This Owner Doesn’t Want You Eating At His Restaurant

I was recently told a story about a popular restaurant owner who had a very unique strategy.

Initially, I thought the strategy was completely backwards but as I considered it more, I realized it was brilliant.

The strategy was this:

Atop empty tables throughout the restaurant the owner had placed signs which read “Reserved”, despite the fact that the restaurant would not take any reservations. 

When patrons walked in, they would see customers seated at only a handful of tables and a large swath of tables that sat empty, held for “reserve”.

Upon seeing the signs, a walk-in patron would ask “Are you fully booked tonight?” to which the owner would reply: “Yes, but how many in your party?”

When the guests responded the owner would ask one of a few subsequent questions designed to reveal whether or not the patrons were experienced restaurant goers.

Dependent upon their answer, the owner would do one of two things: tell them there was no availability for the evening, or remove a “reserved” sign and seat them at a table.

In effect, what the owner was doing was hand selecting the customers that he chose to work with. He was someone who prided himself on being able to deliver the highest quality of dining experiences and as such chose only to serve those who had the ability to understand and appreciate it.

While unconventional in the restaurant industry, this is a sound philosophy when it comes to life.

Align yourself with the people and professionals that you believe share an understanding and appreciation for the same things in life that you do.

Alignment of values is key - and when it comes to entrusting someone with your wealth, would you really want it any other way?