Will Guidara’s Post

Transcript

And we are back with another edition of Unreasonable Hospitality out in the world, this one submitted by Sara Craven of New York, NY. The other night before I left work, my partner texted me and asked me to stop by the bodega. When I got off the train to get her beer, I grabbed her her favorite 6 pack, Miller High Life, pulled up my Apple Pay, tapped and bought the beer, headed home, thought nothing of it. The next day I used my Apple Pay again and saw a transaction I wasn't familiar with. The bodega from the night before had overcharged me by $300.00, something I didn't notice at the time. I panicked and immediately started struggling with how to address them. Stake. My bank had yet to process the charge fully, so I couldn't dispute it. I had no receipt, just my Apple Pay history to work with. I asked my partner to come with me to the bodega, thinking it might get ugly, but what happened instead blew my mind. When we walked in I realized the man working the counter was not the person I had seen the night before. This made me anxious. He was helping another customer, but afterwards he immediately greeted me and asked if I needed anything. With no confidence I said I was here yesterday and I think I was overcharged. His face changed and he quickly said Miss, I know exactly who you are and I'm so sorry. He then showed me the text messages from his colleague sent the night before. You realized right after I left that he had overcharged me. He went so far as to get video footage of my face and ask if anyone knew me so that he could reach out personally to correct the mistake. I was overwhelmed with this response. To think I went in ready to have an argument when they were waiting for me. He even asked if I was OK with him giving me cash so I didn't have to wait for the refund. This man was so kind and made this process so easy. As we turn to leave, he asked my friend what kind of beer did you buy? I said Miller High Life and he ran to the fridge, grabbed A6 pack and ran it over to us. I tried to refuse but again he said my friend. Please accept our apology. I can say confidently that I will never go to another bodega. I was floored and inspired and still can't fully grasp how well they handled the situation. Hospitality and professionalism were least expected in that moment, but they went above and beyond and it truly made my day. Man, I love this one so much. Thank you, Sarah. And I love it for a bunch of reasons, obviously. Well, it's kind, it's generous, it's proactive, all that. But it reinforces the idea. I'm going to quote my dad adversity as a terrible thing to waste in these moments. When we mess up. We can look at it as a failure or as an opportunity. Danny Meyer The path to success is paved with mistakes. Well handled. The idea that in my experience, some of our biggest regulars came when we messed up the first time in showed we were willing to do whatever it took to make things right. I just think it's a beautiful way to shift your perspective if you're in the business of serving others, if you're in the business of making people happy and you mess up. You know, learn from that, trying not to make the same mistake again, but also look at it as an opportunity. Because right there in that moment, you may have one to develop a relationship with someone that can last a really, really long time if you simply care a little bit more and try a little bit harder to make things right. Thank you Sarah. This is awesome. Have a great day everybody. Keep these coming. Info and unreasonablehospitality.com.