I went to Kelsey's tonight for dinner. I also give way too many people free advertising on here.
Now usually when I eat out at a restaurant I'm used to enjoying the meal and then having the waitress bring the bill along with a couple of candies for the road. Kelsey's is doing something a little different these days though because the last two times I've been there I've received the bill, the candies...and a small card that says "Cheers" on the front. On the inside is a thank you note and the waitress's signature.
Now I understand that they're trying to be a friendly restaurant that wants their customers to feel appreciated, but the Cheers card just seems to be a little overboard. I get the hint that they care (or are at least being told by management to pretend to care). They're constantly coming by my table asking me how everything is. They smile. They're friendly. I got it.
The card just seems like a waste. I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to take it home or not. It almost seems like a gift. You wouldn't get a birthday card from your grandfather and then throw it out at the same party. I feel like I'm being a bit rude leaving the Cheers card behind. I feel like the waitress will come back later in the night, see the card still on the table, and feel heartbroken that I didn't like the gift she gave me.
But what am I going to do with it if I take it? It doesn't have enough sentimental meaning to keep around like the card from my grandfather. I'm not going to go home and keep it on the mantle for a couple of weeks. What most people would do is throw it into the trash. Outside the restaurant just in case our well-meaning waitress should happen to be watching. Wouldn't want her to cry.
Either way it's going to end up in the trash pretty damn quick. If I take it, I throw it out. If I leave it, they throw it out. And they give away several of these cards every night. I'm not usually a waste-not, want-not kind of guy, but this is just unnecessary. I don't like the thought of how much paper is being processed and then thrown directly into the trash.
Honestly, Kelsey's, a simple thank you and a smile will do at the end of the night. Really.
