UNIT 2: HOME AND NEIGHBORHOOD
My name‿ is Nina. I have been‿ a regular‿ at the same cafe for seven years,│ and‿ I have watched three other places‿ open│ an(d) close‿ on the same street. The difference,│ I am convinced,│ is not the food.
The cafe that survives has slower service,│ a shorter menu,│ an(d) slightly higher prices. What‿ it has‿ instead‿ is‿ atmosphere‿ an(d) consistency:│ the same staff,│ the same coffee,│ and‿ a landlord│ who remembers your name. The places that failed were betterbe-der decorated‿ an(d) louder‿ on social media,│ but their reputation was built‿ on‿ a few good photographs rather than‿ on word‿ of mouth. One‿ of them changed‿ its menu every month,│ which‿ is‿ exciting for‿ a restauran(t) critic‿ and‿ exhausting for‿ anybody│ who wants‿ a regular breakfast.
What customers rarely see is the economic reality. Hospitality runs‿ on very small margins,│ an(d) the staff turnover‿ is‿ enormous│ because the wages‿ are low an(d) the hours‿ are‿ unsociable. When my pasta was‿ undercooked las(t) month,│ I complained,│ an(d) the manager compensated‿ us with‿ a free dessert. He did not have tohafta. I think‿ a complaint‿ is‿ a gift,│ and‿ a restauran(t) that treats‿ it that way is one‿ I will return to for‿ another seven years.