Fort Leonard Wood Burger King Manager Goes the Extra Mile

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. – Joletta Lavant knows when somebody calls her at Fort Leonard Wood’s Burger King, and remarks, “I don’t like to complain, but . . . ” she knows he is a faithful customer.

Just like Kevin Carlile.

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.”

“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.”

-Joletta Lavant, Burger King manager

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.

Living up to ‘Family Serving Family’

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; 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 to the Burger Kings.

“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 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 this Mr. Carlile is the epitome of Family Serving Family.”