The Createur Podcast
Welcome to The Createur Podcast, an energizing Christian entrepreneurship series inspiring young professionals and college students. Hosts Spencer James and Karli Byrd explore the intersection of faith and business, drawing from the expertise of successful entrepreneurs. Our program is proudly affiliated with the McGraw School of Business at Olivet Nazarene University, renowned for its groundbreaking Entrepreneurship degree program.
This student-produced podcast is a gateway to understanding the relationship between Christian faith and the entrepreneurial journey. Experience captivating stories, valuable insights, and strategies that unveil God's design for business. "The Createur Podcast" is your guide to the intersection of innovation, growth, and personal development within the context of faith and business.
Embark on a transformative journey with us—explore the annual Createur Conference and Pitch Competition. This Free Event is happening April 15-16, 2024. Participate in a Shark Tank style pitch competition with $15K in prizes, world-class keynotes, and networking. Open to high school and college students, as well as Olivet alumni. Learn more at Createur.Olivet.edu.
The Createur Podcast
Winning Hearts at Chick-fil-A with Kate Klavohn
In this conversation, Kate Klavohn shares her extensive experience with Chick-fil-A, focusing on the company's approach to customer satisfaction and genuine hospitality. She discusses the 'Winning Hearts Every Day' strategy, which emphasizes creating a clean and safe environment, providing quality food, ensuring fast and accurate service, and delivering genuine hospitality. Kate also highlights the importance of developing confident leaders within the organization and adapting to customer feedback to improve service. Looking ahead, she expresses excitement about the future of hospitality and technology in the fast food industry, emphasizing Chick-fil-A's commitment to innovation and maintaining a personal touch in service.
To learn more about other entrepreneurship opportunities and the McGraw School of Business’s very own Createur Conference and Pitch Competition, go to Createur.Olivet.edu.
This week, Kate Clavon will be joining us to discuss her professional experience with customer satisfaction.
Speaker 2:Where faith and business meet. This is Creator.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Creator Podcast. Join us as we dive deep into conversations with visionaries, innovators and doers.
Speaker 2:Whether you're building your brand, launching your next big project or simply seeking inspiration, this is the space where ideas come to life.
Speaker 1:I'm Spencer James.
Speaker 2:And I'm Carly Bird when faith and business meet this is the Creator Podcast.
Speaker 1:Hello everyone, this week, Carly and I have the pleasure of being joined by someone with a flavorful background, Kate Clavon. We're so excited to have you here.
Speaker 2:That's right, guys. So Kate has actually worked on and off with Chick-fil-A for eight years and has fallen in love with the company's passion to care for people while at the same time being good and faithful stewards. She has worn many hats in her time with the restaurant and has discovered that she loves to be deep in the development and equipping of people and especially becoming a confident leader. After graduating from Olivet in 2021, kate quickly found her way right back to Chick-fil-A, and in this past year, she has actually had the honor of becoming executive director of the Bradley Bourbonet Chick-fil-A. Kate, we're so excited to have you here today. Thank you so much for being with us.
Speaker 3:Yes, I'm excited to be here.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. We actually have quite a few students who really admire Chick-fil-A as an organization itself right here at Olivet. So I'm super excited to talk to you today because you bring such valuable insight into customer satisfaction. You know, as we all know, working at Chick-fil-A already gives you a bit of that competitive edge where you know, it's certainly one of the first companies that comes to my mind when I think of customer satisfaction and excellence. So, with that being said, I would just love to hear a little bit from you about you know, how does Chick-fil-A cultivate this mindset of serving others in order to really achieve customer satisfaction?
