03/19/2026
Whenever a business lowers it's labor times for it's techs, raises it's prices for their customers..... They always seem to end up with a short lived fat middle, followed by stunned customers who notice, then by the eventual loss of seasoned technicians.
Working at Fred Beans Ford Lincoln Mercury over 30 years ago, I look back on and still always appreciate the Covey program that Fred offered his employees. Training was and still is so essential in anything you do.
One story that has always stuck with me is the old restaurant story. Now, I'm probably going to get most of the details wrong but it went something like this....
There once was a very popular restaurant in town. This restaurant was loved by everyone. The restaurant's patrons would stay outside in line for the longest time just to be able to sit and dine there with their family and friends. It's food and service was second to none. It's valuable employees were regarded as some of the most talented staff in the Lehigh county area. The owners were kind, generous, respected by everyone, they understood that profit is a bi-product of great product and service.
Years went by.... the business's reputation only became stronger, their employees were constantly offered work at other restaurants but because of their loyalty, these offers were always turned down without hesitation. The amount the restaurant gave back to the community was incredible, other businesses would always try to copy them but could never quite get the same results.
Overtime the owners grew old and with no family of their own to pass the business down to, they had to sell the business, a local company seized the opportunity and offered them much more than they were asking for. Ownership changed, business seemed to be great. The new owners saw some of the current recipes and business practices as old and "not efficient". They took advantage of this. More water was added to the soups, lower grade meat was a substitute, frozen Orange juice instead of Fresh squeezed, employees lost the ability to take leftovers home to their families, these end of the day leftovers were now being billed out at full price for the employees. Shelter for the customers waiting outside was removed because it had a monthly heating cost. Employees payment plan changes affected the quality of their cooking.... More food at higher quality was expected with less time to prepare and with inferior cooking equipment which would constantly breakdown.
Time passed, the employees realized that they could not support their own families with the way things were going. One by one they left and were welcome by this restaurant's competition. The patrons, the ones who supported this restaurant for so many years and so many generations, slowly growing disappointed with the poor quality that was now offered to them. One by one, the patrons started leaving.
The restaurant, now owned by new owners who thought they were going to make more money, went out of business.
The End
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