To the young lady keeping the dining room of Cosmic Ray's clean on 3/6/05

[MainStreet, USA]

I forget her name since then, but she did everything right. I have stopped by Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe a few times since then, but have been unsuccessful in finding her again to say thank you, so this is where I will say it until I do. Not only was she doing her job well by helping guests clear their tables and wiping down empty ones and stacking high chairs as well as everything else, but she took the time to ask how my day was doing, which eventually became a good ten minute conversation on the how much she appreciated working for Disney and enjoyed her job and stuff such as that. She sounded a lot like myself in a lot of ways, and I was really pleased that she would take the time to have a fairly lengthy conversation with a guest such as myself, but at the same time never neglecting her duties. A few times she would head off to go clear a table or wipe down a set of chairs, but then would come back to finish the point she was making before. It was especially nice because I was visiting the Magic Kingdom on my own that day, and I appreciated having someone to talk to over lunch.

As some of you may know, I work as a seasonal manager of a food stand at an amusement park this summer, and even though my park is not even close to being a Disney park, I use my experiences at WDW as my guide to the "ideal" way in which any park should be run. The point I stress most to the Team Members (we call them Team Members, whereas Disney calls them Cast Members) is guest interaction and adding that personal touch. I encourage all of my TM's (but especially those who are manning the cash registers or delivering food to the guests at the counters, those on "patio duty" (clearing tables and sweeping trash, etc.), or pretty much any TM who has any face time with any of the guests at all) to go out of their way to make sure that the guest knows that you are working specifically for them. Eye contact is a must. Smiles are a must. And of course, a simple greeting such as 'Hello' or 'Good Morning' has to begin every guest interaction. If a guest has a name displayed on jewelry or clothing, I encourage my TMs to use it. Side conversation and a little humor is something that I encourage if the time permits it, and then each guest should leave with a sending such as 'You have a great rest of the evening with us here!'

That's the way I try to do it, and the way I know it should be done. I have noticed an improvement in my TMs since the start of the season, but it does still seem that more often than not, simple things like smiles and personal touches to the conversation are left out, making a guest feel like they are one of thousands, not one of a kind.

So on 3/6/05, while in the midst of diving into my double bacon cheeseburger at Cosmic Ray's , this wonderful young lady on "patio Duty" met my eyes, flashed me a warm smile, asked me if I was having a good time, and how the food was, about how often I visit, and just generally sounded very interested in everything I had to say. And I realized just how much better my simple dining experience had become simply because of a few friendly words.

Thanks so much to this outstanding mystery CM. That is exactly the kind of effort I want out of my TMs.

[iwannabeminnie]

Hat's off to you, honey, where ever you are and whom ever you may be!

[rvastro]

I had one of the young ladies over at Pecos Bill's do a very nice thing for a friend and I on July 4th. I found one of the few open tables and placed my tray down and proceeded to get my friend who was back near the toppings bar. This lady dropped what she was doing and told me she was going to save the table for us. She did just that. When she had to move on she had another CM hold the table until we returned! I think her name was Regina and I forgot the name of the other lady. They were awesome!

[disneydreamer98]

ALL CM's deserve to be recognized like this! Without every piece of the puzzle a wonderful vacation could never be complete! It certainly takes a "village" to keep everything in good working order and I think it's great when guests take a moment to thank the CM's! The smile you get in return will be well worth the moment it takes you!