 steps away from the machine, me turning off the Tango because he complained (not much else I could do!) and anything else. He also spat the top of the straw wrapper onto the floor and left the rest on the counter. He also made a huge trail of Tango. What a chav.
The next person who didn't donate, had a daughter, about 15 I reckon accompanied by a friend.. We have self service drinks which you get after you have paid. You either have hot or cold. You don't have cold and then come back with a McDonalds hot cup and use that for hot because you thought it was free refills.
I had this conversation with the daughter:
"Are you alright there?"
"Err yes" - reveals the McDonalds cup.
"That's £1.39 please"
"What?"
"The coffee...you have to pay for it, it's £1.39"
"But my friend had a drink, I thought it was refills!?"
"Yeah, but that is a McDonalds cup."
"And?"
"You can't use that here, and your friend had a cold drink anyway"
"Oh right"
"Can you tip that coffee away please?" - I'd rather them tip it away and waste it than back down and let them get it for free!
"Ok.."
She was nice and did it.
So these are the type of people who don't donate.
I really don't mind whether someone donates or not, but it does draw your attention to them a bit more if a customer does not agree to the donation.
Two which stuck out for me were:
One who looked at the cause poster (we got them now as well as badges), and said a cold "No, don't care bout that". Fine. Then went on to moan about everything: Ice, Tango, gas, having to wait, the straws being 2 steps away from the machine, me turning off the Tango because he complained (not much else I could do!) and anything else. He also spat the top of the straw wrapper onto the floor and left the rest on the counter. He also made a huge trail of Tango. What a chav.
The next person who didn't donate, had a daughter, about 15 I reckon accompanied by a friend.. We have self service drinks which you get after you have paid. You either have hot or cold. You don't have cold and then come back with a McDonalds hot cup and use that for hot because you thought it was free refills.
I had this conversation with the daughter:
"Are you alright there?"
"Err yes" - reveals the McDonalds cup.
"That's £1.39 please"
"What?"
"The coffee...you have to pay for it, it's £1.39"
"But my friend had a drink, I thought it was refills!?"
"Yeah, but that is a McDonalds cup."
"And?"
"You can't use that here, and your friend had a cold drink anyway"
"Oh right"
"Can you tip that coffee away please?" - I'd rather them tip it away and waste it than back down and let them get it for free!
"Ok.."
She was nice and did it.
So these are the type of people who don't donate.
Saturday 13 October 2007
World Hunger Relief Week and YUMSOP
Next week is World Hunger Relief Week. If you visit a Pizza Hut or KFC restaurant anywhere in the world you should be asked if you would like to donate to the World Food Programme. Personally I'd prefer to raise more money for Starlight but that is just me. What is that interesting is that they are making a huge song and dance about it - but they won't provide any signage, or a small pot of money so we can organise something. If a store wants to do something they need to do it from someones pocket first. It is a worthwhile cause but I think more of a publicity thing for Yum!.
Yum! are giving all employees who have been with them over a year to participate in the Yum! Brands Inc. Share Ownership Programme, YUMSOP for short. It looks quite good to be honest, as Yum! is on the up overall. You save up for three years, and then at the end of the three years you have the option to get your savings + bonus, buy shares at the agreed price from this year and sell them on, or buy shares and keep them to sell at a later date. So even if Yum! begins to drop in share price, you won't lose.
I think this is a pretty standard share save thing but it is quite good anyway.
The example they give is:
36 monthly payments of £20 = £720
Bonus = £48
Total = £768
No of shares you can get at the agreed price = 46
The price is £16.67 so if they go up £2 you're about £150 better off plus you got all the money you saved. I might go for it...but I don't know much about shares. And I also doubt I'll be there in 3 years but you can still get the bonus if you leave but not buy shares.
Oh and by the way, I'm aching a lot because I've been on my feet for no less than 11 hours today (sympathy please?) and I'm doing it all again tomorrow.
