I have always said that my restaurant was a neighbourhood kind of place. I liken it to Happy Days, or Cheers, or the coffee shop from Friends. It's a warm friendly place, where we genuinely do care about our customers, our community and our City. We may not know the names of everyone, but more often than not, we know what our customers like to eat and how they like it prepared. We have connections; meaningful connections to many of our guests.
No such connection more evident than the other day when we had a regular customer, a senior woman, remark that her husband had passed away. Indeed, less than 48 hours earlier. Without hesitation, the cashier came out from behind the counter to give the dear lady a hug. While our guest sat alone for the first time at the restaurant, we treated her with extra care and affection. That was just automatic.
At closing time, the cashier remarked to me that we should probably pass along the news to a previous employee who would also recognize the couple and appreciate hearing the news. I did, and it was appreciated.
My point is, there is no handbook, no training session or lesson that you could impart on staff that could get them to care (in this way) if it wasn't genuine. It's just not part of the job.
BUT, it is the part of who we are and how we value and respect others at my restaurant. A sad loss, but a brilliant and warm lesson that makes me so proud of the people I work with and the kind of restaurant we have made together.
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