Play Nice

There is a part of me that wants to post daily rants about things customers say, to mock their ignorance, or in some cases, total lack of social grace. That part of me would discuss the lady who asked if "you have any lattes here", or the endless stream of individuals who don't know that, in fact, a cappuccino has foam. I might bring up the people who want their drink faster, sweeter, wetter, any way but how they got it. 

I could do that, and possibly make a moderately entertaining read of it. People kvetching about the idiocy of the mundane is funny; hence the success of every sitcom to ever have any. 

But in doing so, I would turn myself in to another character from sitcom central casting, that elitist prick server, wallowing in what little authority I've got, lording it over the heads of those who just want their coffee, hold the attitude.

It's for that reason that I will not bitch - though I will note that I could - but instead, talk nice, write nice, and generally speaking, try and be nice.

This is not a novel concept, but they are roots worth returning to, whence we happen to stray. I was reminded of this, when reading the mission statement for Handsom Coffee Roasters. In sum, this is a trio of elite baristas, saying that they want their coffee to be accessible, and the people serving it to be nice. If these three, from whom many would forgive a great deal of pretension, strive for such noble simplicity, then by what justification would I do otherwise?

The answer: I wouldn't. This is not to say that I wasn't nice before, or that I won't tease in the future. This is merely a reminder that the service industry is about making people happy, first and foremost.