The Niceties That Matter

This is Yet Another MAEKAN Briefing Intro.

I’ve become a regular at a nearby restaurant thanks to my friends' recommendation and my subsequent visits, where I've tried to bring anyone who would let me. When I say "visits," it means at least once a week for the last 8 weeks, so not too bad.

Besides the food — which is excellent — the thing that keeps me coming back is the people who work there and the relationships that we've developed. I'm greeted by name and can greet most of the front of house staff by name as well.

We recently had a friend's birthday dinner there, originally making a reservation for 6. A few more people joined, so I called and asked if there was room to expand, bringing us to 9. Later, even more joined, so I went early and apologized profusely for being those customers. They took it in stride (probably because they are professionals), and turned the tables on me, asking more about who else was joining and how they could help us best celebrate.

Last week, I went for a solo meal and was feeling terrible after something I had eaten for lunch. Noticing I was in weaker spirits and the terrible look on my face, the waitress brought me a house-made digestif, unprompted.

Both of these experiences left quite an impression. This restaurant and these relationships have been a constant reminder that businesses are just people — which should be obvious to someone who is a single-person business, but alas. It's encouraged me to look for the humanity in all of my interactions, whether it's adding a smile to the end of the thank you, or letting the new tailor know how well-loved she is on Yelp.

These little things (being a good person?) seem to go a long way, especially as many of us crawl out of the anti-social COVID cave and have to learn how to engage with others again. But I recognized how easy it was to write off any organization as a faceless group and how I really don't want to live my life that way. We have limited time here and there's really no reason not to make it a little better for everyone you interact with.