Letter writing week: Letter #1

This first letter is going to a fast food company. It’s one that I have been a fan of since I was a child. Many things have changed since then and while I am still a fan of this particular fast food establishment, it’s a place I am no longer going to support. I decided to fire over a letter to their head office to explain why I am no longer going to be their customer.

Enjoy.

Peter

Letter #1: Harvey’s

To whom it may concern,

I would like to start off by stating that I am a fan of your establishments. I find the quality of your food as well as your service to be above average and much better than that of your competition. But over the last several years, you have slowly become my next to if not last choice when selecting a place to dine and the reason for that has been price.

Last Saturday, I took my two sons to one of your establishments for lunch. I don’t take them out often, but I thought it would be a nice treat since we were walking back from the park and I had a few extra bucks to spare this week.

My boys are not overweight, but are built like tanks and expend a great deal of energy. So for that reason they consume a fair bit. Your children’s menus are insufficient to satisfy their hunger and I end losing half of my lunch when it’s all said and done. You seriously think two tenders and a small handful of fries will satisfy kids between the ages of 6-10? Really?

This time out I bought three adult combos: one double burger for myself, a single burger for my oldest son and a small chicken tender for my youngest son. When it was all said and done, the total for these combos was a whooping $33 just to feed myself and two children. Everyone was satisfied with the meal in question. As usual the quality was tip top, but in the end what took a real beating was my wallet. I was considering taking the little guys to see ‘Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax’ but after lunch I no longer had sufficient funds to make the trip. Thankfully I hadn’t told my kids the idea and just took them home.

When it was all said and done, my kids did have a satisfying dining experience at Harveys. My oldest son actually finished his burger first, which is something he never did at other establishments. Despite that, I regret to inform you that after spending more than 40% more than what I would spend at other fast food places, Harveys is becoming too costly for me to remain your customer. You’ve become too expensive, especially for those who have kids.

I remember going out to Harveys with my family, and back then prices were much more reasonable. My Dad never paid $33 for our dinner, and we have five people in our family! I realize inflation has something to do with it, but when you compare your prices to other fast food establishments, you’re charging close to 30-40% more for your product. You’ve lost my business, and unless you make radical changes… you will continue to lose business from other families as the economy and our budgets continue to tighten.

Sincerely,

Peter