I
Simply The Best
N MY PREVIOUS LIFE IN APPLE VALLEY, I had an early morning routine that involved a visit to the Del Taco at the edge of the parking lot of the Target Supercenter. I’d order an egg and cheese burrito and a large iced coffee, light ice. Their iced coffees were better than that served up at Starbucks and I’d park in their parking lot and people-watch while eating. On one particular morning as I checked my order, I saw that the burrito was only half full and I complained to the young girl working the drive-thru. I said that it didn’t look like what was pictured on the menu. She looked at me as if she had better things to do and replied, “If you don’t like it, you can always go to Barstow.” I thought, “Gee, customer service is not her middle name.” But as it turned out, that’s exactly what I did. I moved to Barstow not because of the burrito but because life was telling me that this was where I was supposed to be. I now have a new morning routine involving the Del Taco on Mountain View where customer service is their middle name and the breakfast burritos are often as pictured. My fascination with customer service is not weird, I think, as most of us—in fact, probably all of us—appreciate when we are treated with kindness and made to feel welcome. Part of my joy in the morning is the greeting I receive from Cat, the kindly grandmother who works the drive-thru at the Mountain View location. When she hears my voice, she recognizes me and says, “Welcome, my friend.” It’s funny
6
January 2024
how three simple words can make you feel special and that I believe is part of the uniqueness of our three Del Taco’s. In sharing my story with CJ, the general manager of all three stores, and Julie, the niece of the franchise’s founder and the former Mayor of Barstow, they were more than happy to share stories about the mystique surrounding our DTs— about why former residents who, like in this time of year, have returned to visit family but first visit a Del Taco because they miss the food and the service. As CJ remarked, “We could hire fewer people, but it’s the people and not only the food that customers like. We’re like family.” Family. Really? What a concept!
PULSE PUBLICATIONS
By J.P.Garner
Nowadays, corporations strive to minimize customer interaction but not at Barstow’s Del Tacos where Ed Hackbarth, an owner, is sometimes seen outside, collecting money on the store’s busiest night: Taco Wednesday. On one particular night, a concerned customer alerted the DT staff that there was some guy outside, collecting money, not knowing that he was an owner. Of the days of the week that customers fill the lane at the drive-thru, the favorite is Taco Wednesday which evolved from the original good deal of a 50-cent taco and a 50-cent drink. Julie, who worked at DT as a young child, recalled that on one occasion, the Lenwood store sold 14,000 tacos. Isn’t that like enough tacos to go around the world or at least to Victorville? Taco Wednesday, however, became the store’s busiest night because, formerly, it was typically the week’s slowest night. Not anymore. Julie laughed when she recounted the story about how, in years past at the 1st
