Should A Restaurant Keep Its Word?

 Is it too much to expect people to keep their word? What about a restaurant?

I’m thinking about adding a new restaurant to my “never go to” list after what can only be described as bad service this past Valentine’s Day. Knowing that everyone and their momma would be out that night, I made a reservation at a nearby P.F. Chang’s. We headed there early, to make sure we were there well before our reserved time. And when I saw the crowd standing in the lobby, I was glad that we had a reservation.

The two young hostesses were very polite as they checked us in and explained that we would receive a text when our table was ready. As it was chilly outside, we decided to find a spot in the lobby so that we could remain inside. From where we were standing, we could see into the dining room and as we looked upon the diners enjoying their food, I thought about how lucky we were to have a reservation.

And then the time for our reservation passed and we began to wonder how much longer we would be standing there. That’s when we overheard a conversation between another customer and our hostesses, the gist of which was that his reservation was for fifteen minutes before ours and he still had an estimated 45-minute wait. When asked how he would have to wait until a total of 60 minutes to get his reserved table, the hostesses admitted that their system had overbooked. Looking at the crowd in the lobby, I think that was an understatement. That’s when we cancelled our reservation and walked out of the restaurant.

Fortunately, as we walked to the car, we spotted a restaurant called Blue Agave which advertised as an authentic Mexican restaurant. They were able to seat us in less than five minutes, and we enjoyed a wonderful meal with really good service. In fact, I think it was better than what we would have gotten had we waited for over an hour at the other place. If you’re in or near Warrington, PA, I highly recommend making a trip to Blue Agave.

As for P.F. Chang’s? As I said earlier, it might go on my “never go to” list joining T.G.I. Friday’s after an incident years ago at one of its franchises. The way I see it, a reservation is a restaurant giving me its word that there will be a table for me when I arrive. In exchange, I agree to show up and spend money. On Valentine’s Day, I showed up cash in hand but found no table available. The restaurant did not keep its word.

See also: The Worst Restaurant Service Ever

Fully Surrendered

 

Mark 10:13

How did the disciples get this so wrong? How could they have not known that Jesus welcomed the opportunity to bless these children? Assuming the book of Mark is somewhat in chronological order, this would have happened after the event described in Mark 9:36 where Jesus demonstrated his love for a child. How then did they not think He would make time for these children? And why didn’t they ask Him before dealing with the children according to their own understanding? This is what they thought was right and what they wanted but it was not what Jesus wanted. In fact, “He was greatly displeased…” (Mark 10:14)

I’ve read this verse many times before but reading it this time brought conviction. How many times have I done something that I thought was right and that I even thought was God’s will, only to find out it wasn’t? Those were times when I should have checked with God first before moving forward and doing what I thought was right. Those are also the times when I have found that even the “right thing” can be wrong, if I don’t get His opinion before lifting a finger.

As followers of Jesus, we must be careful not to make this mistake. We do not want to do something that we think is right only to find out it displeases God. To avoid this, we must get to know Him and be willing to ask Him what He wants done. We must ask how He wants to handle each situation in my life. We must then be fully surrendered.

Super Bowl LX

 

I was right about both games during the Conference Championships and now we turn our eyes towards Super Bowl LX. One last game in what has been a wild and entertaining season. Here’s how I think the season will end:

Seatle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots

Sunday 6:30PM on NBC

This Sunday we will get a matchup of two 14-3 teams. Both teams have been tested and have earned their way into the championship game. Both teams have proven that they can score and both can play defense. The Seahawks defense was tops when it came to keeping their opponents out of the endzone, but they will face a Patriots offense which is in the top five when it comes to explosive plays. Going the other way, the Patriots’ defensive line is one of the best, especially against the run but they will come up against an offense that at times can impose its will on any defense. I think this game comes down to two questions. Which Sam Darnold shows up on Sunday? And which defense will prove to be the stingiest, especially during what will likely be a tight fourth quarter? Defense wins championships and I think the Seahawks D outplays their counterpart from across the field:

Seahawks 24 Patriots 17