Speaker 3:Yeah, awesome. Well, a couple years ago, when I it was really during COVID is when I kind of really got into Chick-fil-A, just kind of in a leadership sense of like fully launching our IPOS program, which is when we take order seekers outside and they meet the guests at the car, and so around that time too, I feel like this is a great way to kind of walk through Chick-fil-A and like how we train even just our team members is. They came out with this winning hearts everyday strategy. So our shared vision as a company is to be the most caring company in the world. And they were finding at corporate that it was just getting lost at the team member level on like how to achieve that. And so they kind of came up with this strategy and this education of winning hearts every day, which is four areas of the restaurant. So initially, I think when you bring up that question of like customer satisfaction, I immediately think of like hospitality and like just incredible, um, just service to guests and just how they're being treated. But I think the cool thing that the winning hearts every day strategy outlines is it's more than just that, and so we really hone in on that at our restaurant.
Speaker 3:The first one, and like the first pillar that we kind of call it, is a clean and safe environment. So food safety is top tier, super important. I always talk to people about you know the kitchen. Yes, super important. I always talk to people about you know the kitchen yes, super important. Having raw chicken that we're, you know, dealing with is definitely something that can be really dangerous. And so, yes, the kitchen systems are super intense and we put those in place. But I think it also comes back to the restrooms, and I, personally, if I'm going into a restroom at a restaurant or a fast food place, that is going to be pretty telling of what the kitchen looks like to me. And so that's the first pillar is just always making sure that it's a clean and safe environment, whether the guest sees it or not.
Speaker 3:And then the next one is quality food and great food, making sure that every bite of any of the food that they're getting is truly remarkable. I always have this like tangent of waffle fries and just fries. In general, like as a society, I feel like we are like totally okay with the fact that, like I get a fry after a long day of work and it's like piping hot and I'm just like pleasantly surprised and I just think that's so like not okay. You know we should be going anywhere, every restaurant and the fries are nice and quality and um, definitely something that is much easier said than done, um, but it's something that I think, even though we're not talking about the hospitality piece, very quickly impacts our guests' experience and their satisfaction.
Speaker 3:And then this next one is fast and accurate service. So we want to make sure that our guests are getting their food efficiently, but then also accurate to what they're wanting. Also accurate to what they're wanting, um. And so we talk about, like, the number of sauces to um, the type of cheese that's on the sandwich and different things like that being super important. Um, because, at the end of the day, if you're really fast but you're not accurate, you're not really fast, um.
Speaker 3:And then the last one is genuine hospitality, which I think is interesting because it's the last one, but I think it's what we're most known for, um, and, yeah, we want to make sure every guest feels very seen and um, that we're excited to have them, um, and that they're like the only one that matters chefs as well. So, and then, with all that, the idea that we're winning people's heart. They're wanting to come back every single time, excited to come to Chick-fil-A and yeah, I could talk about it all day. But that's kind of the initial introduction into kind of how we view customer satisfaction in the restaurant.
Speaker 1:I love that and actually it does bridge a little bit into my next question that I was gonna ask you what does that genuine hospitality look like for you? It could be in the restaurant, or it could just be in how we're being like servants to other people. What is that hospitality just look like to you as Kate?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think I'm. I. That's like knowing that someone's birthday and making sure that if they're in the dining room and they're coming in, we're not just like allowing them to like fill up our dining room, but that we're really taking a second to like make that a special thing. And so it's really cool how we get to see that on a regular basis. We get to see that on a regular basis. I think it's something that truthfully, sometimes is really hard to prioritize because it's not necessarily a metric always, and so it can get really lost sometimes.
Speaker 3:I think that's truly what sets us apart is that we're really intentional about that, and so we've done things where we you know the whole, you know staff or everyone that can that's not going to throw off all of operations can come and sing to them, and we've done, you know, cookies for people.
Speaker 3:I had someone the other day that I took a catering to an office and she was talking about her Chick-fil-A sauce that she got.
Speaker 3:She was waiting to use it and then realized that it was expiring soon, and so I called up someone to run and bring a Chick-fil-A you know eight ounce bottle to her.
