Today one of our servers Caitlin asked about doing a RAK for a father and daughter who were having lunch. Kelly and Bill are there names and Kelly was just the sweetest thing. I decided to present them with a gift certificate for a future visit. Upon introducing myself and presenting them the GC they informed me that they had actually already been RAK’d about 2 years ago! They were hesitant at first with accepting the RAK but I said I’m not going to take it away from you. They will be back and Kelly is excited to find someone to give the RAK too!
Sunday Funday!
Today I had my staff just randomly pick tables/guests to do RAK’s! Staff offered appetizers, desserts and bought a couple of tables food! Guests were very happy and we made their days! Staff really enjoyed being able to pick and present the certificates too! Something we will do again here in Salem!
Lots of Love!
The other night we had an elderly couple out celebrating their 51st wedding anniversary. As they put it, its not milestone, but each year is special in its own way. The funny part was three tables around them tried to buy their dinner before we did! I couldn’t help but smile and laugh by the third attempt. We decided to go a little above and beyond, giving each table a small portion of their tab (2 drinks and a dessert), while we picked up their dinner. On top of that we gave each table a $20 GC, and a RAK certificate. We made lots of people happy for trying to make other people happy. This is what it’s all about!
T-BONES is my favorite!
Tonight we had an adorable 5-year old come in with her parents and her younger brother and sister. I dropped off an appetizer for the table and that’s when she introduced herself as Avery, and that T-BONES is her favorite place to go eat. She really likes when we have the donation wheel and told me she won the top prize last time it was here. She was awesome, so I gave her a $30 certificate so she could come back. Mom and Dad were thrilled, and are absolutely looking forward to paying it forward.
Old School Cool
Had a couple of ladies come in for lunch and redeem some old school gift certificates circa 1988, still in mint condition! For those that don’t know, there was a machine that we had to slide levers up and down to create the amount of the certificate. Then you had to pull a handle to put the imprint on the paper: For. Every. Single. One. Very labor intensive as you may imagine! Managers even had to put their signature on each one, except they could use a stamp. Beth’s were on these. We had a hard time believing there were still some of these in existence. As a token of appreciation, I gave the ladies one of our “newer” certificates to use in the near future.
Grandmothers
We had a couple of staff members call in dealing with the death of one grandmother and the impending death of another, both very sad events especially getting so close to Christmas. This got me nostalgic, thinking of my grandmother and the impending holidays. Then I noticed a single elderly lady dining with us that reminded me a lot of my grandmother. When she finished her meal, I asked if I could sit down with her for a moment. I told her about our staff members and their situations, along with mine. I also told her that I was going to take care of her meal today and give her a certificate to come back on another day. She was very touched, grabbed my hand, and said thank you. Then I gave her the pay it forward certificate and asked her to pass it along. She said she lived in a senior home and would find someone to give it to and make their day. I hope to see her soon.
Clocking in for the Holidays
Tonight we had a family come in to dine with us, both Mom and Dad are nurses at Lawrence General. In talking with them, comparing notes since we were both parents of 10 month old daughters, I found out that Mom was working Thanksgiving, and Dad is pulling the x-mas shift. My mom was a nurse growing up, so I understand the shifts they pull and its tough. I bought them dinner, and gave them a GC so after the holidays they might be able to start a new tradition of joining us for a nice meal. Mom cried (self proclaimed preganancy hormones with another little one on the way) and dad was very grateful. Hope they get to have a nice holiday together at some point.
I’ve got that Scouting spirit
On Veteran’s Day, a Scout came in to pick up some take out fully dressed in his uniform. I started chatting with him, to find out that he had spent the day with his troop at the VA hospital volunteering, was going to camp out overnight, and then participate in the annual Scouting for Food event held in town. Overall, this young man was spending his weekend serving others. I hooked him up with his take out dinner and wished him well on his journey towards Eagle.
Check out my new boots!
I met a young gentleman who wanted to come here after spending a long day shopping with Auntie and Mama. They were driving by and Hector said he wanted to eat at T-Bones. Mama and Auntie were a bit frazzled after shopping, so they pulled right in. Hector was very happy to show off his new boots to all around and was an instant favorite with the staff. I gave him a certificate to come back the next time he went shopping so he could show us what he got. There was a big smile on his face after that.
On the road again
This weeks RAK went to Denise and Joshua, a couple whose house in undergoing major renovations due to some “plumbing issues”. They have spent the last week in a rented RV and will have to do the same this week because, you know, contractors always meet their deadlines, haha. They both work in Concord all week, so its not so much an adventure as they would like it to be, but they are making due this weekend. I bought their dinners, gave them a GC so when they make it back down next weekend they can hopefully celebrate sleeping in their own beds.