“my plate started coming back different from my friends’ and I thought, ‘hey, this guy knows me!’”

I’ve been pretty inspired lately. Not by the latest posts design gallery posts or by the emerging technology of the week, but by the owner of a little diner called the Red Goose where I eat every Wednesday morning.

Some good friends and I have been getting together every week, for the last few years, to shoot the breeze and chat about real life. The place we like to go is a little hole in the wall diner run by an immigrant couple on the south side of Edmonton. It’s a fairly run-down little establishment that looks like it was transported from another time and a much smaller place. The food is good and well priced, but even better — the service is bang on.

Every Wednesday we’re greeted by a cheery “hello” and a smile that is nothing short of genuine. I get the sense that the owner really does appreciate our business. The food comes quickly and the coffee is always full.

The thing that has been a real delight is the fact that the owner/server/assistant chef seems to really enjoy getting to know our preferences. We all order the same thing every week (with the occasional breakfast meat variance) — two eggs, ham, hash browns and toast. I tend to only eat a couple of hash browns and leave the rest on the plate. A while ago my plate started coming back different from my friends’ and I thought, “hey, this guy knows me”! When my breakfast shows these days, it has just a couple of hash browns on it, and it always brings a smile to my face. I’m actually getting less than I paid for, but it makes me feel cared for. This is a great example of customer service. How often do we take the time to notice the needs, likes and dislikes of our own clients and tailor our process to them? I believe it’s time we all did a little “time machine” exercise and remembered some of the great customer service examples of yester-year.