Nate’s grandmother walks into a restaurant to choose what she would like to eat from the menu when her parents decide to treat themselves to a fancy dinner for their anniversary.
However, she knocks over a plate and things get out of hand, throwing her out. But Nate plans his revenge.
The grandmother was to make a quick stop to see how the food was settling in at a nearby restaurant for a 50th wedding anniversary dinner with her husband and their immediate family.
However, what happened to my grandmother was incredibly hurtful and disrespectful.
In just one week, my grandparents would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. To get everything right for our big family dinner, Grandma went to the restaurant herself to confirm the menu and sample a few items, including a special request for meatloaf.
“Meatloaf?” my mother asked. “Why would you want meatloaf for your fancy dinner?”
“Because it’s sentimental, Penny,” grinned Grandma. “Your father and I had meatloaf on our first date and it was one of the constants in our marriage.
“Mondays are meatloaf,” my mom joked. “It was there my whole childhood.
“Do you want me to come with you, Grandma?” I asked her because I wasn’t sure how my 72-year-old grandmother would manage on her own. Although my grandmother was very proud of her excellent health, she sometimes needed help keeping her balance.
“No, Nate,” she replied. “I’ll be fine! Plus, you can be surprised this way during dinner.”
I dropped Grandma off and came home to work on the day she was ready to go on a restaurant trip.
“Tell the restaurant to call me when you’re ready, okay?” Closing the passenger door on her, I said.
After about two hours I got a call from my grandmother and I went about my day. She was so upset that she couldn’t stop crying.
I immediately drove to the restaurant.
When she walked into the restaurant and ordered the dishes she wanted to try, it turned out that the table quickly filled up.
As Grandma tried to get into position, she elbowed the table, sending one of the plates flying and smashing onto the floor.
The waiter on duty let his frustration get the best of him and turned away instead of helping. He called my grandmother an “old hag” and scolded her.
Picking up larger pieces of broken food, he said, “Who let an old hag like you into this restaurant?”
“Watch this mess. Besides, lunch will be arriving soon.”
My grandmother was shaking and trying to explain what had happened to me as she walked to the car, tears streaming down her face.
“I’ve never felt worse,” she said. “Nate, that was just a mistake. The waiter just laughed when I asked if he had to charge me for the plate. And he ordered me to go.”
I couldn’t talk while driving. I had no idea how to comfort my grandmother or what to say. Her only wish was to throw a lavish anniversary dinner for my grandfather and invite the whole family to it.
She wished to shower us with family traditions and laughter around the table and get the same in return.
My ears warmed as I tried to calm my anger. However, I was reluctant to crack up in front of my grandmother. She had seen more than her fair share of rage that day.
When we got home, I made Grandma a cup of tea to calm her down.
I didn’t tell my family about my relationship with the restaurant, so even though I was upset, I stayed calm. However, I could benefit from anonymity for myself. The waiter required some humility and politeness.
My grandmother approached me while I was using my laptop a few days before the anniversary dinner and tried to cancel.
“Maybe we should do something at home,” she replied. “Maybe a home dinner is the way to go because it will make us all feel more comfortable and carefree.”
“But you’ve been looking forward to this for so long,” I replied.
She said sadly, “Yes, but I don’t want to go back there, Nate.” “It was a real pain in the ass. His mother would be really disappointed.”
We had to be at the restaurant for my plan to go through. I urged my grandmother to decide on the food simply as she suggested.
She shouted, “You’re a cook!” “Nate, you can cook.
Grandma, it’s getting late,” I remarked seriously. “Let’s do it, I promise you won’t have to put up with the waiter.”
The same waiter served us when our family gathered at the restaurant a few days later for a celebration; I watched Grandma’s face fall when she recognized him.
She tried to shrink herself, crouching behind the flower arrangement I had bought for her.
The waiter’s expression when he saw my grandparents sitting next to each other with pride was one of recognizable confusion.
Pale, he tried to collect his thoughts.
I was already refusing to recognize him and put the food that Grandma requested on the table.
Once our meals were ready in front of us, he muttered, “Good evening, I hope you enjoy your meal,” casting a wary glance at my grandmother.
I wanted to put off solving a big problem until later.
I’ve actually been dealing with making sure I have a restaurant for the last few weeks. I worked in the food industry for years, after school I started as a dishwasher in restaurants and worked my way up to chef.
Since my parents helped my mother pay for culinary school, I announced that I was taking over the restaurant we ate at.
I wanted to buy the land now and make it a location to carry on our family’s legacy once I found out it was for sale. using unique recipes passed down to me by my grandmother.
After dessert, which was a spread of small portions that awakened the senses, I stood up and spoke.
Since the staff knew my identity, the service was excellent all evening. So I asked the waiter to talk about customer service when he came to get my grandfather’s coffee.
Stunned, he wiped his hands on his apron and stammered something about politeness and respect.
“You have to take care of everyone who walks into the restaurant, sir,” he replied.
“You told us to treat them as guests in our own homes.
I nodded, hoping my family didn’t see that the waiter knew me.
I then gave the floor to my grandmother, who spoke movingly about the value of kindness, the memories associated with the meatloaf, and other components of her meal choices for tonight, rather than her personal suffering.
“I was looking for something that my husband and I could connect to on a personal level. At our wedding reception, we served lemon chicken that was comparable to chicken.”
The waiter’s remorse was evident; the whole room was listening to her every word.
His sincere apology was clear to everyone.
At that point, I told my family the truth—that I was the new owner of the restaurant and that I intended to make significant changes.
My grandmother smiled brightly at me and realized that I was finally where I was meant to be: I had created my own unique culinary place in the world.
As for the server, I gave it two options:
“You can leave with a month’s pay or you can stay and complete a comprehensive customer service training program.”
To his credit – and to our general astonishment – he decided to stay and take notes.
His transformation a few months later became a pillar of our restaurant’s fame. He became a favorite among our patrons and embodied the potential of second chances.
But more importantly, he was the first to take care of my grandmother whenever she came to the restaurant to help me with the recipe. He delivered baskets of candy bars and glasses of tea to her.
I just want to know that my grandmother will be appreciated and that all the teachings she teaches in my kitchen will be remembered when I look back at the restaurant and how she went from being despised to being adored.
How would you react in such a situation?
Here is one more fairy tale for you. Happily engaged, Claire believes it’s time for her co-workers to get together for a casual meal. However, Claire discovers that her fiancé is not quite right at their lobster feast.
In a situation like Nate’s, where a loved one has been wronged and you are in a position to seek justice, responding requires a balance of empathy, strategy, and restraint. Nate’s decision to buy the restaurant was not only a step to right the wrongs done by the waiter but also a way to honor his grandmother’s memory and make a statement about the values of kindness and respect. By transforming the restaurant into a place of warmth and excellence, Nate dealt with past wrongs and created a legacy that celebrated his grandparents’ history and offered a second chance to those who had previously failed. This thoughtful and gentle approach not only avenged the mistreatment of his grandmother but also fostered growth and improvement in the restaurant industry.
In Claire’s scenario, her story adds another layer to the theme of expectation versus reality. Engaging colleagues in an informal setting can be a great opportunity to network, but it can also reveal underlying issues or inconsistencies that need to be addressed. How Claire handles the situation with her fiance at the lobster feast will depend on open communication, understanding, and a willingness to navigate complex relationships. Both stories emphasize that while challenges and conflicts are inevitable, how we deal with and resolve them can lead to meaningful outcomes and personal growth.