Speaker 3:Just things like that that I think the beauty of Chick-fil-A is that when you're intentional about those things, it yes, you may be giving away an eight ounce bottle of sauce, but I really believe in the whole structure of what Chick-fil-A is and how our founder, truett Cathy, kind of came to build the business was like the belief that that heart is going to like double in return, about raving fans who feel genuinely like they're not just coming for food, but they're coming for a family environment, um, and to truly be seen and not just coming in grabbing a mobile order and not even being addressed, you know, um, and I think that, yeah, it's so important. I think it's been really cool to see how, like, my heart aligns so well and I get to work for a company that is not just saying, oh, that's an asset, but we're actually going to like empower you to do that how you see fit, which is really cool.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, Kate. It's clear that you lead others toward success, and excellent customer satisfaction just comes at ease. When did you first realize that that was one of your strengths in particular, and what made you decide to continue pursuing this? You know path in your career.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I think I always love to have fun. Like that is like at the forefront of what I'm doing, and you know, adulthood has tried to take that away from me sometimes. Um, I think, and the beautiful thing too, is that, like that is who we are as a company as well, like we love to have fun. Um, and I think that from the beginning it was very clear that, um, yes, like high performing team is like what you want and yes, like metrics are super important. But I think that Chick-fil-A recognizes that there's a different way to do that. That is very centered in who Jesus was and who God called us to be.
Speaker 3:And I think you know my dad was my first owner operator that I worked for and working, um, working for him, I think it just naturally aligned, like there wasn't a like, oh, wow, he, like this operator, feels like he's the right fit for me, like I had grown up with it, you know. So it was pretty clear, I think, from then, um, when I went to Cheriville um, indiana, and worked for Justin and I at his store, I went to Cheriville, indiana, and worked for Justin Knight at his store. That was also a major shift, I think, for me from the standpoint of like realizing that there are other operators that have the same part, and even mentors that you know I had a mentor, russ McDowell, and Brandon Williams, who's now an owner operator. Brandon Williams and Justin Knight, both alums, which is pretty cool, and I think just seeing them lead that way as well was just so, I don't know, it was overwhelming, and I think that truly what had me realize that Chick-fil-A was where I wanted to be was when I went to I went to Riverside and worked in social work there and it was a great experience.
Speaker 3:I loved my team, but the like, absolute like, craziness of, like fast food and the stimulating like balancing the quality and balancing the food safety, but all were also working extremely fast and efficient, while also like having to be friendly or getting to be friendly, um, I don't know, it's just, it's very, very like, craveable for me, like I love it, um, and I think that there's always work to be done.
Speaker 3:But I think, with all those things Chick-fil-A talks about, we're not an and like. Oftentimes, like other fast food restaurants or other companies would say like okay, we're going to choose either food safety or quality, like it's one or the other, and at Chick-fil-A, we say, no, we're going to do both and it's going to be really hard, but we're committed to that and I think that, at the end of the day, that's where the customer satisfaction comes from, is that we're choosing the and and. For me, it just worked out with my skill set and my heart that that just is very fulfilling to me. So, yeah, I'm, I love it, it's the best. It's hard work, but it's the best.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it sounds like it, but that's kind of it's a thrill, right it's. It's made for certain people.
Speaker 1:Yeah certain people. Hey, in your bio or kind of in the intro, you talked a little bit about developing and equipping people and obviously it sounds like you have this awesome drive for, for great customer satisfaction and hospitality. But how do you share that vision with with other people? Right, like Bradley Bourbonet location, a little bit newer, right, hiring some new folks to be a part of that. I mean, how do you develop people to be able to share that, share that same value?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah it's, it's the long game. Um, you know, I would say I would. If you talk to any of my directors, I think any of us would say we're not where we want to be even now. Um, I think each year we're in our second year going well. We just finished our second year going off there and I think each year there's been a major strategic shift in what we're focused on.
