What’s your white tablecloth?

While in Barcelona a few years ago, my wife and I wandered into a little restaurant around the corner from our apartment on a Friday night. We had heard this place had good food, and we were excited to try it.

After the typical Catalan/English/Broken Spanish dance, we communicated that we in fact had no reservation, and we were told that we might not get a table for hours (if at all). Then we were offered to eat at the bar. We’re always up for eating, so we bellied up.

As we sat down, the maître d’ came over and draped a crisp, sharp-cornered white tablecloth on the bar in front of us. We looked on in amazement as they decorated our space with a candle, a little flower, fine silverware and a glass of cava for each of us. Our cozy corner of the bar had just been turned into an intimate table for two, and we knew we were in for something special.

What followed was the most amazing meal we have ever had. The food was incredible, the wine was great and the staff was attentive but stealthy. It was the most expensive meal we have ever had, and it was worth every penny.

Would our meal have been quite as amazing if they hadn’t first placed the white tablecloth on the bar? I doubt it. At that moment, they sent a message to us that this would be a dining experience unlike any other. We weren’t treated like tourists who had to eat at the bar because we didn’t know there was a two-week waiting list for a table. We were treated like we were the most important couple in the restaurant.

Everyone likes to feel special, and it often takes little effort on your part to make that happen. That white tablecloth was the difference between feeling like I got a raw deal spending that much money to eat at a bar and having the most memorable meal of my life.

So what’s your white tablecloth? What do you do for your customers that tells them to expect something bigger and better from your company?

photo credit: jonny.hunter