a HIGH ROAD moment... at KFC

I was in an Asian country today and... I know, I know... I am ashamed to say it, ate lunch at KFC.

I got meal number six and my two traveling companions got meals number three and two.  It wasn't busy, but for some reason they didn't have my sandwich nor any fries ready. 

Ok, no problem.  At least the fries will be hot.  They told us to take a seat and would bring it to our table.

After a few minutes my friend noticed that a sandwich and two sets of fries were sitting on the counter undelivered and with no staff around.  He got up to get the tray only to be stopped quite abruptly and not a little rudely by the counter manager.  Here is when it went the way of the HIGH ROAD.

"I'm sorry, what are you doing?", inquired Counter Manager.

"Uh... I am just picking up my food", my friend rejoined.

"This is not your food."

"Yes it is."

"No it is not."

"Yes it is."

"No it is not; yours has been delivered."

"No it has not."

"Yes it has."

Now right here this conversation had two possible roads to traverse. 

First, my friend could lean in to the shift manager as close as possible and, with the skill of a ventriloquist, precisely enunciate through gritted teeth "Y-E-S... I-T... I-S", and then wrest the tray from her vice grip.

That would have been my tactic, but it probably would have cost not too few fries on the floor after that fit of violence.

Thankfully, my friend chose the second path, the path of progressive revelation.  We continue...

"No it has not", my friend says with relaxed jaws and teeth unclenched.

At this point co-workers began to gather to watch the show.

Counter manager to Co-worker A, "Their food has been delivered, right?"

Co-worker A, "I don't know."

A glance askance to Co-worker B.

Co-worker B, "I don't know."

Shift manager to hungry foreigners, "please sit down and we will come look. Co-worker B, please go look."

We dutifully went back to our seats and escorted Co-worker B to our table, hands plainly visible so that we could not be accused of stuffing fries into our pockets, socks, shoes, or other places unnamable on a family blog.

She peered down at our table.  We waited, smirks barely suppressed.

I thought she was going to pull out a swabs, black light, and potato DNA kit. Nope, a cursory glance revealed to her that there indeed was no french fry sleeve nor uneaten french fry nubs nor greasy residue nor smudge of ketchup.

Case closed.  30 seconds later our (now much colder) sleeves of fries and sandwich arrived along with "many apologies".

Was this necessary?  What was really at stake here?  Had the McDonald's Fry Guy been masquerading as hungry white people and rampaging local KFC's like a high school panty raid?

How is this HIGH ROAD?  

- a convoluted process to solve a simple issue.

- a knowledge specialist that held authority... without actual knowledge. 

- lack of trust with the consumer/customer that hindered their participation.

- dispatching of a trusted individual where only THEY can make the official decision... once it's been relayed back to the boss of course.

- it was about protecting the company/organization/institution than the customer enjoying the service.

Granted, KFC doesn't want to be a multiplying movement but DONT EVEN get me started on the medium sized ice tea for the price of a large.

100W