Speaker 3:And so in the first year it was truly like survival, um, and I think that was really hard because, as someone who had grown up in Chick-fil-a, um, I knew what was expected and I knew what guests were coming in with, like what they were wanting, and so that customer satisfaction in that first year really, I think, suffered a lot. Um, in the first year, the strategy was really like be, like, reflect the heart of Chick-fil-a and hope that people start to buy in and understand why this is a place you want to be. Um, which was really hard because, I'm gonna be honest with you, there were times where I didn't want to be here either, um, because it just it didn't feel like we could get a win. Um, we had a really tough grand opening um, for a lot of reasons and um, we just really had to persevere. And I would say, even in our hiring it was like, and they were smiling and they seemed like a fun person, we were going for it. You know, and and not definitely. You know you're experiencing turnover and you're experiencing, honestly, some people we hired that we were like they may not make it more than a month, but we want them here and for whatever reason, those are the people that just realized, no, like I want to be here and like really turned a corner. And so it was a really interesting year of like we'll just see what sticks, and if it sticks, great, and if it doesn't, we're gonna have to figure it out.
Speaker 3:Um, this second year has been really interesting because we've really started shifting our interview strategy to talking about like it being a good fit not only for us but for you as well. A couple of weeks ago, I had sat down with someone that I had hired and just said like hey, man, like this isn't working out, you know, and and you left, you know his. He left his previous job because he wanted a better culture, and you know we were sitting down. I was talking about like you want this culture, man, but like you're not showing up, like you're not showing up on time, your uniform is not, it's wrinkled, it looks like you pulled it out of like literally a ball um, and like tell me what's going on. And he just said, like I did not realize that with a better culture came like a higher standard and I just can't meet that standard. And that has been like. I know it's only been a couple weeks, but I will take that with me forever because I think it's such a he so oddly, like pinpointed exactly what I think we're about now, which is like you have to come in investing just as much as we want um, and we're finding that really a lot of times, if you don't have awareness of the brand, those are oftentimes like it's really hard to get those people to where we need that to be um.
Speaker 3:And so our interview process has been very um. It's shifted a lot um to really just being honest about our process, um, and making sure people know like this is what you're getting into, um, which has worked out well, because then we can sit down and have the conversations of hey, I know we talked about this in the interview like where, where are we going? Um, yeah, and then it's a lot. We talk all the time about coaching conversations, accountability in the restaurant, accountability anywhere is everything Um, and I think we've really worked with our leaders to instill um a confidence and accountability and nipping things in the bud, like if you see something, you're saying something and you're documenting it. And we've really tried to create a culture around coaching conversations because we talk a lot about.
Speaker 3:My mentor, russ McGow, always said like people either don't know how, don't want to, or they just seriously can't, and that's been huge and us processing. If you're like, okay, we got to make sure we're laying the groundwork of like do they know how? And that starts from day one, um, and then we start to talk to them about, okay, like doesn't seem like we're doing this. Is it an attitude or heart issue or is it like we've got to shift your capability and like we've got to you know, kick you in the ear and you know all of that. So, um, yeah, there's a lot that goes into that um, and I'm really excited to see. I don't think we have clear vision on year three yet, but I think we're slowly, um we're really getting to the place where I feel confident that all the way down to the team member level. The heart is starting to get there, which has been really cool.
Speaker 2:That's amazing that come with being in this franchise and you know, realizing that entrepreneurship of any different route is going to come with those challenges and hard times, and you know, as you mentioned, the difference even from year one and year two. That's incredible and congratulations as well on just the success that you've had. That's really phenomenal. With that being said, I know we talked a little bit and I loved hearing your story as well about you know real life experience dealing with your own employees and what that looks like. But what about from a stance of customer service? Again, where have there been times or are there any experiences you can share, maybe, where customer feedback came into play and you were able to take that with you and make improvements within the business itself?
Speaker 3:And you were able to take that with you and make improvements within the business itself. Yeah, covid definitely comes to mind. That was a huge time of just like we. Chick-fil-a is so such a great business and we're really grateful that a lot of franchises across the country really actually grew in sales during covid. Um, and we really believe as a company, that was because of the like trust that we've instilled in our guests, um, and when they needed a place to eat, they were able to trust that we were the ones that were going to prepare it correctly, and so that was a huge crazy time of just constantly pivoting.
