*Flashback to the first week after SU’s winter break* After a month-long break filled with mom’s home-cooked meals, friends from high school that you 100% did not want to see, and Fitbit steps reaching an all-time low of 500 per day, you were ready and set for the semester of a lifetime. Who cares if the temp is -10 and your knees hurt through your ripped jeans from the cold on your walk to DJ’s? You’d much rather die of frostbite running to pick up your Good Uncle order than die of boredom in front of your TV being forced to watch another re-run of FRIENDS because you have nothing better to do.
As your first days back at the tundra pass, you decide to start the semester off right: Penne alla Vodka from Good Uncle. What better way to chase down your drink at a pregame? Once your order is set, your hair is done, and you’ve managed to squeeze your “winter break tookus” into last summer’s jeans, you realize your Good Uncle is 15 minutes late.
The panic sets in, your hair starts to get frizzed and you’re prepped to speak with the Good Uncle CEO… stat.
Before I start ranting, first step is to take a breather. Don’t worry, your holiday bod can handle the 15-minute break.
However, there’s a likelihood you were experiencing Good Uncle’s first week chaos. It’s common that once students come back after a long break, Good Uncle is fully equipped with a fresh new menu. As refreshing as this sounds, Good Uncle typically needs a few days to accustom to the mouthwatering additions on their menu.
Put yourself in Good Uncle’s shoes. During the first week post-break, Good Uncle is getting a tsunami of orders. Instead of their typical orders like Joe’s Pizza, students are testing their taste buds on new selections. However, the busy chefs at Good Uncle are trying to acclimate to new ingredients, recipes, and requirements for every order to come out perfectly.
In order to ensure every order comes out right, G’Uncle must control the amount of orders being processed every hour. So, what does that entail? Slower delivery time.
The Inside Scoop
Luckily, I got an inside scoop when speaking to Good Uncle’s very own advertising and marketing consultant, Caleb Cowher (who just so happens to be an SU student). He began by explaining, “When you introduce something new to a company, the employees have to get acclimated to the new procedures. This takes time… and causes a chain reaction from the kitchen to the delivery routes. One minuscule thing may screw up a dish which impedes everybody else’s duties.”
When I asked him for examples, he began by explaining, “A chef will put in thyme dressing, but in reality the customer asked for balsamic. From there, things will be passed down and workers will then start to realize the mistake 10 minutes later.” Cowher finally exclaimed, “The end product is just slower delivery time”.
For Good Uncle, You Come First
He continued by ensuring that Good Uncle is a customer service-oriented company. Cowher said, “Our customer service is pretty fantastic. Students have an easy way of reaching out to Good Uncle.” Not only is Good Uncle’s app incredibly accessible and easy-to-use, but if you want to reach a Good Uncle staff member, you’re (most of the time) only minutes away from hearing back from them via the ‘Conversation with Good Uncle’ tab.
In case you’re still not convinced, the workers were faced with an extreme change when they got back to work after the holidays. Cowher says the reason why it was so crazy was because, “…everything in the kitchen when we came back from break was totally different. The kitchen was reorganized, ovens were moved, refrigerators were moved, everything was completely altered.” I can just imagine the post-break chaos in the kitchen. Imagine preparing yourself a meal in your own kitchen and finding everything in a different drawer, cabinet, and nook. Now imagine preparing that meal in the same environment for hundreds of hangry teenagers.
Alright, Good Uncle. We’ll cut you some slack.
Moral of the story is to be courteous to your Good Uncle elves. If you’re faced with a new menu after next break, make sure to be accommodating. If something’s missing in your order, the world will not end.
Good Uncle is here to make your pregame meals, study seshes, and hungover Bacon Egg and Cheeses stellar. Every time. Cut them some slack through the post-break rush. Because after all, Good Uncle is truly a blessing of Syracuse University.