Mother’s Day 2012
What did you do on Mother’s Day 2012?
In the week before Mother’s Day, I got a call from Pamela at Olive Garden requesting my services as a magician for their busiest day of the year: Mother’s Day. I have fought the battle of long waits and hungry families, so I was able to understand right away what she was asking for. And since I’ve been marketing myself as someone who can assist a restaurant with their customer satisfaction by doing restaurant magic, I was more than ready to take on this challenge.
Before heading to Olive Garden, I got to give my wife her Mother’s Day kiss, and prepare for the next 4 hours. I arrived early and got all set up. It was 11 a.m. and the people started coming in. It wasn’t too long before there was a wait for tables, and the shows began. Obviously, I was focusing on the children, but I could tell the adults needed entertaining too. Everyone had a good time. When I do an event like this, you are so busy that time flies by. Soon my 4 hours was up, and I was pleased to hear from management that not one customer came to the hostess stand during my 4 hours asking how much longer the wait would be for their table. On a follow-up meeting with the management, I did learn that after I left, there were people that asked about the wait. I think it drove home the value of my service.
I went home and rested for a couple of hours, and then my wife decided she wanted her Mother’s Day dinner. Off we went in search of the elusive perfect dinner for mom on her special day. Even though it was near 7 p.m., the long lines of the popular restaurants still existed. You might wonder why I didn’t take her to Olive Garden. Simple. I had already been there for a significant time, and I didn’t want the wait staff to assume I was getting special treatment on a very stressful day. We ended up at P.F. Changs in Allen. The choice was made primarily because my wife had never been. The wait was quoted at 1½ hours. It was fortunately closer to one hour. Our server was attentive and helpful even after having been at work since 9:30 a.m. The family ate, mom enjoyed, Angel mastered her first chop stick at 3 years old, and I was thoroughly satisfied. We topped it off with watching the Texas Rangers win, and Mother’s Day was a success.
So, what did you do?