Happy Easter and We Almost Don’t Have Your Table

He is risen, He is risen indeed! Easter is all about Jesus, but then after church and the fabulous brass playing Handel and the Choir singing and the preacher reminding us what it is all about it’s time for Easter to be about family.

As is our tradition my parents drive down from the farm to go to our church with us and have Easter brunch afterwards. It is generous that they forgo their Episcopalian ways for my Presbyterian practice, but as my mother said today at church, “It’s nice to see so many young people who obviously have jobs.”

This year one of Carter’s very best friends, Ashley and her Mom and little sister decided to come to our church with us. Of course the place was packed so we ended up not sitting together. Carter reminded me that Ashley was going to come to lunch with us. I had made a reservation at our traditional Easter spot two weeks ago so I called up this morning and left them a message adding one more to our table. Since we were originally a party of five I knew that making it six should not be an issue since they only have table sizes in even numbers.

Since my parents need aids to hear well I had requested the quiet, adult only room for lunch. When we arrived and the hostess started looking for our reservation it was quickly obvious that we were nowhere to be found. I told her the name of the room we requested and she gave me the, “You certainly don’t think we have room for you there,” look. If it were Christmas I might say we were offered the manager.

Having just left church with a charge to go out and do good in the world I held back and just took the horrible table in the loudest room that was set for eight with no name card on it, a sure sign it was a table for walk-ins.

After a very less than satisfactory meal, but well above average company we went home. Thanks to my making my reservation on my cell phone I was able to find the record of my call to make the reservation and let management know of the exact date and time. I see that in the future I am not only going to need to phone for a reservation, but ask for a confirming e-mail back about it and perhaps a registered letter. That is if I ever consider going back. I am getting very tired of mediocre food and lots of service excuses. Nobody likes when I have risen, because I’m not going to sit on the right hand of the father, but to instruct people how to run a successful food service business, and I’m no saint.