We arrived at the restaurant right on time, because we knew they needed the table by 7pm for the next booking. The waitress forgot to smile as we pushed open the door, where the sign still read ‘closed’. “We’ll be open in three minutes!” she barked.

Oh.

The smile never made an appearance.

But that’s not what they promised on their about page.

“Our name (the restaurant), loosely translates to happy, jolly or bright which is at the heart of our philosophy. We aim to deliver the best possible eating experience in a happy and bright atmosphere without compromising the integrity of our home style food.”

What actually happened was the reverse.

The place filled up. People obviously came for the food, and not the experience. My guess is that they left feeling full, but not satisfied.

People experience average, we’ve done the minimum required type service, all day, every day. Average businesses don’t do more, because they don’t have to, (not on a steady Saturday night anyway).

And the brands and businesses we can’t live without just keep blowing us away, by doing the things they don’t have to do.

Image by Sheridan Rose.