‘The brine pickled cucumbers incident’

Stephen W. Ayers, CEO STAY Ahead Hospitality. September 12th 2016.

www.stayaheadhospitality.com

From the very beginning of my career I have always believed that you should give your customer what he likes to eat, and even more so if it is on your menu. The pickled cucumbers are extremely popular in the Middle East and a staple of all grill restaurants. They form the most important part of the mixed pickles set on the table at the start of the meal.

One summer afternoon after we had served many guests at the poolside grill restaurant at the King Solomon’s Palace hotel in Eilat, I was taking a cool respite in the air conditioned luxury of my office. A knock at my door announced the arrival of the hotel procurement director, then known as the purchasing manager.

I waved him to a chair and he sat down, a nervous look on his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“We are all out of brine pickled cucumbers, and there are none to be bought anywhere. I have rung all our suppliers.” He answered.

“None in Israel?” I countered, “I find that hard to believe!”.

“None, I assure you. I have tried them all and there are none….. a shortage in the country.” He declared.

It was a Monday and I asked him when the supply would be coming in. He assured me that there would be a delivery by the Friday.

“Are you absolutely sure?”

“100%, none in stock anywhere.”

I am not easily persuaded and after he left I got to work.

I rang every store in Tel Aviv, every delicatessen I could find, every supermarket in the telephone book. This was pre web times and it took me a long time to find and connect but I did so, and towards the very late evening I finally put the phone down for the last time. Finally I allowed myself a smile.

In the morning I waited patiently for the procurement manager to arrive to my office. When he rushed in into the office he was in a state of shock and a sported a bright red, flushed, face.

I laughed out loud. “Never say never.” I told him.

“What did you do, how did you do that? I couldn’t get into my office this morning. There are so many tins of pickled cucumbers in it!”

The answer was simple. Things are only over when they are over, or as Winston Churchill once wisely said, “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” …..the dogs being the suppliers.

I had spent the previous afternoon calling every place that sells the ‘wanted’ pickles, and reserving and purchasing every tin, large or small wherever I found it. When satisfied that I had enough to last until Friday I then called the taxi company that we worked with in Tel Aviv and had them pick up every tin and collect than at their offices and pack them in boxes. I then had them take this precious cargo to the Dov airport and load them onto an Arkia, the internal Israel airline, for transfer to Eilat. There they were picked up and every single one of the tins displayed in the procurement manager’s office. That’s why he couldn’t enter his office.

“You see,” I told him, “Never say never again. It is not over until the fat lady sings, and in this instance she had not even reached the stage.”

During the remainder of my time as Executive Assistant and Food and Beverage Manager at the King Solomon, we never lacked for any supplies again.

Unfortunately in today’s hotels I come across the line “Sorry Sir, we have run out of ……” too often, and I am saddened that many will not go the extra mile to satisfy all the guest requirements.

It just takes a little effort, that’s all.