Will the management at Chick-fil-A please take a bow.

Your staff has impressed me. While hubby was out of town for a few days a couple of weeks ago, I made my way to your restaurant and on several consecutive nights — yes, I am one of those folks who can eat the same thing day after day after day. I chose to use the drive-thru to place my order for the Market Salad with the fried chicken filet and the Apple Cider vinaigrette dressing — two packs, please.

And when I did, each and every time, a very, very polite teen took my order — with one of those occasions being at the kiosk and the other times from staff standing along the drive-thru line. This service is another perk of Chick-fil-A, because it helps expedite orders when there is a long line of traffic.

By my fifth time of visiting the fast-food chain, you would think that I would have encountered at least one employee who was less than cordial, but nope. Not at the Vicksburg Chick-fil-A. Those young people’s manners and service was beyond reproach. I finally had to tell one of the cuties that they had made my day with their cheery disposition.

And I meant it. There is something so contagious when interacting with a person who is upbeat and nice as opposed to interacting with a crank.

So much so that after I had been handed my order, I found myself driving off with a smile on my face. In fact, I even wondered if that was the reason my salad tasted so delicious. I had a good taste in my mouth before I even took the first bite.

In reflecting on my experiences at the Chick-fil-A, I couldn’t help but wonder what the management’s secret was in having a staff that is, well,  just nice. And if they could share that secret with the rest of humanity.

I don’t know about you, but more times than not, I have encountered folks who just seem downright irritated. Maybe it’s because they are having to work, or don’t like their job or maybe it’s because someone has been unkind to them. But, for whatever reason, these people – and if I am honest, I could mean me at times – really need to seriously consider an attitude adjustment. Because the last thing you want is for it to leak out on to others.

And with the holidays around the corner, I really need to remember my words, because I know how I can get when there are a hundred million things to do and not a hundred million hours in a day.

Probably a visit to Chick-fil-A could keep me in check because, like those Chick-fil-A kids, I would much rather spread joy than frustration.

Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Every heart that has beat strongly and cheerfully has left a hopeful impulse behind it in the world and bettered the tradition of mankind.”

Hmm, maybe this is what Chick-fil-A uses as their motto.

Terri Cowart Frazier writes features for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.