I had spent years in the culinary industry, starting from washing dishes at diners after school, to progressing all the way until I became a head chef. My grandparents helped my mother pay for culinary school, so my announcement — was that I was, now, the new owner of the restaurant that we were sitting in. When I discovered that the place was for sale, I wanted to buy it immediately and turn it into a place that would uphold our family legacy.
With special recipes that had been handed down from my grandmother. After dessert, an array of tiny portions that awoke the senses, I stood up to speak. The service had been exemplary the entire evening because the staff knew exactly who I was.
So, when the waiter came over to bring my grandfather’s coffee, I asked him to share his thoughts on customer service. Flustered, he wiped his hands on his apron and stuttered about respect and courtesy. “You have to care for everyone that walks into the restaurant, Sir,” he said.
“You told us to treat them like they are a guest in our own homes.”
I nodded, hoping that my family had missed the fact that the waiter knew me. I then turned the floor over to my grandmother, who eloquently spoke not of her pain, but of the importance of kindness and the memories tied to the meatloaf and other elements found in the dishes she had picked for this dinner. “I wanted to try and find something that my husband and I could relate to our lives.
Like the chicken — we had a similar lemon chicken dish for our wedding reception.”
With the room hanging on her every word, the waiter’s remorse was palpable. He apologized sincerely, his shame evident to all. That’s when I revealed the truth to my family — telling them I was the new owner of the restaurant and that I planned on making big changes.
My grandmother beamed at me, finally seeing that I was where I needed to be — building my own culinary niche in the world. As for the waiter, I presented him with two choices:
“You can leave with a month’s salary or you can stay and undergo a comprehensive customer service training program.”
To his credit, and our collective surprise, he chose to stay and learn. Months later, his transformation became a cornerstone of our restaurant’s reputation.
He exemplified the power of second chances, becoming a favorite among our patrons. But more than that — whenever my grandmother came over to the restaurant to help me work on a recipe, he was the first one to make sure that she was taken care of. He would bring her cups of tea and baskets of breadsticks.
Now, when I think about the restaurant and the fact that my grandmother had gone from being disrespected to being idolized, all I want is to know that she will be valued — and that all the lessons she teaches inside my kitchen are taken to heart. What would you have done?
