A lesson in service
By Charles P. Eberson
Senior Moments
Not too long ago, I was out and about with my daughter when we decided to share a bite at a local restaurant. There were so many excellent choices but we agreed on sharing a burnt ends brisket sandwich. Our order was placed and in a few minutes the manager called my name and presented a delicious looking bit of fare. I asked him if he would cut it in half since we were sharing it. He replied, “we don’t do that” and walked away. I said to my daughter, “what a _____ (fill in the blank)” and started sawing away with a plastic knife. The sandwich was good enough but I still left with a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended) and I thought how that single act would result in the loss of business. If that is how the establishment is managed, what example does that set and what else is compromised? The reason this came to mind recently was because my wife and I went camping last weekend in Worthington State Forest located in the northwestern part of New Jersey. On our last afternoon, it was unseasonably warm, unseasonably buggy and we were told the bear, bobcat and coyote population was unseasonably active. We decided instead of cooking a meal at our campsite and perhaps be an unseasonable late night snack for wildlife, we elected to find a restaurant and order out. A very friendly park ranger suggested we go into Delaware Water Gap. I always thought DWG was a recreation area but he assured me that was the name of the town and gave us directions. It was only a few miles away just across the river in Pennsylvania and was such an adorable town. We walked into the Sycamore Grill, an attractive restaurant and bar extremely popular with Appalachian Trail thru hikers. The hostess was so very sociable and gave us the rundown on the town, the personal hygiene of hikers and the location of the best bakery which we later took advantage of. My wife ordered us a hamburger to share and asked for onions on the side for me since she does not like them on her burger. The order also came with onion rings. The hostess came back with two separate “to go” containers. Without asking, she had the burger cut in half with onions just on my half. Onion rings were split between the two containers as were the pickles and other condiments. My wife and I came away so impressed with the effort and care shown for just a hamburger. We tipped generously and vowed that when we returned to town and definitely will, the Sycamore Grill will be on our list. We ate our food at a nearby scenic overlook of the Delaware River and agreed how with a little extra effort, they set themselves apart from other establishments, especially one that would deny a customer’s request to cut a sandwich in half. We returned to our campsite and prepared for the evening. Even though we didn’t cook at the site, I still couldn’t help but keep an ear open for unseasonably active predators.
Charles Eberson has been in the newspaper business for over 25 years. He has worked as a writer, advertising executive, circulation manager and photographer. His photography can be viewed at charles-eberson.fineartamerica.com
