And Once In a While Jordanian Service Goes Above and Beyond: Rare Kudos From MommaBean

Yesterday the whole bean family headed out to lunch to celebrate ButterBean's birthday. We let the Beans pick where they want to go and these days the preferred favorite is Chili's. We went to Chili's for a regular Bean lunch (read that as 2 hours before any self-respecting Jordanian would consider eating lunch). When we arrived (and in fact for 3/4 of the meal) we were the only ones in the restaurant.

The service was, in general, quite good. Our waiter is one of those who know us from the good old days of Bennigan's. It was a sad day for service in Jordan when they closed their doors. But, on the plus side, the folks they trained have moved on to other restaurants. At any rate, as a result of his fine training, this waiter always provides excellent service. After our meal, we ordered a molten chocolate cake thing to celebrate the birthday.

For those who may not be aware, the servers at such places do a rousing (if terribly off-key and often in questionable shape) rendition of Happy Birthday to you. It is embarrassing to most adults, but kids really seem to love the over-the-top experience. So, it took longer than usual for them to come and sing to us. I joked with El 3atal and MimiBean that they were going out back to see if there were any deliveries coming in so they could task the driver with singing. Finally, after maybe 10 minutes, they all gathered around for the Happy Birthday extravaganza. The choir was made up of the servers, the Kitchen Crew, and the chef. I kid you not... they didn't let a little short staffing impact their ability to deliver the over-the-top experience that ButterBean wanted. She shyly smiled with a light in her eyes that could have powered Amman for a year. She loved it.

So, kudos to Chili's, Mohammed (our wonderful waiter), and the entire (and I do mean entire) Friday crew. You made a little girl very, very happy! Oh, and you showed other restaurants just what responsive service is. You go guys!

Happy Birthdays!