My wife and I had a great adventure last weekend. We decided to go to the nearby coastal town of Vista for the day and we wanted to have a great breakfast. What better way than to Google… “Best Breakfast in Vista, Ca.”
The results in Google pointed to a little hole in the wall diner, called Allen’s Alley. We visited their web site and headed down to the coast. When we got there, we found a small little building almost hidden away in an alley behind the main area of downtown Vista.
We got out and noticed people eating outside, but we decided that inside would be better on this chilly overcast morning. As we walked inside, we noticed a full restaurant with patrons at tables and around the bar. The atmosphere was friendly, and it seemed like most of the people were probably “regulars.”
A young waitress named Cindy, seated us at a corner table. and went to take our order. Just then she looked down and noticed that my silverware had water spots on it. She picked up the silverware and replaced them with another set. Then she took a napkin and polished them up.
There I was with a glowing set of silverware and a friendly waitress taking our order. Cindy took the time to point out the best things on the menu, and we ordered up an omelet and biscuits and gravy.
While we were waiting, she handed us a pet trivia guide that was on the table that had all sorts of great items on it that we never knew before about dogs and cats.
In a few minutes our breakfasts arrived. Both meals were superb. The kind of meals that you could only get in a home cooking place like this. But the thing that was really great was the atmosphere. Cindy and the other waitresses knew almost everyone in the place. It was like being in a family reunion. And Cindy made us feel right at home.
As we finished up, I told Cindy that we were from the Temecula area and she gave us the name of some other great restaurants in Vista and the surrounding towns.
She brought the bill and it was under $20.
What a friendly and memorable experience. But the thing that really stood out in my mind was the attention to detail. Cindy took the time in her hectic schedule to notice that our silverware wasn’t up to her standards. She polished the silverware!
Maybe on our jobs it might be something to remember. Take care of the little things…people really do notice. In this case, I’ve mentioned our experience to over 100 people in the last week… now I’m mentioning it to you.
If you are ever in Vista, be sure to visit Allen’s Alley for breakfast or lunch. And if you want to improve the customer experience in your place of business… remember to polish the silverware!
