What is in a Name?
Business travel is often filled with tales of woe: flight delays; lame snack boxes; multitasking at security to get laptops, shoes, belts, and more in bins. So let me share my recent positive experience at DFW Airport. With 90 minutes until my flight and an empty stomach, I was looking for a place to eat. As I walked by Champps Americana (Terminal D), the hostess, DJ, beamed at me, said hello, and invited me in. So, in I went. There were plenty of tables, but DJ offered me the choice of a seat at the bar, promising that Michael, the bartender, would take great care of me. So off I went to the bar, where Michael did in fact take great care of me. He introduced himself and asked my name. “I love to use people’s names, it’s the sweetest music to their ears,” he told me later when I asked about my name being printed on the check. Indeed, he used my name every time he came by to check on me. He also made welcoming, yet unintrusive conversation as he passed to serve other customers: “What are you reading?” “Can I get you anything to make you meal more enjoyable?” He treated all his customers this way, and was contagiously upbeat.
“I love my job,” he told me when I asked about his approach. “I try to make it an art form; to take it to the next level.” Michael’s goal is to make his customers feel more like they’re a regular at Cheers than just passing through the airport eatery. And he does. So next time you’re at DFW and need a burger and a smile, stop in and see DJ and Michael. My guess it that they’ll make sure you feel at home on the road.
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