Sales increased.
Expenses decreased.
Every Monday, Kyle emailed professional reports filled with attractive charts.
I’d glance at them late at night and feel relieved.
Then the complaints began.
One came from Walt Henshaw, a seventy-four-year-old customer who had eaten breakfast at Rosie’s almost every weekday for nine years.
He always ordered two eggs, rye toast, and black coffee.
His email was short.
Frank, I don’t want to cause trouble, but I’ve stopped visiting. Your restaurant doesn’t feel welcoming anymore. I hope everything is okay.
I asked him what happened.
He never replied.
A month later, another customer complained that her family had waited forty minutes despite several empty tables.
Then more messages arrived.
Employees seemed unfriendly.
Regular customers felt unwelcome.
The atmosphere had changed.
I contacted Kyle.
He immediately reassured me.
“Frank, we’re running a more professional operation now. Some of the old customers were accustomed to sitting around for hours without spending much money.”
