Someone Cares: Try A Little Tenderness

A Cracker Barrel employee unexpectedly gets well-deserved compliments from a grateful customer.

An artist's rendering of a smiling Cracker Barrel employee

Something went wrong with the take-out pot-roast dinner I ordered from Cracker Barrel. The beef was as tough as shoe leather, the vegetables were undercooked and they had forgotten to put bread in the bag. I called to let them know my disappointment. 

They had a new dinner ready for me in half an hour. They went above and beyond simply fixing the mistakes. There were extra carrots and new potatoes – both tender- and there was a note from the person who prepared the meal: “I know you like our strawberry preserves and our biscuits, so I gave you two servings. Your friends at Cracker Barrel.”

My dad always said about the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers, “Can you believe only one came back to say thank you?” So I picked up the phone and called Cracker Barrel to express gratitude. The person on the other end immediately assumed something else was amiss. “Is the meat still not tender?” she asked. “Oh it’s wonderful,” I told her. “Everything is. I just wanted to let you know.”

There was a long pause. “No one ever calls to tell us something is right.” Now I make it a habit to do so. And you know what? It’s fun to give unexpected – and well-deserved compliments.

Learn more about Someone Cares greeting cards!

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