Imagine being invited over to someone’s house for a casual cookout on the back patio. You’re enjoying cold drinks, some good music, and the host is preparing some wonderful food. The conversation is flowing and everyone is having a good time.
Now imagine what might happen if the grill suddenly stopped working. Perhaps the family dog got spooked and bit one of the guests. Or a sudden thunderstorm popped up and the accompanying winds upended the table and umbrella and all the food crashed to the patio floor.
The former scenario is ideal and everyone in attendance is sure to appreciate the host’s hospitality and atmosphere that was created, but the latter could be seen as a nightmare scenario unless the hosts of the party remained calm, cool, and collected and focused on the things that could control from that point forward.
Meet Mary from A Lowcountry Backyard Restuarant in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She was our amazing server for our last meal of our recent summer vacation. This place is a very popular restuarant in Hilton Head, known for it’s great service and unbelievable food.
We met Mary after we checked in with the host and were told it was going to be about a 30-45 minute wait. It’s very common to have a wait during the summer months so we asked the hostess where the bar was, figuring we could grab a drink to kill the time. The hostess then apologized and said they were understaffed and they didn’t have a bartender. We walked away and decided to check out some of the shops in the attached plaza to kill some time, but it was Friday evening so most of them had closed. We headed back to the restaurant and figured that we would just grab a seat and wait. It was a bit crowded in the front near the hostess station as more vacationers were arriving to add their name to the list, so we decided to just go stand by the unmanned bar and stay out of people’s way. The restaurant is a series of small rooms and open air patios. It’s bigger than in looks but never feels bigger than a room of a house. We found an empty bar in one of the rooms towards the back.
That’s when Mary walked by and saw us. Even though she was busy grabbing drinks for her guests already seated at their tables, she stopped and asked if she could help me.
“We are waiting for a table but they said there was no bartender. I was just hoping to get a beer while we wait.” I sort of gave her the sad puppy eyes hoping she wouldn’t say “The bar is closed!”
“How many are in your party?” she inquired.
“Just the two of us,” as I smiled and pointed to my wife who was standing nearby.
“Follow me,” as she winked and started walking to a table for two in the corner that had just been cleared. “I’ll grab some menus and be right back. What are you drinking?”
She returned to our table with the menus, some waters, and our drinks from the bar (which she grabbed herself). We thanked her for being so accomodating and helpful. She took a deep breath and said, “It’s extremely busy tonight but you looked like you needed a drink and a place to sit…and I needed to catch my breath. Look over the menu and let me know if you have any questions. I’m glad you’re here.”
And like that, she trotted away to check on her other patrons, run some food, and make a few drinks. She really was moving non-stop in this room that had maybe 7 or 8 tables and the small unmanned bar with 6 or 7 empty barstools.
There were a few other employees coming in and out of the room to deliver food or clear plates and clean tables but we never saw any other servers. It was obvious that Mary was taking care of every table in this section but she never “let us see her sweat.” A large table of 9 was seated next to us and as Mary delievered the entrees to the table behind us, she greeted the newest guests with her patented smile and obvious offer of true Southern hospitality.
We had ordered an appetizer of pimento cheese dip (one of their specialties) and Mary answered a few questions we had about the menu, but you could sense she was anxious to get back to the kitchen to check on some food for her guests that had been waiting for their dinner. We told her we were in no hurry and go do what she needed to do. She smiled a weary smile and with a glint in her eye, ran off do what great servers do; Take care of the customer.
We heard her suggest to the adults at the table of 9 to put the kid’s orders in first (there were 4 small children) so they didn’t have to wait too long and then Mary stopped at our table to take our order. I got their award-winning Shrimp & Grits and Ronda ordered the Fried Green Tomato sandwich. She took our menus, made a bee-line for the service bar and quickly returned with another round of drinks.
“We didn’t order these,” I said.
Mary smiled and said, “But you were going to. Enjoy. I’ll get your dinner started,” …and then she was off again.
Don’t you just love Mary?
There was really nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. It was a busy Friday night in a popular restaurant in a hot-bed vacation spot where a large majority of the guests are vacationers. Everyone seemed to be doing their job. Every guest seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere and ambiance of the Backyard.
