I cook many of my own meals, but I do enjoy dining out with friends and family. Last weekend, my parents and I planned to meet for dinner at a local steakhouse. We got to the restaurant a little later than usual. I greeted the hostess and asked "Are my parents here yet?" She replied, "I haven't seen them yet, but I'll put your name down". She then confirmed our usual requests. We preferred sitting at a table over a booth and although all of the servers were very nice, there were two that we had become particularly close to over the years.

Since the waiting area was packed, my family and I migrated over to the bar area of the restaurant. Right as I picked up the glass of water I had ordered from the bar, we see our favorite server. She greeted us and almost instantaneously walked us back to her section. She then walked over to the hostess to tell her to cross us off the list since we had been taken care of.

I know bypassing a thirty minute wait is not life changing, but my family and I felt like VIPs that night. Such a simple gesture had us smiling all night long.

Just like the television series Cheers used to say, we've finally found a place where everyone knows our name.