Friday, July 07, 2006

an open letter to katherine kelly in boston, ma

Dear Katherine,

Thank you for coming into my restaurant last night with a very large party of what I presume were your co-workers.

Thank you for being patient with me as the restaurant filled up around you, and sucked up the attention I'd planned on lavishing on your table, like quicksand. We were short staffed, but that's not your problem.

Thank you for always smiling and saying thank you, and for speaking up about what you and the other members of your party needed without being bitchy. It's so much easier to be bitchy, but you weren't.

Thanks to your entire group for being young, well-dressed, attractive, and still nice. I know it sounds weird, but as all waitresses know, young, well-dressed, attractive people are often patronizing and bitchy. They can be a total nightmare, but you guys were a dream.

Thank you for your understanding when your appetizer came out of the kitchen in the wrong order. This left you full and entree-less when everyone else's dinner came. But miraculously, you didn't seem to care.

Thank you for your graciousness when two of the entrees on your ticket took extra long to cook, so long in fact that everyone was at least half-way done with their dinner by the time they went down on the table. You had every right to feel upset, and angry, and be 100% bitchy by that point, because so many things just kept going wrong with your dinner. Special thanks to the two members of your party who waited for their enchiladas and their steak, because they just drank and chatted and hung out, and seemed happy despite the fact that we effectively blew it on all counts with your food.

Thank you for acting surprised and delighted when I told you that the chef had comped your check, that he wanted to buy you those two entrees, and a few other items, to make up for the mess. Another table sent their check back angrily, you know, and demanded that their food be taken off the check because "it just took too long." They shook their heads at the waitstaff, like disappointed fathers. But you seemed so surprised, I felt surprised that you were so surprised. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to delight & surprise you, depite the fact that so many things kept going awry with your dinner.

And if you or any of the other members of "Katherine Kelly party of 15" are ever back in the South End, be sure to stop by 647 & ask for Kitty, so I can thank you in person for making an otherwise hellish night so much more pleasant.


1 comment:

Patry Francis said...

Katherine Kelly and party can come in and sit at my table any time as well!

Every day, garden variety nice people really don't realize what a difference they make; glad you told them.