School is out for the summer, and we are all starting to look ahead and make plans for what we want to do over the next 11 weekends. This week, I want to give updates on a few things I first mentioned a few weeks ago, and I want to spotlight a few summer events I haven’t mentioned in the recent summer preview pieces. Before that, though, I need to tell you a story that echoes as a reminder to a piece I wrote this time last year and will be very important on your own summer journeys. It starts as so many stories start for me — with coffee.
Over the weekend, after wrapping up our large, biweekly grocery shopping trip with our oldest son, I needed an iced coffee. The first drive-thru I went to had a long line, and after sitting in one spot for several minutes without much progress, I calmly decided I’d pull out and try the next coffee spot down the road. As I passed the window, I noticed the driver was demonstrably gesturing to the local employee.
When I pulled into the next coffee spot, I was delighted to be the second one in line, and the vehicle in front of me was already ordering. And ordering. And ordering. Do you know how sometimes you can see the flash of the previous person’s order when you pull up? Well, this multifaceted order was nearly $40, and each order had a substitution or special request of some sort. Nevertheless, I ordered my coffee, and we progressed in typical fashion, with typical wait times until the vehicle in front of me was waiting for their food.
I expected it to take a little longer with the special requests, and the food and drinks came out in a very reasonable time — maybe 30 seconds longer than a regular order. I saw all the bags and drinks go into the vehicle, and then we waited. For 20-30 seconds. Then the pointing started. The employee reached their hands out, and three unwrapped sandwich-type items went back from the vehicle into his hands. Then more pointing.
A minute or two passes, a fresh bag appears from the drive-thru window and is snatched by the driver. Another 20-30 seconds pass, and the pointing resumes. Then the driver points past the employee (the international sign of wanting to speak to the manager). A different set of hands come to rest on the drive-thru window, not those of a younger employee but those of an older one. The driver places two sandwiches into the older hands.
A minute or two passes. The driver is flailing their arms, clearly reliving each moment with the others in the vehicle while their window is still down in clear range of the store employees. A bag reappears, another 20-second pause, until the driver, now satisfied, drives away.
I pull up to the window and the young employee is clearly unsettled. I’m not sure if this was their first job, but they couldn’t have been old enough to have this be their third job. In a shaky voice they stammered, “I’m so sor— I, um, I apologize for the wait.” I looked them dead in the eye and said, “You apologize for nothing. I’m so sorry you have to deal with people like that. You’re doing great.” They said, “thank you,” and I pulled away with my iced coffee. The lid wasn’t on all of the way. I took a sip and some of it spilled on me. What did I do? Did I pull into a parking spot and go in and complain? Did I try to ruin that kid’s day even more? No, I got a napkin out of the glovebox, wiped off the small spot and went about my day. Because I’m an adult, and I respect others.
I told this story to a friend just yesterday. They told me about an encounter they had in a coffee shop where, as a customer, they actually stepped in and asked the customer in front of them to stop talking to the barista that way.
And this is the reminder. For the most part, every business is still short-staffed, just like they were last summer. And like last summer, when I told you that part of your enjoyment will rely on your ability to lead with empathy and kindness in these businesses, it’s even more true today. Expect some delays. Expect that your server will probably have one or two more tables in their section to take care of. Expect lines. And know that everyone is trying their best, and nothing gets easier if you shout about how your expectations aren’t being met. Be more kind. Trust me, it will lead to happier days.
With that, a quick list of reminders and new events:
• Our chamber’s guide for the region, the “2023 Eat Play Stay Companion Guide to Bath-Brunswick & Midcoast Maine,” is being delivered this week! Some advertisers already have it, and we are getting 100 cases at the office in the coming days. Look for it in our info centers and on store countertops as early as next week.
• We are finishing up a six-month regional calendar of events that will have 700-plus events listed by date. We were shooting for a mid-June release, but we are waiting on 50-60 more event dates to get confirmed. Look for it by July 1.
• Motor Booty Affair is going to rock Cook’s Lobster & Ale House in Harpswell with their annual Party on the Point, featuring fireworks on July 8. Though it’s a few weeks away, over half of the tickets are sold, so get them quickly — check out Cook’s on Facebook for more details.
• Our next two Chamber After Hours (5-7 p.m.) are June 27 at Iris Eats in Harpswell and July 13 at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.
Cory King is executive director of the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce.
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