There is a pizza place in my town that is has been a local institution for decades. I have a personal connection with the place because its one of the first pizzas I ate in America when I first came to the country. The taste of my favorite pizza here has remain unchanged since then - there is certain comfort to being able to time travel on a slice of seafood pizza. As much as I love their pizza, it is a treat I indulge in very rarely. A few weeks ago, I called to order my pizza and the woman who answered the phone was rude and surly to the point I had to hang up. We talked it over and once I had calmed down a bit, I called back acting like nothing had happened and ordered again - as politely as I could. She was about the same level of rudeness.
She was the one who brought out the pizza when we arrived and her demeanor was much better because she expected a tip and I was too upset to even consider it. As we drove home, I thought about her behavior had single-handedly ruined a happy experience for me. I am sure in my town, there are many whose memories with this place run much deeper and longer than mine. This woman could sour it for them a lot worse. In times like this, people want to re-create happy memories more than ever.
I had a good mind to write to the owner that he and his customers deserved a better first impression of his excellent establishment. This place is featured as a must try for visitors to our town. So it has a reputation to uphold that is beyond the quality of the pie. I remember the first time I was there, how I felt enveloped in the warmth of the ambience, the friendly waiter who took the order. He had recommended the signature seafood pizza for me which has been my absolute favorite since that day over twenty years ago.
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