A hundred years ago Mark Twain said, “We picked up one excellent word – a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get… It is the thirteenth roll in a baker’s dozen. It is something thrown in gratis for good measure.” I also learned the word on my first trip to New Orleans. It was used to describe the little something extra that makes all the difference. It is the reason that the gumbo at one restaurant is better than that at another and you can’t determine why from the recipe. I am a critic of lousy service. Several years ago I decided that I should be equally aggressive in recognizing something extra service. Each month I pick one business that has provided extraordinary customer service and make a donation to a charity of their choice.
Regular readers know that each year I do a Café to Café event for motorcyclist where participants ride to and enjoy the cuisine of 15 Cafes distributed between British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Northern CA.
My Triumph 1200 is relatively new, with 10,000 miles. Triumph of Seattle is a busy local shop and the place that services my bike. In preparation for a six-day ride, new tires were installed two weeks prior to the ride. During the process, leaking fork seals were discovered. This is serious, because no rider wants hydraulic fluid on brake rotors. The new seals were on back order from the supplier. The guys at Triumph of Seattle searched and found the needed seals. The also created a spot in a shop calendar that was fully booked for three weeks and got the seals replaced two days prior to my departure. That is something extra in the way of service.
Thanks Daniel and Solomon for the Lagniappe level of service.
A Route 2 contribution is being made to Two Wheels for Life in recognition of the fine service provided by Triumph of Seattle.
