Small and Simple Things, Round Two

This last weekend my wife and I went to a new restaurant with our kids and my wife's sister's family. The restaurant is called Macado's and they thought that we would like it because it is a sandwich joint and my favorite food is sandwiches. We had a great time. The food was delicious, the atmosphere enjoyable, and the company pleasant. These were all things I expected and had they been the only things I would have been satisfied and probably returned in the future. However, the thing that ensured that I would return was a simple gesture of kindness performed by our waitress for our oldest son. There was a group on the other side of the room from where we were having a small birthday party. The waitress had given the children helium balloons (I didn't even notice, my wife did). As she walked by where we were seated she stopped and gave a balloon to our son. He was ecstatic! (we still have the balloon in our dining room tied to a chair. Even though it has lost the helium he won't let us throw it away). We thanked her and as she walked away my wife looked at me and said "I feel a blog post coming on." She was right. It is the small and simple things that build customer loyalty. It is the small and simple things that make people feel good, tell their friends, and keep coming again and again.