Pre-Meal for Aug 6, 2025Two Questions

Happy Wednesday!

There are two questions I get asked all the time.

The first: “It’s easy to show hospitality in a restaurant; that’s the whole point of a restaurant! But I work in [fill in the blank]... what can I do?”

The second: “Sure, these Unreasonable Hospitality moments are great for the people who get them, but what about everyone else?”

Recently, a friend of my dad’s provided me with a beautiful answer to both.

His name is Joe Clarke, and he owns two UPS stores in Sarasota, Florida. A mailing franchise might not be the first place you’d look to find inspiration for game-changing hospitality. But if you looked at Joe’s, you’d find it.

After reading Unreasonable Hospitality, Joe put a new policy in place: every employee is required to comp one customer during every shift. The employee chooses who and why, no questions asked, as long as a client sends a package for free.

Their customers love it. Wouldn’t you? You come in to mail a package — which is a chore, let’s be honest — and the person behind the counter smiles and says, “You know what? This one’s on me.” Of course you’re going to walk out of that store with a bounce in your step, and not just because you’re carrying one less box. Who’s expecting to receive that kind of love at the UPS store?

But the real genius of Joe’s strategy is that it’s not just the lucky customer who benefits. If you’re on that team, and you have to choose someone to comp, you start to pay closer attention. You start asking yourself: Who deserves it today? Is it going to be the regular who always comes in with a joke and a kind word? The woman who looks like she’s having a tough week? The guy who’s bursting with excitement about the birthday gift he’s shipping to his nephew?

In a business where it’s easy to go on autopilot, Joe created a system that inspires presence. His team doesn’t just serve every customer — they see them.

Thank you, Joe, for proving that Unreasonable Hospitality is possible, even in the most unlikely places. And that when it’s done right, it doesn’t just touch one person — it lifts everyone.

Have a good service,

Will