The Elephant Rope As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us g...
I was working at a high-end restaurant, it was Saturday afternoon towards the end of my shift and I had plans for Saturday night. I was ready to close out my tables and get home.
A man came in alone, mid-thirties, sat at a table for four facing the ocean. He was in a t-shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals. I had the option of giving up the table to finish my shift and go home but I figured he would be low maintenance, probably only be there for 20 minutes and even if he just ordered a salad and water I would still make a quick easy 5 bucks.
He sat, he ordered an appetizer and water. Easy peasy.
A friend joined him. They ordered a couple cocktails off of the list and another app.
A professionally dressed woman joined them. They ordered a few more cocktails and a couple more apps.
Then some good news came through, he had just closed on his multi-million dollar house down the street. (I was working at a restaurant on a very expensive
The woman who joined them was his Realtor.
To celebrate, they ordered a $3,500 bottle of Bordeaux.
They stayed. They drank. They ordered about $800 worth of lobster, stone claws, and steak.
The bill came to $4,500. He tipped me $2,000 and raved about my service to anyone who would listen.
Since he now had a place down the street, he came in often. He would ask me every time. Every visit after the first appearance he spent about $30. He would order one cocktail and a half portion of his favorite pasta dish (which we didn’t offer but tip me $2k once and I’ll find a way). He would tip 20% on his credit card and leave me $50 in cash if he was alone or $100 if he brought a guest.
Anybody in a seat is a good body. Someone sitting down to spend $5 or $10 is better than an empty seat.
You never know who that person is or what their value will be over time. Treat everyone like they’re a big spender.
Even if they don’t have the money to be there, they’re splitting an entree and having water, but they wanted to celebrate something in a nice location. Maybe they’ve saved to spend an anniversary or birthday there. Give them the best experience of their life.
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