Small business operators in Rome got tips on developing customer loyalty Tuesday from Greg Major, general manager of Rome’s Chick-fil-A Dwarf House.

“It’s all about the customer experience,” Major told the SBAC group. “Can your customers trust you as a business to perform and give you the quality you want time and time again?”

Major, who jumped at the chance to manage the restaurant after serving Chick-fil-A restaurants in Stockbridge and Duluth, said that by treating the customers as king, they come back more often, they purchase more, and they spread the word about their experience to other potential customers.

Major explained that the good customer experience always starts with a clean restaurant and consistently good, hot food. The next key to success involves giving customers a little more than they were expecting, and finally, establishing personal relationships with the customers.

Major said the latter was a little easier for him to do in Rome since many of his customers are regulars he sees almost every day.

“We don’t have that interstate crowd to deal with. We know a lot of our customers and know them by name,” he said.

“My sole job is to hire the right folks. If I do that, my job is easy as pie,” Major told the business group.

Members of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce Small Business Action Council also were briefed about plans for the Silver Anniversary Small Business Expo at The Forum on Nov. 2-3.

Kaytlin Greenley with the Coosa Valley Federal Credit Union is serving as chairwoman of the Chamber Small Business Expo this year.

She said 15-16 booths are still available for the event, which will have a carnival-like theme — “The Greatest Shopping on Earth.”

“We’re really trying to support small businesses and make people aware of what’s in their own backyard,” Greenley said.

Larry Alford of ServiceMaster by Twins told the panel that the expo offers some of the best networking opportunities for local businesses and that this year’s event is going the extra mile to be family friendly.