Manizesto

When my sister spilled a fruit smoothie on the table at a restaurant, soiling the tablecloth and tile floor, the waitress came over and said “Oh, don’t even worry about it!” No big deal!”

“Sure, it’s not big deal to you. You’re not the one that’s going to have to clean it up!” I quipped sarcastically, and she laughed but knew I was right.

Her response was, of course, crafted so as to not make the patrons feel guilty, have a bad experience, and not want to return. She protected the customer by claiming “All is well! All is well”. It worked for this scenario because the incident was minute (and we’re planning to return to that restaurant again.)

But what if one of the cooks in the back had suddenly had a heart attack and died? Patrons begin asking, “Where is my food?”, “What’s all the commotion about?” etc. There is a tipping point between when you should say “all is well, nothing to worry about” and “there’s trouble at the mill.”

Knowing where that tipping point is will help you deliver a good experience to people with whom you interact.

Photo by Alanna@VanIsle