We had dinner at Lehja here in Richmond the other night, and couldn’t have been more delighted with the entire experience. The decor is gorgeous, the servers were overly-accommodating (without being annoying) and the food was incredible. For example, they made a special basket of assorted naan for us based on a question I had about one of the menu descriptions. And although we’d finished our rice with our meal, when I opened my take-out box last night, there was a fresh portion of rice to go with my leftovers! And they’d wrapped the different naans separately in wax paper before putting them all in aluminum foil. I mean truly, this delightful experience carried beyond leaving the restaurant.
Why am I telling you this (besides suggesting you try Lehja if you haven’t)? Because nothing they did was really all that over-the-top or unexpected. It was really just gracious hospitality and responsiveness and thinking through my needs rather than their convenience. And it seems to me that’s the way we all should be when dealing with each other. Whether we’re in the restaurant business, traditional retail, or business-to-business service world. And really, even if we’re just standing in line in the grocery store on the customer side of the check-out counter, or driving to work. It’s not all that hard to do – assuming your mom taught you manners and you can think about others instead of yourself. And yet, it happens so rarely that when it does happen – it stands out.
At MBM, we are constantly told how responsive we are, and how delightful it is to work with us. And somehow that’s so different from the way our clients have been treated by other firms. But the secret is that we don’t do anything all that special – we don’t think. We just treat people like we’d like to be treated. And that’s the basics of manners and the Golden Rule.
So thanks to Lehja for reminding me how important it is to do what mom always taught me to do!
And a question for you: when was the last time you were delighted?
Maggi