Mary delivered the kid’s meals to the nearby table and quietly whispered something to the adults. We then saw Mary stop by each of her tables scattered throughout the room and eventually overheard her say they had to close the kitchen because they were just too overwhelmed. Everyone’s food that had been ordered would be made and delivered but to please be patient. She came to our table to tell us what we had overheard, reassured us that our food would be delivered, and that’s when she showed a little crack in her Suit of Positivity.
After a deep breath (or was it a sigh?), she said, “I’m so sorry. This is not The Backyard experience you deserve. We are better than this. I’m simply doing my best.” Her shoulders slumped and she looked like she needed a hug. Or a drink? Or maybe both?
“You are fine and we are in no hurry,” we replied. “Take care of what you need to take care of and we won’t go anywhere.”
Being a former server back in my college days, I offered any help I could provide. The main thing I knew Mary needed was for her guests to remain calm and happy instead of getting impatient and rude.
It was obvious to us that because of her amazing attitude and service up to that point, all the tables in the room were on Mary’s side, doing everything they could to send her positive vibes. People cheered and smiled each time another table’s orders were delivered. The busboys and food runners were following in Mary’s wake doing anything that was needed to help. It was clear that Mary had earned the respect of these guys and her experience in a less-than-desirable situation kept everyone calm and focused.
Our meals were delivered and a few minutes later, our neighbors at the big table got their meals. As expected, the food was delicious. Clearly, even though the kitchen might have been overwhelmed, they remained true to their skills and put out some amazing dishes.
As the remaining tables started to finish their meals, Mary walked to each table to thank them for their patience, check on their meals, and offer a free dessert of their famous Key Lime Pie or Banana Pudding. She said they felt terrible that everyone didn’t get to experience them a their finest. When people tried to decline the unneed gesture, Mary insisted.
“We had to close the kitchen and send everyone away. Someone’s gonna need to eat these desserts. Lord knows I can’t eat em all…if thought I might feel like it.” We ordered one of each.
“Can I buy you a drink,” I inquired to Mary. “I know you probably can’t drink it until after your shift but I’d love to buy you and your food runner and busboy a drink.” Mary smiled and said “I would love to take you up on that…but for now, I just really appreciate you being so helpful and calm.”
“Are you kidding,” said my wife. “We have loved having you as our server and enjoyed everything about tonight’s experience.”
Mary excused herself and, as she walked away from our table, I saw her wipe her eyes. Now, it could have been sweat as she was running around the entire time, but I honestly think she just became a little emotional when she realized she was doing her best and was making her customers feel like they were getting great service. She cashed out a few of her tables that were done and ready to go and helped her team members clear some of the empty tables.
Just then, a man named Yawar walked into the room. Yawar was the manager on duty and, if I understood correctly, he is the son of the owner. He cleared his throat and asked for all of the patron’s attention. The room got silent and Yawar said,
“Thank you all for your patience and understanding tonight. On behalf of The Backyard and all of our staff, we let you down tonight. We have no excuses and will not be making any. We should have been better and delievered a better experience but we hope you enjoyed your food and will give us another chance when you’re back in town.”
“Mary was awesome!” yelled out one of the tables.
“We loved everything and will be back!” said another group.
As people filed out, they hugged Mary and thanked her for her hard work. Mary looked both exhausted and appreciative. The big table of 9 was done and walking out to get their kids into their pajamas and off to bed and they all high-fived Mary. That left just us in the room. We were the last table left.
“How was your banana pudding?” Mary asked.
“I don’t really like banana pudding. It’s something I would never order,” was my reply. Then I smiled at her and winked and said, “but I LOVED IT!” I held up my empty mason jar that had been cleaned to the bottom.
I asked Mary and Yawar to pose for a couple of photos for me as I explained that I was going to write this blog post about them. I told them that even though they think they might have fallen short, that I felt she and her team were actually #blogworthy that night. They were worth talking about…and learning from.
I loved thinking about the idea of “making it right even when things aren’t going right.”
Sometimes things happen that we weren’t planning for. We want everything to be perfect but that’s just not realistic. Planning is one thing; Execution is another.
Are you ready to be a Mary when things get hectic and crazy? There are times when it doesn’t work the way WE thought it was going to work but if we can keep our finger on the pulse of our customers and clients and keep showing up to see how things are going, it might end up being better than we imagined.
We all need to be like Mary this week.
And next week. And the week after that.
And when it doubt, remember that you can always offer some free banana pudding.