Yum! are giving all employees who have been with them over a year to participate in the Yum! Brands Inc. Share Ownership Programme, YUMSOP for short. It looks quite good to be honest, as Yum! is on the up overall. You save up for three years, and then at the end of the three years you have the option to get your savings + bonus, buy shares at the agreed price from this year and sell them on, or buy shares and keep them to sell at a later date. So even if Yum! begins to drop in share price, you won't lose.
I think this is a pretty standard share save thing but it is quite good anyway.
The example they give is:
36 monthly payments of £20 = £720
Bonus = £48
Total = £768
No of shares you can get at the agreed price = 46
The price is £16.67 so if they go up £2 you're about £150 better off plus you got all the money you saved. I might go for it...but I don't know much about shares. And I also doubt I'll be there in 3 years but you can still get the bonus if you leave but not buy shares.
Oh and by the way, I'm aching a lot because I've been on my feet for no less than 11 hours today (sympathy please?) and I'm doing it all again tomorrow.
Tuesday 9 October 2007
Loyalty cards and Micros
In July we got loyalty cards. They gave us 4000 of the things to hand out. I can give you the exact figure we have had back. It has been hard to keep track because of the sheer amount but we did manage it: 3.
Out of 4000 cards we have had 3 redemptions. Oh well, maybe head office will come up with a better promotion other than you need to spend £12 to get a 99p side free or £36 to get a £2.69 pizza, next time round.
Yesterday the new menu launched complete with Meatball Deli. All our previous paperwork told us it was called Mamas Meatballs but they changed their mind. I tried it, the meatballs are soft but a bit dry. They need some kind of sauce on top, and they are so big the cheese falls of them. We also got chicken goujons (chicken fillet in southern fried coating, new to all Pizza Hut formats) and I can conclude they are around 10 times nicer than chicken dippers - not bad for an extra 10p. We don't do dippers anymore thankfully.
We got new menu boards and they are incredibly ugly - instead of having the titles of the meals at the top, it is at the bottom. Maybe I'm being too fussy.
To accommodate the new menu the tills software has to be updated. A lovely company called Micros does this. They have altered some bits but it has mainly stayed the same. Except the final pay screen. There used to be a large CASH button in the bottom right with equally sized £50, £20, £10 and £5 buttons just below them. But in their fantastic upgrade, they'll half the size of the CASH button as well as the £10 and £5 buttons. They have kept the £50 and £20 buttons the original size. And now at the bottom of the screen there is just grey, empty space. So no longer can you tap the bottom right of the screen to go through. It is a pain and just makes the chance of change inaccuracies greater. Micros are the same great people who put a pop up saying "Have you completed the change?" button after the cash drawer has opened but before the receipt will print. The purpose of this I have no idea. If it was saying "Would the customer like a receipt?" I could understand - we could save paper on all the people who don't want one.
I think this post really requires a photograph to explain why this is such a pain. I'll have to get one soon, but I'm hoping the next time I go in they have realised their stupid mistakes.
Out of 4000 cards we have had 3 redemptions. Oh well, maybe head office will come up with a better promotion other than you need to spend £12 to get a 99p side free or £36 to get a £2.69 pizza, next time round.
Yesterday the new menu launched complete with Meatball Deli. All our previous paperwork told us it was called Mamas Meatballs but they changed their mind. I tried it, the meatballs are soft but a bit dry. They need some kind of sauce on top, and they are so big the cheese falls of them. We also got chicken goujons (chicken fillet in southern fried coating, new to all Pizza Hut formats) and I can conclude they are around 10 times nicer than chicken dippers - not bad for an extra 10p. We don't do dippers anymore thankfully.
We got new menu boards and they are incredibly ugly - instead of having the titles of the meals at the top, it is at the bottom. Maybe I'm being too fussy.
