Wednesday, December 12, 2007

SOMETIMES YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GOT UNTIL IT'S GONE....

I've always been intrigued by that saying. When I first heard that saying, it was during junior high school. Puberty had just kicked in and I was chasing girls like a tom cat chasing mice. Back then, it was about quantity and not so much, quality when it came to girls. Until I met that one girl who I thought WAS the one.

I was really into her and she felt the same way about me. It would have been easy to simply drop all of the other girls and concentrate on her, however, the code of the street back then stated that in order to be "cool", you had to be a ladies man, with ladies being plural (i.e. more than one). My uncle knew what was going on and pulled me to the side one day and dropped that phrase on me. I remember like it was yesterday: "Curt- you better stop playing games and hold on to that girl; She looks like a keeper; You know, sometimes you don't know what you got until it's gone... You'll see".

Sure enough, my uncle was right; After I broke the girl's heart, months later I found myself missing her and wanting her back; but by then it was too late- she'd moved on and gave me no love.

So what was the point of that story? Nothing really except that every once in awhile that phrase comes back to haunt me from time to time; whether or not it involves me in my personal life, or in my day-to-day dealings with other people. As a matter of fact, I was reminded of that very same saying the other night.

As you know, Third and Long is one of those neighborhood watering holes frequented primarily by regulars. And with a truly loyal group of regulars, they are taken care of pretty good by the bar. Whether it be through buybacks, special parties, privileges that go above and beyond what the average patron receives, it's pretty safe to say they are indeed well looked after. I would even go so far as to challenge anyone to tell me that they could get the same kind of love at any other local watering hole.

So with that in mind, what do you say when a regular complains to you that they aren't getting taken care of enough? With all that we already do for our regulars, the question that begs to be asked is..... "How much is enough?" If you are a loyal patron, chances are that you are already being looked after more than you would if you decide to hang your hat anywhere else (unless you own your own bar, at which you'd probably be asking the same questions I'm asking now). Where's the appreciation for what you already get? Where's the love? Or does that get taken for granted? What if all of a sudden the privileges that came with being a regular all of a sudden disappeared? Then what? Think about it. And if anyone tries to pull the "tip card", don't try it. Generous tipping doesn't entitle one to the keys to the castle. It is still a business, first and foremost. Like I said before, I challenge anyone to tell me that they could get the same kind of love at any other local watering hole. Around here in Murray Hill? If you can name them, go ahead....... I'll wait.

Where am I going with this? It's pretty simple. Instead of demanding more and more, how about appreciating what you get now? Look, I'm not trying to rattle feathers here, simply stating facts. We appreciate the loyalty of our regulars and show it all the time. It would be nice to know sometimes that the love comes both ways. Just giving some food for thought as this whole thing reminded of my ex-girlfriend. As the saying goes: SOMETIMES YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GOT UNTIL IT'S GONE...


Here endeth the lesson of the day.



NuFF said