Speaker 3:Um. I can think of like the first. Like you know, we didn't shut down at all during covid and um, yeah, which is is crazy, um, but we were constantly getting feedback on multiple things of just you know safety stuff and just um, at one point we had been giving catch out with you know gloves and people just didn't love that, and so we shifted to envelopes and you know I'm wild, and so that was like such a fun time for me because I'm like all right, what's next? What's next, you know? Um, like what do we? What's the problem we need to solve? But, but, um, yeah, and we're, we're always looking at metrics of things.
Speaker 3:Um, our, we have data that's constantly flowing in, um, specifically, right now, we're really looking at fortune size.
Speaker 3:Um, that is something that, consistently, is a like flag on our CS, and so, um, you know, we start to talk about what's going on, like we really were having a push for um just being great stewards of our food.
Speaker 3:Um, and you know, it's very easy to waste a lot of food in the restaurant, and so, um, the beauty of that is that we had a team that was really intentional, um, but I think sometimes they were serving, you know, fillets that were a little bit smaller than what I would want as a guest, and so, having those conversations and like overcorrections, I feel like that's always where the guests comes in handy is, um, when we're pushing something really hard and going towards a goal, the guests is always going to say, oh, but okay, this is starting to like teeter on this side, and so, um, yeah, constantly looking at that data and making sure um that we're shifting accordingly.
Speaker 3:We've, um, we have a question on our survey that asks about, um, how often have you skipped the line because of the length of the line, and so that's something that has been a real struggle for us in the last couple of months, and so we've put some drive-through plays into action and we're just talking about like every single step and foot matters and guest perception and how long the line is, and so how can we as a team ensure that like cars are like literally bumper to bumper in the drive-through, and so that's definitely been something that we were looking at as well. But, yeah, major, major, important stuff in those data, data numbers and all that.
Speaker 1:That's super cool. I'm kind of a nerd about data, so you kind of made my ears perk up a little bit when you were talking. All that that's super cool. I'm kind of a nerd about data, so you kind of made my ears perk up a little bit when you were talking about that?
Speaker 3:Yes, oh my gosh. So much data.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. I love that. Kate, where do you see like the future of maybe like hospitality or customer service kind of going here within the next couple of years, right Like we're out of the pandemic, we're kind of moving forward? What are some like big trends or topics that you see happening, maybe even in the quick service industry?
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh my gosh, I'm so excited about this question.
Speaker 3:Actually, people, are constantly asking us, like what is going to happen? Asking us, like what is going to happen, are you going to have kiosks for order taking and all those things? And, um, you know I'm I rave about chick-fil-a, obviously, but one of the other things I love about chick-fil-a that they are major, majorly focused on innovation, and so I actually just had the awesome pleasure of going down to our support center a couple weeks ago and just seeing all of the things that they're looking at implementing even just technology on the card readers and all kinds of things. And, um, yeah, I think the biggest question that I always get is, like, don't you think that, like with technology, like Chick-fil-A is going to lose? It's like charm and, to be honest, like I don't fear that at all. I think that it's really difficult to focus on taking an order for a guest and making their day, like when you're focused on speed and efficiency. Um, but, man, I could talk to a guest as I'm giving them their bag and make their day all day long, and so I'm really excited, cause I think I'm grateful to know that one. Um, chick-fil-a is very futuristic in their mindset. They're looking at how all of these things ai, everything is impacting um things.
Speaker 3:I love um dan kathy, who he just stepped down as the ceo, but he was on the ceo for a majority of um, where my involvement and um she was getting questions from younger support team staff about AI and chat, gpt and he said in a Southern accent, which I just won't like do because you'll just but she said, like, if we're not using that, what are we doing?
Speaker 3:You know, and he's in, you know, coming on his seventies, and I just think that's so cool and I feel really, really excited because I think genuinely, our opportunity for genuine hospitality is going to just skyrocket.
Speaker 3:Um, because of all of the things with the app and all that we're getting ready to relaunch um and remarket mobile dine-in, which is something that I don't feel like a ton of people know about, but you can come in, actually sit directly at a table and order on the app and we'll bring it right out to you and I love that because we one get to allocate more people to the dining room and they get to spend more time out there refreshing beverages and making sure it's clean and that people are being greeted and all those things.
