ZachEvans

Believer. Husband. Dad. Coach. Healthcare Thought-Leader. All-Around Good Guy.

Waffle House

Random Acts of Kindness

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There was a time when Waffle House did not accept debit cards. There was also a time when neither Mandy nor I carried much (if any) cash with us. If we needed cash we would stop at an ATM and take out only what we needed and we would use our debit card for everything else. These two facts collided on Easter Sunday in 2000 and resulted in me being on the receiving end of a random act of kindness.

Mandy and I had been married less than a year and decided not to visit family for Easter. We were living in a fairly small apartment and did not feel like cooking so we decided to go to Waffle House for lunch–on Easter Sunday (we both agreed). The Waffle House in Brentwood must be the nicest, cleanest Waffle House in the country and there always seems to be a wait on Sunday mornings after people get out of church. We had already waited in line and been shown to our table when we realized that we only had about $9 between us in cash for our meal and tip for our server.

A few furious minutes of negotiating ensued as we both gave up something we had originally wanted and agreed on what we could share so that our total bill would be about $8 with $1 left over for a tip. We then proceeded to order our food an enjoyed our meal and, more importantly, our time together.

After finishing our meal we asked our waitress for our check. She proceeded to tell us that a regular customer of this particular Waffle House had paid our bill for us and that we did not owe anything. We were shocked. Blown away. Who does that? Why would a stranger do that for us? My best guess is that we were seen as a young couple (22 and 23), eating at a Waffle House on Easter Sunday, that had little money given that we were attempting to eat on $8. We must have been a pretty pitiful sight to behold.

The individual that paid our check did not know that we had money in the bank to pay for the meal, just not cash in our pockets.

That is not the point, however.

The point is that a total stranger felt compassion in their heart and decided to help someone out that had less than they did (or at least appeared that way). We were the recipients of a random act of kindness and the story of our first Easter Sunday together at Waffle House has become one of our favorites to retell. I was even presented with an opportunity to play the role of the generous stranger over a decade later when I saw a young couple in the same Waffle House trying to decide what to order because they did not have much money to spend.

I felt privileged to be able to be able to quietly pay their check and leave without ever being noticed.

It is all to easy to get caught up in the big efforts that we want to contribute to. The kind of efforts that take a great deal of time, energy and resources to complete. These efforts are worthy and should always be a part of our service to others. Just do not let them be the only service that you render. Keep your eyes open for those times when you can display a random act of kindness to someone else that may need just a little bit of help. Do not do it to be seen or recognized. Simply do it because it is the right thing to do. The good thing to do. The kind thing to do.

I promise that you will feel plenty good about your actions when it is all over, even if you are the only one that ever knows what just took place.

Breakfast at Waffle House

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I had the chance to take my two oldest boys to eat breakfast at Waffle House while on vacation in Destin, Florida. This has become a bit of a tradition with me while on vacation–one that I look forward to continuing with all three of my boys once Ethan is old enough. Now, I have to admit that the WH in Brentwood has spoiled me a bit but I still enjoy a double waffle from time to time.

That being said, I had never thought that there was all that much to learn from a trip to WH, but today, while looking for shells on the beach, I thought a bit more about how the WH close to you and me operates (and that apply to you and me as well):

  1. Know what you’re good at. WH knows that it’s not the Stock-Yard,but that’s OK. Knowing who you are and being comfortable with that is one of the most important discoveries you’ll ever make. As a person or a business it’s OK to accept your limitations even if you never try to stop overcoming them. You’ll never succeed, however, by trying to be someone or something you’re not. WH is great at what it does, is comfortable with it’s personality, and goes out of its way to maintain it.
  2. Always acknowledge other people. When ever you walk in to a WH you’re likely to be greeted by several people wishing you a “good morning”, “good evening”, or “good, what time is it?”. You’ll be invited to sit wherever you want and will pretty quickly be greeted by a friendly waiter or waitress ready to take your order. Acknowledging others is always a good, polite, practice. It could be as simple as a nod or a smile or a more formal “good morning” or “good evening”, or whatever is considered good manners where you live.
  3. Communicate calmly and clearly. A nightmare that I’ve had on more than one occasion has be working as a short-order cook in a WH. This isn’t a nightmare because of the nature of the work but rather because of how complicated it is. My boys love watching the cooks work their magic without notes or other cues all while (almost) never messing up an order. Certainly this is due to a lot of practice and hard work but it’s also because of the way the waiters and waitresses communicate with the cooks. They aren’t rushed, they don’t yell (at least not out of anger), and they speak clearly using an agreed-upon jargon. Everyone can learn from this. Do you feel stressed and overwhelmed? Try speaking in a level, calm tone while trying to be as clear as possible. You’ll be amazed how quickly your heart rate will fall.
  4. Take responsibility but help others. You’ll have a single waiter or waitress while at a WH, but you may have someone else clean your dishes, take your money at the end, or do a host of other jobs. WH works because the individuals working there take responsibility for their own customers but are always willing to help each other out. What a great rule to live our own lives by, especially in a world where people don’t take enough responsibility for their own actions and where many are loathe to help out another person.

So, take it for what it’s worth, but I’ll certainly never look at a WH the same way again. I hope continue to enjoy my double waffle (without guilt) for a long time to come however.