Lunch time rush hour (or maybe 2 hours); those hunger feelings are just reaching up and tapping you on the should saying “hey, remember me?”
People from all walks of life and work environments have streamed out into the common areas of the office tower in search of something to refuel themselves for the afternoon ahead.
Some people (me) have walked several blocks to their preferred coffee shop/café/restaurant/lunch provider at the foot of this tower. Darkness and a very forlorn looking proprietor of Mister Bean Espresso, was there to greet me. You see the electricity company, which was doing work on the building, had pulled the plug on the power, apparently without telling anyone they were going to do it.
My friends, having just finished preparing and cooking all the food, were not able to operate. No big deal, I thought. I‘ll just go somewhere else and get lunch. But then, as I sank my teeth into a quite acceptable falafel wrap from an alternate source, I thought, hang on, it actually is a big deal, specially for them.
There is the loss of takings for the day, the spoiled food that had to be discarded, the wasted effort from people who clearly care about the food they prepare and the chance that someone may go somewhere else and find their new “favourite” eating place.
That brings me to the point of this blog. Why do I care? I’ve got plenty of choice for lunch. I didn’t go hungry, in fact the wrap I had from over the road was quite good.
I care because my friends from Mister Bean Espresso have established a connection with me. I am embarrassed to say I don’t even know their names, yet they know my name and my preferred order (lamb wrap, in case you are interested). I will go out of my way to order lunch there several times a week, simply because of that connection.
Connections are established not by what we have, but how we make people feel. That is what people remember and that is why I will go back there tomorrow and maybe order two lamb wraps, just to make up for the one I couldn’t order today.
So if you read this and are in the lower Fortitude Valley area of Brisbane, check out Mister Bean Espresso, they are great people with a love of producing great food for their customers.