I've got to admit something up front: I eat out far too often. My husband and I are busy with work and too many activities, and I'll admit that cooking meals is no longer a priority for either of us.

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We eat out a lot, and we've noticed a few disturbing trends in both sit-down restaurants and fast-food places:

  • First, there never seems to be enough staff anywhere, ever.
  • Second, the people who show up to do a job are so obviously overworked and justifiably miserable.
  • Third, customers who show up in person are no longer the priority.

I'm going to use a phrase we've all grown to loathe: this is the new normal. I know. I hate those words as much as you do.

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Why Customer Service is So Bad in Arizona

That phrase was used as a mantra, an excuse, and a way to justify the ridiculously uncertain world we were trying to navigate during the pandemic years. While The Virus That Shall Not Be Named still makes an annual appearance, thankfully, it's far less virulent than it once was.

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Some of the things we put up with during the pandemic have lingered, and curiously, a lot of them seem to punish customers.

In Arizona, "Live Customers" Are Not the Priority

I live in a slightly more rural part of Arizona, so we can't use delivery apps like DoorDash or Uber Eats. If we don't feel like cooking, we get in the car and drive somewhere. It used to mean something to a business when a customer walked through their door in person, but that's no longer true.

READ: Why Do I Have to Park in Arizona's McDonald's Drive Thru's?

The New Normal: Walk-In Customers Don't Matter Anymore

In Arizona, local restaurants prioritize delivery app orders over walk-in customers. This was necessary to keep operating during the pandemic, but it's getting more common.

I get it. It's really convenient. Research shows that roughly 30-50 cents of every dollar spent on online food delivery services now represent new restaurant sales.

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I've spoken to restaurant workers and asked why drive-through orders always get parked, why the service at chain restaurants seems slow, and why the food quality has dipped.

Delivery Apps Get the Priority in Arizona

They've admitted that delivery orders are given priority over walk-in customers.

Delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats bring slick business in the door. All the restaurant has to do is cook and bag the food.

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READ: No Tip, Slow Delivery: DoorDash Explained

Restaurants don't need much front-of-house staff. They don't need someone to take orders or clean tables or restrooms. This saves them labor costs, and as long as the delivery order is out the door promptly, they will keep the profits.

So, if you're a walk-in customer, you're no longer worth as much to the business. If that leaves you feeling neglected, that's just the cost of doing business.

Delivery orders get prioritized, and I am sick and tired of the bad service. Not enough to cook for myself, but you get the idea.

SourcesRotman School of Management | State Press | Sinuate Media | Forbes | Restaurant Business Online

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