Restaurant showed how good business works

It has been our family tradition for the last few years to buy fried chicken as part of our Easter family dinner from a well-run fast food restaurant in Lake Zurich. Since the restaurant was not open on Easter Sunday, we placed our order for pickup late on the Saturday before Easter.

Well, this year a “dunderhead” (being me) did not make it to the restaurant in time to pickup the 32-piece chicken order. We’ve been going to this restaurant since it first opened and have always received good food and friendly service. Over the years, we got to know the owner due to his regular checking with customers to assure everything was to their satisfaction.

Consequently, when my chicken problem came up, I thought to give the owner a call. The problem was, I didn’t know how to spell the owner’s last name. So I called the nonemergency phone number at the Lake Zurich Police Department, where a very understanding and helpful officer said she would call the owner and have him call me.

This was all taking place at 7 a.m. Easter morning.

When the owner called, I asked if he could meet me at the restaurant so I could pick up our chicken order. He said, “Give me a few minutes and I will call you back.” When he called back he said, “I’m at the restaurant and I’m frying you a new batch of chicken. You are a good customer and I appreciate your business. I want your family to have fresh chicken.”

I’m in my 70s, and I have to tell you never in my life have I ever had such “above the call of duty” service by any business person. For someone to get a call at 7 a.m. on Easter Sunday with, as it turns out, 30 people coming to his house for Easter, to do what he did is just spectacular.

At our Easter meal, I told my four grandchildren, “If you are in business in the future, this is the way you should treat your customers and as a result you will do well.”

Dana A. Shadrick

Barrington