Hey Baby

Nuria got home from work and was tired. She didn't feel like cooking. So I drove us to a nearby Texas Roadhouse restaurant. 

We entered the building and a hostess—a young white girl—greeted us. I would guess she was 17 or 18 years old. She said to me, "Hey baby, follow me." We began following her, and I—not fond of being disrespected by children—said to her, "Say 'Hey baby' again and I'll kick you out the front door." I didn't mean it literally, of course. It was my way of saying I don't like being disrespected.

She showed us to a booth and gave us menus and disappeared. A minute passed and a young black waitress walked past our booth and, without looking at us, said "Hey baby."

So now it was on.

I stood and walked to the front of the restaurant and asked to speak with the manager. I told the manager—a young (compared to me) black man—what had happened. He asked me where we were seated and I showed him. A new waitress quickly appeared. She was the sweetest person I have encountered in a long time. Her name tag read "Hannah" and she was friendly and smiled a lot. From the first moment we saw her until we left the restaurant, she was friendly and very helpful. Hannah deserves some kind of reward for exceptional customer service and courtesy. We did leave a tip, of course, but I mean something beyond that. If I ever go back to that restaurant it will be because of the customer service we received from Hannah.

Some people have manners and some people don't. I think it comes down to what their parents taught them. We see the result of poor parenting all around us. And occasionally, we are fortunate to see the result of good parenting.