The Big Day Approaches

Tomorrow is Valentines Day and my crew is all pumped up to spread love throughout our restaurant and to our guests! Everyone was working on writing special messages of kindness and love to leave on a random table or somewhere in the restaurant for a guest to find. Tomorrow morning, though it's my day off, I'm going in right before open and, like a fairy of love and kindness, I will sprinkle joy all around our restaurant! Although some of our guests "don't get it" when they receive a love letter, I'm confident that on Valentine's Day, the reception will be much better, much easier to understand. I'm bringing snacks for the team too, to help them get through this busy day.

Seriously, just the fact that my whole crew is excited to do something completely selflessly for our guests is such a huge step forward for us! It is a culture change in itself!

One of the best letters I made, if you ask me. Hope it brightened someone's day.

It has been so much fun sharing the joy of watching people be surprised by a nice letter left on their table. It's as if we all have this fun secret that we can't wait to share with others. When I leave it on a server's table, I pull them aside and ask, "Has your guest seen the letter?" If the server didn't notice it, she'll say, "What letter?" with big eyes, surprised that her guests received one. Then we'll keep an eye on them together and report back to each other as we wait for the guest to discover our surprise. The server tells me any kind of reaction the guest shared with her and I smile. If the guest doesn't "get it" - they seem confused or maybe even a little "weirded out" as one server put it - then I just shrug. Not everyone will understand. I say, maybe they'll look up The World Needs More Love Letters online, then they'll get it.

A note of encouragement can be a powerful thing for anyone.

As I mentioned before, the team really loves finding the ones I leave for them. I've decided to continue leaving love notes for the team even after February. It is such a fun way to let them know how appreciated they are, to let them see that they are valued. And hiding the little notes is like hiding easter eggs for kids! So much fun!

Everyone wants to know that they are important, that they matter. Tell them!

It's going to be a BIG DAY tomorrow and I'm so excited! I'm going to make some love letters right now to prepare!