Measure What Matters

Today “CE” asked how the trip to the Gardner was. Well, it was great. Kyle was a trooper and was so patient as Dad’s work pals sauntered around with their heads on a swivel, trying to take it all in. He enjoyed seeing “Omnibus,” a painting by Anders Zorn in the “Blue Room” that we have a print of in our living room. Thank you, “CE.” In the end however, the boy’s review of the visit was concise: “boring.” After a couple hours of gawking and a leisurely break in the museum café, we were all off to dinner at Barb’s.

Now, “dinner at Barb’s” is not so much dinner as it is choreographed theatre showcasing cuisine. It’s kinda like “Martha Stewart meets Patti LuPone.” I mean, it’s very Dali-like. The drinks certainly help creating a surreal atmosphere, but dinner at Barb’s is always very cool. The colors, candles, Barb’s decorating style and her A/V requirements are out of the ordinary and always interesting.

While Nat “free-styled” drinks of various colors and proof, her husband Rod and I stared at the greenish hue of Barb’s new plasma TV with dumbfounded looks like Beavis and Butt-head might have if they flipped to say, the Dr, Phil show. Since we’re both guys, we felt a physiological need to fix the big unit, so we kept unplugging and re-plugging wires until suddenly the green hue was no more. Having reaffirmed ourselves as men, Rod and I sat triumphantly as food and drinks were served to us by our A/V challenged admirers. Oh, and even though Kyle didn’t do squat, all the women think he’s cute, so he was treated best of all. Hell, he even got a bling-bling blinky-flashy glass from Rainforest Café.

Anyway, the food comes in waves like eye-popping floats in the Tournament of Roses parade. Here’s some of that annual annoying parade commentary:

Annoying Guy: “Oooooh….here come the meat skewers… Oh, and look at the colors in that salad.”
Annoying Gal: “You know, all the salads at Barb’s are made with real vegetables…”
Annoying Guy: “That is amazing!”
Annoying Gal: “Oh, my…here comes a crowd favorite… Alaskan King Crab Legs… Look at those legs!”
Annoying Guy: “Yeah, they’re nice, but I’ve always been a breast man. Hey, willya pass the buttah?”

In all seriousness, Barb knows how to treat people. Any guest at her house is made to feel special. They matter to her; each one in a unique and special way. It’s akin to a company understanding and meeting the unique needs of their individual customers. It’s called “customer satisfaction,” but it’s simply about how people are treated. It’s the people that matter; in business and in life and Barb always seems to exceed their expectations.

So, what’s the “customer satisfaction” of the people in your life?