How many restaurants are in your city? Or in a city that you are planning to visit? Which one will you recommend – without hesitation. Or should I say, which one would you make a reservation for?

What makes one restaurant stand apart from the others? Is it the food? The ambience? Or the people?

This afternoon, my wife & I were finishing up our trip to Boston. We had our minds – and appetites – set on sitting at an Oyster Bar and slurping away. We took a cab downtown only to find the restaurant closed because of a natural gas leak.

To put it mildly, we were greatly disappointed.

But just a few bloks away was Hanover St. – a street filled with Italian restaurants. We had dined on this street earlier in the week and thought that we should try another one of the many Italian restaurants crowded in this area of town. But which one to choose?

Our choice was made for us! By Guilio- a wonderfully vital 70-year old man. He saw us looking at the menu from the street. And then … he just appeared and said,”If you come into my restaurant, I promise that you will have a wonderful experience.” And it was!

Guilio sat us by the window and quickly said, “Michael, come over and take care of our new friends!”

Both Guilio and Michael took very good care of us. Lots of good-natured banter; lots of insider tips about the menu; lots of personal care. The food was great. But Guilio and Michael turned this into a truly memorable meal – one that my wife and I will recount to our friends and colleagues for many years to come!

We will send them lots of business based up our recommendation. Wouldn’t you like to have lots of unsolicited referrals for your business?

You can – just delight your customer. Make thier experience with you a memorable one. Those memories will turn into stories told. Those stories will in turn become referrals for your business. The best advertising you caan’t buy – word-of mouth recommendations!

The best part of the day with Guilio & Michael? Easy!

My wife wanted to take a box of Cannoli’s back to our family. There is a great Italian pastry shop up the street from the restaurant. But there was a problem – a line of 25 people waiting to get inside to join another line to order some Italian pastries.

That’s when Michael took charge of the situation. He took my wife by the hand and said, “Come with me.” He went into the pastry shop and went right to the front of the line, He whispered a few words to the owner. Within a few minutes, he presented my wife with a perfectly wrapped box of Cannolis – specially packaged for the plane trip home.

By the time they returned to the restaurant, I had already decided that Michael was going to receive a very large tip from me. And my recommendation that all of my friends patronize his restaurant.

The food was great. The ambience was warm. But it was the people – Guilio and Michael who made the meal memorable. You can bet that we will return there soon – and often!