Great Service

Flew back from San Antonio tonight after my talk. Had a few minutes to kill and was hungry in Houston so I popped into the Pappas Burger in the Houston Hobby airport. Now I normally steer clear of airport food because a) it usually sucks b) its usually overpriced and c) the service is lackluster at best. But hey, what do you expect from folks that have a captured audience.

But I was hungry and a cold beer sounded good. So I popped in and was told that sitting at the grill would ensure a speedy exit. So I sat at the grill.

And embarked on a truly great experience. My order was taken promptly and courteously. Food and drink were delivered hot and cold. And I was actually checked on quite often. The guy next to me happened to strike up a conversation and he too remarked what great service he had received.

Now normally, this wouldn't be anything worth writing about. Except that this Pappas Burger is in an airport. An airport where a significant amount of traffic is connecting and therefore transient. Maybe I'll be back through Hobby, maybe I won't. But here was a restaurant dedicated to over-deliverying to customers, especially first timers. How do I know this? Because they were training a new waiter and my proximity to the grill and the cash register allowed me to overhear his training. You would have thought the trainee was at an upscale restaurant or hotel or some other high end service business, not an airport burger bar. Truly remarkable. And impressive. Both my fellow diner and myself agreed, should we find ourselves in Hobby again and hungry, we'd stop in. And best of all, the food was decent and the prices fair. $18 for a burger, fries, beer and tip. Not a bad way to end the day.

Too bad more companies don't figure it out.