Customer Role Chipotle

Customer Role Chipotle

Customer’s role in service delivery is very crucial in fast casual restaurants like Chipotle given that they offered a customized/personalized service where customer’s get to see and order their meal as desired while they move along the line. This makes the customer have a high level of participation, because without their mere presence service would not be created and also without their input, choices, and actions the final outcome wouldn’t be adequately. In other words, even though the company provides the service, customers are also part of the co-creation of it.

Additionally, customers influence their own experience as well as those of others. Which is why Chipotle uses a lot of directional cues and signage in their service environment to educate consumers on how to order. For instance, when customers enter the place they get into the line and read the menu that is display on top of the counter. In this moment Chipotle takes the opportunity to educate their consumers about their “Food with Integrity” concept, then the customer decides whether to order a burrito, bowl, taco or salad, and as the costumer moves along the line he/she is asked about what kind of meat he/she wants, the type of rice, beans, and other vegetables, as well as extra ingredients and finally a drink. This shows how the customer is highly involved throughout the entire process of service delivery and how Chipotle facilitates it by displaying their menu in a step-by-step process. Furthermore the company recognizes that it is important that customers know how to perform they role because if they don’t understand how to adequately order their meal they will slow down the line and make other customers impatient and unhappy with the service itself. Chipotle consider customers to be partial employees, given that they contribute their effort, time and other resources in the service delivery, such as: pouring their own drink and finding themselves a place to seat.

In addition, Chipotle highly values customer experience as Steve Ells, Chairman and Co-CEO of the company says “The most effective thing we’ve done to speed up throughput in the last couple years has been to implement what we call the four pillars of throughput” (Beard). These four pillars include: the expediters, linebackers, mise en place and the aces in their places. They are all set up employees for success in delivering exceptional “wait times,” without making customers feel rushed or unwanted.

Moreover, the company is very transparent with what they do and how they do it, they also care about recruiting the right consumer and educating them about the company values and beliefs. They recently launch a new game called Friend or Faux, that consist in selecting a menu item from Chipotle and one from any other competitor fast food brand, then an ingredient will pop up and the player has to decided which item it’s in. After that Chipotle will list all the ‘friendly ingredients’ and ‘faux additives’ in each. Through this initiative Chipotle is not trying to say they are perfect compare to other brands, instead what they are trying to do is educate their consumers about their commitment of serving real, fresh, high quality ingredients and whole options that the company offers compared to that of other fast food restaurants. They believe in the importance of teaching consumers how to eat better and have a better lifestyle. Furthermore, at the end of the game Chipotle rewards their users by offering them a special buy-one-get-one mobile offer, by having the chance of winning one year of ‘Free Burritos for You and a Friend’ and many other prizes.

...