Rochester, MN Employees Surprised With Hy-Vee's Top Award

Tuesday began like any other at the Crossroads Hy-Vee in Rochester, Minnesota, until 10:30 AM when a large crowd gathered in the back of the store for a surprise party. A similar scene played out on Wednesday afternoon at the Hy-Vee located on West Circle Drive.

The special events were held to honor employees who were being recognized with the company's highest honor. Only 14 of Hy-Vee's more than 80,000 employees were selected to receive the Legendary Customer Service Award this year and TWO of the winners work right here in Rochester.

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Hy-Vee Awards Two Rochester Employees With the Company's Highest Honor

"A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle" isn't just an advertising jingle.

I am a regular at the Hy-Vee on West Circle Dr., but I have shopped at all of the Rochster locations and I can tell you that they take customer service seriously.

The Legendary Customer Service Award is reserved for employees who truly go the extra mile to help customers and their teammates. Since being introduced in 2006, the award has only been given to 165 employees.

TSM Rochester

This year two people from Rochester, Minnesota were recognized by the company for their outstanding efforts in their respective stores.

The Market Manager at the Crossroads Hy-Vee, John Wendel, was surprised with the award on Tuesday morning, and Audra Rinard, Pharmacy Manager, got the exciting news on Wednesday at the West Circle Dr. location.

TSM Rochester

Both employees were praised for their dedication to the company and its customers.

John and Audra were nominated for the Legendary Customer Service Award by their co-workers and were selected because of their "passion for customer service, attitude, initiative, teamwork, problem-solving skills, dedication to Hy-Vee fundamentals, communication skills, professional image, and self-confidence."

Top spots in Rochester with amazing customer service!

Not sure if this is a priority for you but the majority of people like to see a little bit of R-E-S-P-E-C-T when they are buying things from a business. It could be ordering food at a restaurant, buying clothes at a store, or where you are filling up your gas tank for your car. Any place you spend money should have stellar customer service. If you've had a run of bad customer service lately, try going to one of these places in Rochester that were recommended by hundreds of people in town.

This list was put together last year, so, if individuals are mentioned at these places, they may no longer be there. But, at one point, they were considered THE BEST for customer service in our area.