Will Hold You To A Different Standard

(I work in an office nearby many of the major tourist attractions in DC, so I am often asked for directions by tourists. On this day, a seemingly friendly family stops me and asks me for directions when I’m walking back to my office after grabbing an afternoon coffee.)

Father: “Can you tell us where the intersection of [Street] and [Street] is?”

Me: “Sure, it’s only about two blocks from here. Are you looking for something near there? There’s really nothing right at that intersection, so if you’re looking for something nearby, I can probably give you better directions if you tell me exactly where you’re going.”

Father: “Oh, great! We read about this great [Local Restaurant] nearby there, and were hoping to go get a late lunch.”

Me: “Oh, that place is great. I go there when I can, but the lines are usually long at lunch and in the evening, so I often don’t have time. But, since it’s the middle of the afternoon, the lines should be pretty short and you can enjoy. I recommend [dish]. If you go up the street here about half a block, cross to the other side, and turn left, it’s about halfway down the block on your right. Enjoy!”

(Fast forward an hour and a half, I leave work and enter the Metro (subway). As I’m waiting for the train, I look up and see the same family I gave directions to earlier.)

Me: “Did you enjoy [Local Restaurant]?”

Mother: “I can’t believe it has such high ratings and you said it was so good. Do people around here not have any standards?”

Me: “Wow… I’m sorry you had such a bad experience there. What happened?”

Mother: “Well, I don’t even know how their food was because we couldn’t even order. When we went inside, there were over five people in line in front of us and they had only two registers to take orders. It was a total mess!”

Me: “Did you even wait for a minute to see how fast the line went? I’ve entered the line there with 50 people in front of me and had my food in 30 minutes or less…”

Mother: “Well, that just means you’re stupid like everyone else in this town, apparently. If they’re so busy and popular, they should have more registers so that people don’t have to stand in line. We went to McDonald’s, and there was no line and we got our food within 5 minutes. It’s a wonder they stay in business if they can’t maintain a standard of service like McDonald’s does.”

Me: “Well, I’m sure McDonald’s appreciated your business.”