Every Game Is the Super Bowl
I recently received a text from a friend who had just visited Northern Vessel for the first time. She said she was greeted excitedly by the team as she walked in, intentionally walked her through the menu with a smile, and made a killer drink for her. What she didn't know was that we had actually closed a few minutes before she walked in the door. The barista eventually shared that we were closing, but she was free to hang out and enjoy her drink if she desired.
She was blown away. Not only did she receive what she called "the best service of my life," but it was willfully and excitedly delivered even as the shop was closing. This is exactly what we try to accomplish! We're 100% open until five minutes after closing. No cleaning, no sweeping, no trash.....nothing. You won't see any closing-related tasks happening around you, as those are subtle visual triggers that you're no longer welcome. That's anti-hospitality. Using a sports analogy, every game is the Super Bowl. This customer may only ever come in one time, and if that's true, we want to make sure she has a world-class experience. Every customer is the most important customer....period. No, we don't always nail it, but man, we try!
I remember 5-6 years ago when TJ would pop up at grad parties, weddings, and city streets with his little coffee cart, slinging drinks to whoever would give this stranger a shot. He was bootstrapping his dream, desperately trying to eke out a meager living. Something caught my eye when I first met him, though. He treated every interaction like it was the Super Bowl. Every customer who walked up to his cart might as well have been the most important person in the world. That commitment slowly but surely earned him the right to serve more and more people.
Thinking back to those humble (and difficult) days makes what he's built over the last few years all the more special. Just yesterday, we were privileged with the opportunity to serve more than 500 drinks at our shop. That's 80 drinks per hour, or one drink every 45 seconds, for a fun-packed six-hour stretch. As I watched our team work, it provided me with so much joy to see how each team member treated every customer like they were the most important person in the room. Did we nail it 100%? Probably not, but man, we tried! I received countless comments and texts from friends who were thoroughly impressed with the hospitality of our staff. I couldn't be prouder or more grateful!
While I suspect most people reading this probably don't own or run a service-based company, this principle transcends all boundaries. When we approach life, work, and relationships like every game is the Super Bowl, it unlocks something far grander than we could have ever imagined. Give it a try!
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