Guest Service 2.0 from Lenny's Sub Shop

Pretend you’ve just gotten home from a long day at work. Exhausted, your one goal in life is to microwave whatever is hiding in the back of your freezer and collapse on the couch. After fishing out a passable frozen dinner and waiting five minutes while cosmic rays bombard it, you make a sad discovery. Inside the black plastic tray is not the sesame chicken with noodles you expected but a greenish-gray mass of indistinguishable origin. What do you do? manyny would curse their luck and reach for the peanut butter, but for some it’s the start of a guest service encounter.

Guest service is one of the most important duties of any venture, no matter if it’s a $15 billion corporation or a mom and pop down the street. Although it’s impossible to keep everyone happy all the time, doing your best to keep guests content with your service and products helps create and maintain a positive brand image and increases word-of- mouth traffic.

In decades past, guest service has been handled over the phone, by mail or in person. Television not working? Call Sears. Chocolate malt milkshake not malty enough? Write a letter. Steak too bloody? Ask to speak with the chef.

The problems plaguing these methods are painfully familiar. They’re slow, unpleasant and, more often that not, rather inefficient. So why is it that so many companies still adhere to these tired and outdated forms of guest service?

Great guest service has always been a key part of the mission at Lenny’s Sub Shops, but recently they’ve taken the concept to the next level by using social media as another point of connection between the franchise and its loyal guests. By addressing guest service issues through Facebook, Lenny’s can solve problems more quickly and in a format many consumers are more comfortable with.

Take Robert, a Lenny’s guest from Arkansas. On a trip to his local Lenny’s, Robert was unsatisfied with a particular element of his trip and, instead of writing an email or calling corporate, he sent a message to Lenny’s Facebook page. Within 24 hours, he had a response from the Facebook page, apologizing for his bad experience and explaining the process by which the local manager would be informed of the situation. In addition, Lenny’s was able to send Robert some swag as an additional form of apology. The exchange clearly impressed Robert, who left a message saying, “I was thinking was never going to hear from somebody at Lenny’s again.”

Social media has many applications, but one of the newest and most promising is guest service. Lenny’s Sub Shops have blazed a trail by responding to guest complaints and questions through their Facebook page, transforming a traditionally slow and tedious process into a quick, efficient way to maximize guest satisfaction and build positive brand image.

Lenny's Featured on Daybreak on the Deuce

Lenny's Sub Shop was recently featured on Denver's Daybreak on the Deuce Morning Show. Lenny's franchisee, Nathan Turner, showed the audience how Lenny's creates its signature breakfast sandwiches, only available at a select few locations. The video clip is posted below.

Franchisee Spotlight: Sam Lampo, Owner of Bryan, TX Lenny's Sub Shop

Today, Sam and Frank Lampo, brothers and franchisees of the Lenny's Sub Shop in Bryan, Texas will be highlighted.

Franchisee Since: July 2008
Franchise Location/s: 3700 S Texas Ave Ste 550, Bryan, TX 77802


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How Sam and Frank Lampo Got Started With Lenny’s Sub Shop…
Sam and his brother, Frank, are experienced business owners and between them, they have 50 years of food and beverage experience. The brothers have owned multiple franchises through the years and Sam had decided to retire. Fifteen years after retirement, Sam’s entrepreneurial spirit kicked back in and he noticed a feature in the Houston Chronicle about Lenny’s. He learned that they were looking for franchisees in the Houston market for expansion opportunities and he jumped on the opportunity. He called his brother, Frank, and they opened their Bryan location in July of 2008.

What Intrigued Sam and Frank Lampo about Lenny’s Sub Shop …
After reading the feature in the paper, Sam and Frank traveled to Houston to experience the brand first hand. They visited multiple locations and fell in love with the proven, established product, along with the superior guest service. What attracted Sam and Frank to the Lenny’s brand was the proven product and the strong brand presence already in existence in Houston. With their experience in the industry, the brothers knew that this success could be replicated in Bryan. They purchased the franchising rights to the entire county in August of 2007. Currently, they have plans to expand into College Station, TX.

Something Interesting About Sam and Frank Lampo’s Story…
Sam and Frank are fourth generation Bryan residents. The Lampo family has lived in Bryan for over 104 years. The family is publicly known around town and has a strong tie to the local community. The brothers work with Habitat for Humanity, local schools, and local hospitals. They also have one of the highest catering ratios in the franchise system and credit much of their catering orders to the local university, Texas A&M.