When Chris Kyle’s daughter Ava received a new kitchen playset, she invited him to come for a meal at her restaurant, Ava’s Kitchen. The dutiful dad agreed and soon after he posted a review of his visit. The Instagram post went viral.
So I tried to support another Black Owned Business for lunch today. It’s called Ava’s Kitchen, just opened end of April. It’s a very clean establishment, but whewww let me tell you about this owner.
First off, I asked why there are balloons on my chair, and it’s not my birthday? She talm’bout, mind yah business; those are Mommy’s.
I been waiting on my order to get done for 45 minutes, and I’m the only customer here. She was making good progress at first, then she stopped for 20 minutes to go watch Paw Patrol.
Overall the customer service could be better, but the cook is a cutie; so I’ll give her another chance. Let’s not give up on Black businesses so fast after one mistake.
Kyle obviously has a soft spot for this particular business, but reading his post made me think about our reactions to those struggling to operate in the world around us right now. How often do we fail to give them the benefit of the doubt? It’s so easy to find fault with others when we all want something different. Just think about the various expectations organizations are faced with right now.
Opening your business invites condemnation from those you feel it should stay closed. Staying closed angers those who feel you should open back up.
Limiting how many can enter at once? Get ready for the backlash. Of course the same would happen if you opened to full capacity.
If you enforcing social distancing and ask customers to wear masks then you’d better prepare for bad reviews and name-calling. Relax those standards though, and others will call for a boycott of your business.
Navigating the current economic environment is difficult for everyone involved. Now, more than ever, we need to adopt an attitude of tolerance and support. Regardless of your political beliefs or personal preferences, keep this in mind – It’s not about you. It’s about all of us. We rise and fall together. When we work as one, we rise. When we argue and stay in the way of someone who’s trying to do their job, we fall.
I love Chris Kyle’s tongue-in-cheek review because it’s clearly underwritten with love for his daughter. What if each time we interact with others struggling to make their way through the current business landscape, we imagined our own children were the ones in charge? Wouldn’t we replace our impatience with compassion? Our disdain with understanding?
It doesn’t take much to be part of the solution. Just don’t be part of the problem. Picture your son or daughter on the other side of the issue and serve as a role model. Let’s work together and we’ll all come out stronger for the effort.
scottvoland.com 