So, I'm still in the depths of finals (urgh! argh!) so I am going to be brief, but I wanted to relate a couple of experiences I've had lately that have led me to do a lot of pondering about customer service and its role in how a customer feels coming out of a restaurant.

So, about a month ago Joe and I met at Hot Suppa for breakfast. it's a restaurant I go to periodically, and I am always pleased with the food-- it's nothing fancy, but it's always cooked well, and menu features creative touches like fried green tomato Benedict and a bacon-of-the-week. The service is always quite friendly and prompt; again, nothing fancy but the staff are always thoughtful.

Anyhoo, on the day I met Joe there I was feeling a bit more lunchy than breakfasty, and they had a sandwich special that sounded delicious. It came with tomatoes on it. Now, I have nothing against the tomato, but raw March sliced tomatoes are usually mealy and unappealing, in my opinion, so I asked for the sandwich without the tomatoes.

"I'm sorry," the waiter said. "The kitchen won't allow us to do substitutions."

So, whatever.... I didn't really care-- how hard is it to take the tomato off of a sandwich? Not at all, clearly. So I said fine, got the sandwich, took the tomatoes off, and went on my merry way. (It was a very tasty sandwich, for the record.)

But ... there was just something about that response, and such a fixed policy, that just sat wrong with me. I couldn't quite figure out why it bugged me so much, though.

It came into focus a couple of weeks ago. A friend was visiting Portland in preparation for her move up here, and doing some househunting. She's a vegan, and although we had made plans to brunch during her visit, I was a bit anxious about finding her an adequate vegan meal. It's not like Portland, Oregon-- when I lived there very single breakfast place kept tofu in stock for tofu scrambles.

Anyway, I wasn't sure where to go, and I asked a few people, and heard a few different options, none of which seemed absolutely perfect. So, I figured that because Local 188 has so many salads on the menu for its brunch, it would be a good spot just in case nothing else worked. (Also, in general, their brunch is one of my favorites in town. The huevos rancheros es muy delicioso! But that is not the point of this story. And I do not speak Spanish.)

We met and sat at the bar. Of course, any vegan worth her salt is used to having complicated food-related conversations with servers about what the restaurant can and can't provide-- so I must admit, I was probably more anxious than she was about whether she'd find something that she could eat.

And it was so easy! Nathaniel, the bartender, once he heard that my friend was vegan, was happy (excited even!) to go check with the chefs and see what they could rustle up. They ended up making a beautiful-looking veggie stir-fry with garlic, and potatoes on the side, and some slices of French bread. It never seemed like anyone in the restaurant felt put out in any way-- in fact, they all seemed thrilled to have an opportunity to figure out how to serve the customer in the best way, and make her happy.

Quite a contrast to a policy that the kitchen can't leave a slice of tomato off a sandwich, I thought.

I don't want to be overly harsh on Hot Suppa-- I know they have a small kitchen, with probably limited staff, and as I said I've always had tasty meals and good service there.

But the experience at Local 188 was so pleasant, and lovely, that it reinforced to me how important it is from the customer's perspective to feel like the goal of the restaurant is to provide you with a meal that you enjoy. It's not that complicated, and it truly makes a difference in you emotional connection to the restaurant, and how much time you want to spend there.