FORT LEONARD WOOD – Joletta Lavant knows when somebody calls her at the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s Burger King and remarks, “I don’t like to complain, but…” he or she is a faithful customer.
Just like Kevin Carlile.
On May 11, a famished Carlile returned to his office from the drive-thru at the Burger King Lavant manages, opened the sack to take out his lunch and found the wrong order.
So the chief of the installation’s Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security Visual Information Center called Lavant, who then lived out his organization’s motto, “Always attempt to exceed the expectations of those you serve.”
Shortly after, Lavant stood at his office door with a smile, an apology and a Burger King sack with the correct order. He lauded her for her “extraordinary spirit of service and excellence.”
“Ms. Lavant totally exceeded my expectations,” said Carlile, who was so thrilled with Lavant’s service that he sung her praises in an email to the Exchange’s Dallas headquarters.
Lavant also lived up to the Exchange’s core value, “Family Serving Family,” considering her family is steeped in military service. Her father served in the Army for more than 20 years; a brother in the Marine Reserves and Army National Guard; and her husband in the Army National Guard for 25 years.
Her 10-year Exchange restaurant career has taken her from Alaska to Georgia to Texas to California and finally to Fort Leonard Wood, mostly working at Burger King.
“When a guest starts his conversation with ‘I do not like to complain,’ this means to me that the guest really likes where he or she eats and just wants us to fix the issue,” Lavant said. “We are here to serve everybody and to do whatever we need to do to make them happy.”
That’s music to Exchange General Manager Christine Harlan’s ears.
“You naturally would do more for a family member than you would somebody you don’t know,” Harlan said. “What Joletta did for Mr. Carlile is the epitome of Family Serving Family.”
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Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 56th-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.4 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our website at http://www.shopmyexchange.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.
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Media Notes:
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