10/24/2020 0 Comments October 24th, 2020A Dream – My 75th Birthday
It is my 75th birthday. (I am actually 73 so it is not far off.) Catherine and I are at a renowned Italian restaurant in Boston with another couple that we like. Boston. The room is rectangular and we are seated in a cozy, quiet corner. I have arranged this small birthday celebration to be intimate and simple. We are all enjoying the delicious food and conversation when the waiter, a very nice man, comes over and asks for a favor. Could we possibly move? A large party has arrived and he wants to put our table together with another to accommodate them. I tell him that it is my birthday and I am in a particularly festive mood so why not. He is thankful and after a certain amount of confusion he moves us to a table at the other end of the room. We climb a few steps onto a platform for this table. We continue the meal and, sometime later, the waiter comes over again and tells us that it is now 7PM and this is when the music starts. We are now in the music section. Other people have paid $60 each for a cover charge and all of these table are reserved. Thus, unfortunately we will have to leave. I tell him that we have not quite finished, plus we definitely want to have some delicious cake and pastries for my birthday. I was particularly eyeing their coconut rum cake. He says he understands but there was really no choice. I am surprisingly calm and ask if I might speak to the manager. The manager comes over, a rather gruff fellow who again apologizes, but says we have to go. I say that we will go if he will make a fair accommodation. To make it easy for the manager, I tell him I will accept the following – since the bill was $200, he will give us a 50% discount and we will pay $100. Also, he will allow each person at our table to choose their favorite dessert. He will then package each one separately so we can take the desserts home. Our tip will be based on the original whole amount of the bill because we feel that the waiter was caught in the middle and has done his job. The manager then becomes somewhat threatening, and yet I am still really calm. Catherine and our friends recommend we leave, laugh it off and make it part of the story. I tell them that this is surely an option but I prefer to utilize this opportunity as a learning experience for all parties including myself. As the manager becomes more menacing, I tell him that although he believes that he has all the leverage, that is not really the case. I take out my cell phone and tell him that if he continues in a threatening way, I will call 911. The police will then come to the restaurant and the headline might be “fancy restaurant ruins 75th birthday party”. The manager leaves and soon returns with another man of an utterly different quality. He emanates intelligence and warmth even as he walks towards us. He politely asks if he might pull up a chair and sit with us for a few moments. He properly introduces himself to all of us and lets us know that he is the owner. I am relaxed and taking all this in. He asks for my understanding of the situation which I provide including my proposal. He listens carefully, takes a moment, and says that my proposal is very fair and he accepts. He then instructs everyone to “please make it happen.” The owner then leaves. As we wait for the desserts and the check, the owner returns with a bottle of high-quality wine. The owner presents it to me and with complete sincerity says “Happy Birthday.” I thank him. He says, “one more thing.” He gives me his card and asks if I would contact him because he has something that he wants to discuss. Next Scene – The owner and I are seated at his elegant antique desk in his spacious office with mahogany paneling and several beautifully displayed sculptures. The same calmness and quiet that had surrounded him in the restaurant are still present. He explains that he owns eight elegant restaurants in the U.S. He is concerned that his managers do not really know how to deal with customers, especially seniors. Most of their customers are younger. He asks if I would consider helping him take on the task of training the managers to improve their listening abilities, as well as understanding their customer’s point of view. He says he wants to expand his businesses so that seniors feel comfortable coming. He says that he will pay me fairly for the work. We discuss how to pay and agree that billing by the hour is best. How much do you charge an hour? he asks. I say that I don’t know because I have been “retired” from the business world for many years. I ask, “what would have to pay a highly qualified consultant to do the job you have outlined.” He says “$500 an hour”. I say, “OK, then $200 an hour will be fine.” He indicates that he is glad to pay more and wonders why I suggest less. I respond, “It was that lovely bottle of wine”. He smiles. I smile. And I wake up, smiling.
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David FeldmanDog walker, Dog Mediator, Father, Husband, Categories |