On a warm Saturday afternoon in the summer, I had been shopping all day with 5 of my close friends. We decided to order take-out from a local Chinese restaurant that I knew to have excellent food. Being young and not having much experience with electronic tender, we read the “No Credit Cards” sign in the window and stepped inside, intending to pay with our debit cards. Not one of us was carrying cash. She asked each of us what we would like, then called back to the kitchen with our orders. Almost before our large group was done ordering, our food started to appear in neatly packed take-out bags. One by one she called out our totals. Not having a credit card machine to process our cards, she told us we would need to pay with cash or check. We told her we didn’t have either, but would find an ATM nearby and be back to pay for our food. She said, “No, no! Take your food! Don’t let it get cold! Come back next week to pay for your food, whenever you can.” We were astonished. I had never experienced such care, and trust in our honesty. Of course, we drove to the nearest ATM and immediately paid for our food, but I will always remember the above-and-beyond customer service that this small restaurant practices. Since then I have been back dozens of times with friends and family, and I recommend it as the number one Chinese restaurant in the city.
-Contributed by Melissa Brown