—“Hi, Ruben,” Jordan said. “We need to talk.”
Rubén nodded, still incredulous.
Jordan turned back to the cashiers:
“You’re suspended. Effective immediately. Rubén will decide if you return after retraining, if you return at all. In the meantime, I’ll be here today, working the counter. If you want to learn how to treat a customer, watch me.”
The young woman began to cry, but Jordan remained unmoved.
—“You don’t cry because you were caught. You change because you truly regret it.”
The two women left with their heads down as Jordan went behind the counter. She tied on an apron, poured a cup of freshly brewed coffee, and took it to the construction worker.
—“Brother, here you go. It’s on the house. And thank you for your patience.”
The man looked at him in surprise.
—“Are you the owner?”
—“Yes. And I apologize for what happened. That doesn’t represent us.”
For the next hour, Jordan personally attended to everyone. He greeted each customer with a smile, refilled coffees without being asked, and helped a mother with her tray while her child cried. He joked with the cook, picked up napkins from the floor, and shook hands with Mrs. Thompson, a loyal customer since 2016.
Customers whispered, « Is that really him? » Some took pictures. An elderly man remarked,
« I wish more bosses did what you do. »
At midday, Jordan stepped outside for a moment to get some fresh air. The sky was blue and the air warm. He looked at his restaurant with a mixture of pride and disappointment. The business had grown, but at some point, the values had been lost.
But no more.
He took out his cell phone and sent a message to the head of Human Resources:
—“New mandatory training: every employee must spend a full shift working with me. No exceptions.”
Then she went back inside, adjusted her apron, and took the next order with a smile.
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