It's rare these days to find the exceptional restaurant...the one that you want to return to again and again and even deem it your "hang out" or "your restaurant". But, when you do find that special place...how can you keep it a secret?
My husband and I were on our way home from church trying to decide where we wanted to eat. I said to him..."Hey...how about that windmill restaurant on 1604"? He said, "Do you mean El Papalote? You know, Dear, El Papalote means 'the windmill'". "Really? Well, let's go!"
It was somewhat cold and rainy the day we went...so I was very surprised to see someone running out to our car with an umbrella to shield us from the wet on our way in. Score "1" for the new restuarant. From the moment we sat down, to the time we left our waiter bent over backwards to be sure every need was met. The manager also came over to greet us and answer our questions about the background of the restaurant. It was Monterrey based and they had now expanded to several more places in the United States. He was incredibly friendly and also took the time to make sure we had enough chips (which, btw...were amazing with the green salsa!) and drinks.
My favorite part of the whole meal was their corn tortillas that my beef fajita meat surrounded. Oh my! Never have I loved corn tortillas more! The meat was perfectly seasoned and the fries (Yes...seasoned fries with tacos!) were a nice side dish to my meal. All in all...great food...great service...and a great experience.
What I didn't share was...I suggested this place to eat because I knew I could get airline miles with each dollar spent. I could also get additional miles for rating it. No problem there...I was happy to give a good review.
Here's the kicker and the reason why I am taking the time to write about this amazing restaurant... I heard back from the owner of the restaurant. Here's his letter to me:
Hello! Thank you very much for taking the time to post a comment in the web site. My name is Jesus Garcia, I am the owner of the restaurant. I take my customers' comments very seriously, and as such, I appreciate the good ones as well as the bad ones. I appreciate your comments, I am glad you liked our food and service, and I trust you can tell that to more of your friends!. Thank you once more for taking the time to write a comment, thank you for your business, and I hope we will have a chance to see you back at the restaurant. If you have any other comments, feel free to e-mail me at: jesusgarcia@elpapalote.com. We hope you find this response useful.
Honestly?? I about fell over when I got the letter. I could tell it wasn't a canned response and felt like he truly cared about what I thought of his place. We have returned to his restaurant many times and one time in particular...because my husband heard that he wrote me the letter above. It's rare that an owner will take the time to connect with his customers. They are usually focused in on bottom lines rather than finding out what folks really feel. This guy, however, get's it. He now has a "regular" to his establishment because he took a couple minutes to respond.
How about your business? How much time do you spend thanking those who use your services? Too busy? Don't think it matters? Think again...it does!
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