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“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence”
– Vince Lombardi
Last week my wife and I celebrated Valentine’s Day by having dinner at one of the most famous restaurants in Chicago. We each ordered a steak. My steak cost $70, and my wife ordered a $50 filet. Our expectations were high!
When the steaks were served, we began enjoying each bite. It was delicious and I made sure I cut the meat in extra small chunks so that I could maximize the experience. Along the way I ran into some fat and gristle, and I carefully separated it from the lean meat. When I was finished, the only thing left on the plate was the fat and gristle.
Little did we know that our top-notch server had been noticing me cutting my steak. At first I wondered why he hadn’t picked up plate. Soon I found out why: David (the server) had gone to the manager to have a conversation regarding the quality of my steak. The manager came over to our table. He asked me how I enjoyed the steak. I said it was fine. The manager persisted: “I noticed you didn’t finish all of your steak. Was it because you were too full?” “No”, I replied. His next question: “When people eat one of our steaks, they usually clean it to the bone. Was there fat or gristle in your steak?” I admitted there was, but that I still enjoyed the steak. Next, he took out his business card and wrote something on the back of it and said, “There will be no charge for the steak. Also, I am treating you to dessert”. I was stunned. It is not uncommon at a restaurant to hear the question, “How is everything?” These folks truly cared how everything was, and “fine” just wouldn’t do. EXCELLENCE! No wonder this restaurant has been wildly successful for so many decades. We’ll be back!