Image001

I recently received a generous gift card to Ruth’s Chris Steak House.  I figured what better place to take my special girl for Valentine’s Day than to a great steak house for a nice romantic meal.  I was totally impressed with the entire experience.  It started when I went to the website – it was an excellent layout and easy to follow.  Then I received a confirmation email that made me feel like they were looking forward to our visit. 

The hostess and waiters (Scott and Brad) were extremely polite and professional.  Jeanne ordered an appetizer and offered me a taste of her French onion soup with her spoon.  Our waiter, who I did not think was near us, soon appeared with a spoon so I could share her soup – impressive service.  When the party near us vacated their table I was impressed with the attention to detail as the waiters set the table.  When our salads came the waiter placed our plates in exactly the same way so the cut tomatoes were in the same position in front of us, again incredible attention to detail! 

Jeanne ordered Chicken Louisanne and I ordered a steak.  When our waiter brought my steak out it was SIZZLING!  The smell, the sight, the sound, and the taste were GREAT!  I love their bread pudding (I’m convinced their bread pudding will be in heaven) but I was too full to eat it so our waiter got us an order to go.  As we left the restaurant they had a bowl of mints by the hostess station.  As we unwrapped our mints we discovered these were not the cheap ones – these were the good buttery ones.  Again, they demonstrated attention to detail in the seemingly little things.  From start to finish it was a great experience. 

As I reflected on our visit I thought of the church – what type of experience do we provide for our guests?  What can we learn from our visit to Ruth’s Chris for our church experience?  From our website to the benediction is it an experience where people have a genuine encounter with God?  Do we pay attention to the little but important details that yield big results?