Speaker 3:So I feel really, really hopeful and excited because I think there's just so much more to capitalize on when it comes to that genuine hospitality. That's just not quite there always because we're so focused on something that the guests really now, at this point, data shows that the guest really does want to be putting their order in. So that's, I'm excited about that, and it's been fun to talk with the team and just see where things are headed, so yeah, yeah, that is so exciting, Kate, and just hearing you know it's very encouraging to see that.
Speaker 2:You know, in the fast food industry as well, you know they are paying attention to these metrics and the data and the future, really, and you know of what AI brings to the table and all these different measures that you know sometimes can seem, you know, almost irrelevant depending from different perspectives, but it all adds up and it all plays a very important role and it's just how you use it certainly. So that's very exciting to hear and you know I'm interested as well into seeing the continued growth. And you know some of these advancements. You know mobile dine-in that's interesting, you know. I don't even know too many people using that and I think that's a great idea. So it's exciting to see, certainly.
Speaker 2:Well, kate, this has been so much fun and I feel like we could just keep going forever. There's so many different aspects that I know that Spencer and I, as well as our listeners, are so interested in just with the Chick-fil-A franchise as a whole, so this has been so beneficial. Of course, we do like to end. I'm not sure if you've seen the show before, but we always end our shows with a quirky question of the week. So a little different. You know something fun, just to end things. So today, kate, your quirky question.
Speaker 1:Is this a quirky question?
Speaker 2:This one's just more of a fun question. So you're lucky you didn't get one. That's too much of a. You know, I said in the last episode too much of a stumper. I guess that's my new made up word. But, Kate, what is your go to order at Chick-fil-A? I think we all want to know from our Chick-fil-A girl herself.
Speaker 3:Yeah, OK, my team makes fun of me for this all the time. Ok, so I'm going to give a quirky answer. I always get nuggets Like nuggets are my go-to. And I always get two Chick-fil-A sauce and one ranch. Because you want more Chick-fil-A sauce, you start with the Chick-fil-A sauce, you dip it in and then you just do a little dab of ranch, okay. And then I always get an applesauce, which I know may sound like crazy, but their applesauce is so good. So here's like, here's your pitch. Go try their applesauce. And then their cookies are amazing as well. That's my like slurge meal, like it's been a busy day and I just need some chick-fil-a. But yeah, that's, that's my meal and you completely like it's a pouch and you completely slurp it out of the bag and it's amazing, and my team always makes fun of me I love that's a fun answer.
Speaker 2:I like it, see, I'm. I'm glad you didn't just go with a basic answer there, you. You gave us something new to try.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, the applesauce, go for it.
Speaker 1:That's quirky. Yeah, I love it. Well, the honey pimento is slapping lately for me, so I appreciate that. Thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you for that, absolutely.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it. Well, hey, kate, thanks so much for being on the show for a minutes and for taking some time out of your day to chat with us, and it's just been awesome to talk with you and learn some new things, and I loved talking about winning people's hearts. I love that, and it's just been so awesome to hear from you.
Speaker 3:Yes, thank you so much, guys.
Speaker 2:Of course, yeah, and listeners. If you want to connect with Kate, make sure you take a look at the link in the description. We have her LinkedIn in there, so go check that out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and if you want to learn more about Olivet's entrepreneurship program, you can visit Olivetedu slash entrepreneurship.
Speaker 2:That's right and to learn more about the creator conference and pitch competition, which we actually have the pleasure of having Kate join us for the year 2025. So make sure to come out for the conference.
Speaker 1:Let's go having Kate join us for the year 2025. So make sure to come out for the conference.
Speaker 2:It's going to be a great time. You can feel free to email me carlybird at kabird at olivetedu or go to our website creatorolivetedu. Yep.
Speaker 1:And that is all that we have for you today. Make sure to tune in next time where faith and business meet. This is the Creator Podcast. We'll see you later, thank you.