Trip to Tastee's

For our out of class excursion our team visited Tastee’s Sub Shop.  I was really excited to visit this acclaimed shop because I had never been there before.  The second I entered Tastee’s, I could tell that it was a special place.  When we first sat down, the owner Dave gave us a brief history of Tastee’s.  His father and Brother-in-law opened the shop in the 70s and it has been in their family ever since.  From the point Tastee’s opened it became a staple in the community and a real family place.  Over the years Tastee’s became so popular that even the President had to pay the shop a visit.  Last year President Obama went to Tastee’s as part of his tour through New Jersey.    

What were Tastee’s keys to success?  Dave stressed one major point, treat others the way you want to be treated.  Tastee’s has been so successful over the years because of its great customer service.  The business brings in so many repeat customers because people love the outstanding efficiency and character of the business’ employees.  People want to go to Tastee’s because they feel a sense of connection to this place.  Dave practically, knows every customer by name which makes all of his customers feel important.  Before he started talking to us about the business, he had a personal conversation with one of the customers.  Treating others the way you want to be treated is going to be so crucial during the summer.  As Orientation Leaders we need to make the new students feel like they are all special and important.  If we take the time to get to know them and make them feel important, then it will make their transition to Rutgers very easy. 

Another important thing I learned from this excursion was to be humble and real.  Dave was such a successful small business owner, but he was still humbled by the fact that we wanted to learn about his life and business.  I immediately respected Dave because he was a real person, who appreciated everything in his life. This summer we are going to need to be real people.  If we are fake, in an attempt to fit the mold of a stereotypical OL, the students will be able to tell.  We will be ineffective leaders because we will be less passionate about what we are preaching.  We will be making claims that we do not believe ourselves.  The students will not be able to connect with the Rutgers Community because they will not be able to connect with us.

In addition, Dave showed me how important it is to go above and beyond for your customers.  He treated our entire team to a meal, which was incredibly generous.  As an OL, we need to go above and beyond for the incoming students.  If we go above and beyond for our students, we will show the students how much we care about Rutgers.  When the students see how much we care about Rutgers, they will realize that this is a great University.  The students will see that if the OL’s care so much about the University, then it must be a worthwhile place.  Our out of class excursion was an amazing learning experience and I learned a lot about how to conduct oneself in a leadership position.  I simply want to thank Dave for an amazing day and experience.