Good Management

Today I was walking through Kumla Nagar, a long street of markets near college. It was near lunch time and it had been a while, so I decided to get McDonalds. I just beat the lunchtime rush, which came in after me. The staff were getting more overwhelmed as my order was being processed and people kept coming in and getting in line. They got my fries and coke very quickly, then promised to bring my burger (chicken burger, by the way - big sign out front that says "No beef products are sold in this establishment.") out to me. Time went on. My coke disappeared. Then my fries. Most of the people who had been behind me in the lunchtime rush had already finished their food. So I walked up to the counter to see if I could just get my burger. I was prepared for the worst, because the typical Dilliwalla businessman answer to this kind of question is "You didn't order one," or "We gave you your burger. Did you lose it?" But the manager was standing right there and said, "You didn't get your burger?" I said yes, that I had been waiting for it for quite some time. He said "Oh, goodness, I'm terribly sorry. Let me get you fresh fries and a coke." While he did so, my burger arrived, fresh and hot. I relayed my sincere thanks and went back to eat my food. This story is worthy of note because it's about the best, and most unexpected, single example of management that I've seen yet in India. I am absolutely going back there again, and not just for the food. Stuff like that sticks in people's minds. If the manager or someone working there had given the typical Dilliwalla business response, like some hellish rickshaw drivers I've had, there's a good chance that not even the allure of a nice chicken burger and fries would get me to go back there.