To accommodate the new menu the tills software has to be updated. A lovely company called Micros does this. They have altered some bits but it has mainly stayed the same. Except the final pay screen. There used to be a large CASH button in the bottom right with equally sized £50, £20, £10 and £5 buttons just below them. But in their fantastic upgrade, they'll half the size of the CASH button as well as the £10 and £5 buttons. They have kept the £50 and £20 buttons the original size. And now at the bottom of the screen there is just grey, empty space. So no longer can you tap the bottom right of the screen to go through. It is a pain and just makes the chance of change inaccuracies greater. Micros are the same great people who put a pop up saying "Have you completed the change?" button after the cash drawer has opened but before the receipt will print. The purpose of this I have no idea. If it was saying "Would the customer like a receipt?" I could understand - we could save paper on all the people who don't want one.
I think this post really requires a photograph to explain why this is such a pain. I'll have to get one soon, but I'm hoping the next time I go in they have realised their stupid mistakes.
Friday 5 October 2007
Delivery
We don't do delivery. We have never done delivery. We don't do delivery. We used to be grouped for area management with delivery. We don't do delivery. We are listed as a restaurant in the phone books. We don't do delivery. We haven't got any delivery drivers or bikes. WE DON'T DO DELIVERY.
For god knows what reason I tend to answer the phone a lot now. Even if there is a manager there, they'll often ask me to get it. I do seem to be doing more and more manager tasks, which is ok. In particular I like being asked "Pick someone to do potwash ___". Hehe that'll teach you for being lazy! Another favourite is "Count this money for me while I go for a fag". It gets me out of the other jobs so it is good.
So two recent delivery enquiries:
"Good evening _____ Pizza Hut"
"Do you deliver to ___?"
"No sorry we don't offer delivery"
"You do"
"Nope sorry we don't"
"I have ordered from you before"
"Not us I'm afraid."
"You must be new - is there anyone else there?"
"Yes."
"Let me speak to them"
"There is no need, we don't do delivery"
"YOU'RE A LIAR"
I hung up.
"Good evening _____ Pizza Hut!"
"Right can I order a .... for delivery in ___?"
"Sorry we don't do delivery"
"Well I've just been given this number by another store and they said you do"
"Oh they must have got mixed up - because we don't do delivery"
"Fuck Pizza Hut then"
Thanks for that!
For god knows what reason I tend to answer the phone a lot now. Even if there is a manager there, they'll often ask me to get it. I do seem to be doing more and more manager tasks, which is ok. In particular I like being asked "Pick someone to do potwash ___". Hehe that'll teach you for being lazy! Another favourite is "Count this money for me while I go for a fag". It gets me out of the other jobs so it is good.
So two recent delivery enquiries:
"Good evening _____ Pizza Hut"
"Do you deliver to ___?"
"No sorry we don't offer delivery"
"You do"
"Nope sorry we don't"
"I have ordered from you before"
"Not us I'm afraid."
"You must be new - is there anyone else there?"
"Yes."
"Let me speak to them"
"There is no need, we don't do delivery"
"YOU'RE A LIAR"
I hung up.
"Good evening _____ Pizza Hut!"
"Right can I order a .... for delivery in ___?"
"Sorry we don't do delivery"
"Well I've just been given this number by another store and they said you do"
"Oh they must have got mixed up - because we don't do delivery"
"Fuck Pizza Hut then"
Thanks for that!
New blog - The Night Warden
I have just found through Mystery Guest Alert - The Night Warden.
It is about a night warden on a campsite in the UK. I think it fits the general type of blog I link to - staff moaning about customers, because even though they pay their wages - they are often morons.
Anyway check it out, it's well written and rather interesting.
It is about a night warden on a campsite in the UK. I think it fits the general type of blog I link to - staff moaning about customers, because even though they pay their wages - they are often morons.
Anyway check it out, it's well written and rather interesting.
Wednesday 3 October 2007
"I don't work here"
I have a tip for anyone who wishes to impersonate a staff member of any store. All you need to do is wear a plain black shirt, black trousers and have an ID card or similar hanging from your trousers.
