A Tale of Two Indians

The Roti Prata shop two doors away from our regular table has closed itself from business. It used to our regular Prata shop.

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Their final closure is not a surprise. When we used to frequent that shop, it was beaming with business. Often, we had to wait for a seat. The food was okay, but the service was virtually absent. There were two waiters, but they seem to develop a skill of standing in front of the shop staring into space. No frantic waving for them would get their notice. In other words, they conveniently choose not to see us.

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Then one day, as we could not get a seat, we wandered over to a similar shop two doors away. There, we were instantly greeted by a smiling waiter. The food was great and after we finished, they thanked us and told us they hope to see us again. It was a huge contrast in service, and since then it has become our regular Prata shop.

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Then over the weeks we saw the number of customers in our newly adopted Prata shop increasing, while the other shop that we frequent previously dwindling. By then, we were treated like 'members', as the waiters even remember our names and our choices for their dishes. Each time we went we were always greeted with "How are you today Sir?" Many a times, we made even unusual requests, like shifting our table into the open air, asking for fish curry instead of the usual lentil curry,...etc, and got promptly served. Nothing seemed too difficult.

As time goes by, about two years, we saw the previous shop we frequented gone worse and worse, and eventually, closing for business.

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The two shop sold almost identical dishes. Quality of food is about the same. The difference is in the service. The second shop showed they care - and that's what made more customers coming back.