There's another phrase you'll almost always hear instead
Several days a week, I sit in my car in the drive-thru lane of a Chick-fil-A, waiting to get my afternoon pick-me-up of an Icedream in a cone. Once the smiling employee takes my order, I say thank you—and they don’t say what you’d expect in return! Instead, they say another phrase that might seem unusual, but it’s so commonplace in my life that I often mouth it along with them.
Why will you never hear Chick-fil-A employees say one very common polite phrase? And what is the phrase they do say? I hear it so frequently that I forget you won’t hear it anywhere else in the fast-food industry. Ahead, I’ll tell you what it is, why Chick-fil-A does it and what people love about it.
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What polite phrase won’t you hear at Chick-fil-A?
The polite phrase you won’t hear at Chick-fil-A is “You’re welcome.” Instead, employees respond to “Thank you” with “My pleasure,” and it’s strongly suggested that they say it with a sincere smile. Saying “My pleasure” is not an official rule of the fast-food brand, but almost every Chick-fil-A employee follows it.
Why does Chick-fil-A have this rule?
Chick-fil-A has this rule of saying “My pleasure” instead of “Thank you” because of its founder, Truett Cathy.
According to Chick-fil-A lore, Cathy was on a trip in 2001, and a hotel employee at a Ritz-Carlton responded to his “Thank you” with a sincere “My pleasure.” He loved the way the interaction made him feel special, and he adopted it as a Chick-fil-A standard in his original restaurant.
It’s now a global practice at all of the company’s 3,100 locations. While there isn’t anything wrong with “You’re welcome,” Chick-fil-A is known for its hospitality and customer service, and “My pleasure” is part of the elevated experience.
What do customers think of this Chick-fil-A quirk?
Chick-fil-A customers love the quirk of getting a “My pleasure” instead of a “Thank you.”
On Reddit, a Chick-fil-A manager weighed in, saying customers “overwhelmingly” love the use of this polite phrase, and it “continues to be a huge part of the success of the customer service model.” Many employees or ex-employees chimed in on that thread and others to say that while some might think it’s cheesy, it does make people smile—and it’s completely become second nature to say it to customers.
What happens if employees don’t say “My pleasure”?
There’s a longstanding internet rumor that if an employee doesn’t say “My pleasure,” you will get free food. However, that’s not true.
On the employee side, the reprimand for not saying “My pleasure” can vary depending on the location. Some employees said they might get written up for not saying “My pleasure,” while other employees noted that nothing has happened when they’ve forgotten to say it. Many employees on Reddit threads say it’s such an ingrained part of their lexicon now that it’s kind of hard to forget to say it, anyway!
What else does Chick-fil-A insist upon for its workers?
There are a lot of other rules and preferences that Chick-fil-A has in place to foster a sense of elevated hospitality. (You may have noticed fresh flowers on the tables, for example.) In addition to saying “My pleasure,” Chick-fil-A employees must be polite at all times, and the company also has expectations of its workers in the following areas.
- Uniforms: Employee uniforms must be clean and pressed.
- Tattoos: Employees may not have visible tattoos.
- Facial hair: Neatly trimmed mustaches are OK, but no other facial hair is allowed.
- Fingernails: No fake nails in customer service or food-prep areas.
- Hair dye: No unnatural hair dyes are allowed.
- Jewelry: Limitations on jewelry, especially in food-prep areas.
- Smiles: Employees should deliver service with a smile, including when answering the phone.
- Social media: No sharing Chick-fil-A hacks on socials.
- Tips: Employees may not accept tips.
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Sources:
- Chick-fil-A: “Why Do Chick-fil-A Team Members and Employees Say ‘My Pleasure?'”
- Reddit: “Any employees here? How do you feel about ‘my pleasure'”
- Reddit: “Free meal for not saying ‘my pleasure'”