Today before work I thought I'd look for some new trainers and shoes. My first stop was JJB for the trainers. Literally 10 seconds after I'd walked in I had someone elses CV in my hand. I thought they were someone handing out leaflets so just took it without making eye contact. Then I realised that the woman who gave it me said "Can I just hand you my CV?". I stopped and was a bit baffled about the whole thing, and said "I don't work here". "Well you look like you do!". The shirt I had on didn't have the Pizza Hut logo on the front (has it at back instead). I looked round and saw the staff in there wear grey and maroon - nothing like my black outfit.
In a hunt for new shoes, I went into Next. I was checking them out when a bloke walked up to me and asked where the belts were. I explained I didn't work there but showed him anyway because I had bought one a few weeks ago.
In total I think I've been mistaken for a staff member in about 7 or 8 different shops. The most silly was Boots - as I was in all black, their staff wear all white.
A final funny thing I heard a colleague say to a customer, when the ICF machine slowed down because the mix inside need to freeze was "Oh you need to leave it to defrost because it is freezing up". Not the brightest.
Today before work I thought I'd look for some new trainers and shoes. My first stop was JJB for the trainers. Literally 10 seconds after I'd walked in I had someone elses CV in my hand. I thought they were someone handing out leaflets so just took it without making eye contact. Then I realised that the woman who gave it me said "Can I just hand you my CV?". I stopped and was a bit baffled about the whole thing, and said "I don't work here". "Well you look like you do!". The shirt I had on didn't have the Pizza Hut logo on the front (has it at back instead). I looked round and saw the staff in there wear grey and maroon - nothing like my black outfit.
In a hunt for new shoes, I went into Next. I was checking them out when a bloke walked up to me and asked where the belts were. I explained I didn't work there but showed him anyway because I had bought one a few weeks ago.
In total I think I've been mistaken for a staff member in about 7 or 8 different shops. The most silly was Boots - as I was in all black, their staff wear all white.
A final funny thing I heard a colleague say to a customer, when the ICF machine slowed down because the mix inside need to freeze was "Oh you need to leave it to defrost because it is freezing up". Not the brightest.
Monday 1 October 2007
Correction
In a previous post, I put that chocolate sauce is being replaced by lemon. I was wrong - and another Pizza Hut employee said so in a comment. I am very sorry about that.
And what did I find on todays delivery?
New ICF sauce! Chocolate and caramel ICF sauce! No lemon. But the reason chocolate wasn't orderable was that it had changed product number and the new number hadn't been released. So I reckon, the sauces will be chocolate, strawberry, lemon and caramel. Umm definitely nicer than chocolate, strawberry, bubblegum and popcorn - I think the new ones are more refined and classy!
They have also changed the bottles from white, to see through. That's a good thing - you can see at a glance if they need changing. Plus the chocolate sauce is a nicer now, it is less sweet and has more cocoa.
Quite an amusing customer I dealt with today. I thought they were a bit of div from the start. She paid and I gave her a receipt. About 20 minutes later, after she'd eaten and was about to leave - brings me her tray and asks where she should put it. I tell her. She then asks "Have I paid?" Her receipt was on the tray she had been eating off and looking at for 20 minutes.
And what did I find on todays delivery?
New ICF sauce! Chocolate and caramel ICF sauce! No lemon. But the reason chocolate wasn't orderable was that it had changed product number and the new number hadn't been released. So I reckon, the sauces will be chocolate, strawberry, lemon and caramel. Umm definitely nicer than chocolate, strawberry, bubblegum and popcorn - I think the new ones are more refined and classy!
They have also changed the bottles from white, to see through. That's a good thing - you can see at a glance if they need changing. Plus the chocolate sauce is a nicer now, it is less sweet and has more cocoa.
Quite an amusing customer I dealt with today. I thought they were a bit of div from the start. She paid and I gave her a receipt. About 20 minutes later, after she'd eaten and was about to leave - brings me her tray and asks where she should put it. I tell her. She then asks "Have I paid?" Her receipt was on the tray she had been eating off and looking at for 20 minutes.
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