Logan's t-shirt

For the past few months, I have been thinking about a new Jenni’s Noodle House t-shirt. I wanted it to really acknowledge the mission of our restaurants and the attitude and devotion to service that has kept us in business for close to ten years.

Immediately I thought of Logan. My son has lived his entire life in one Jenni’s Noodle House or another, absorbing the culture, witnessing what it is to serve others and synthesizing the millions of different components that dance together in order to create functioning restaurants.

Even as a very small child, our businesses are child friendly, so Logan has never been one of those kids who didn’t understand what his parents did. On a very basic level, little Logan knew that Ma and Ba were going to a place where people make food and people buy food.

As Logan has gotten older, I believe that this knowledge of the place we work in and the respect we have for our staff, as well as the meaningful and authentic way we serve customers has rubbed off on him.

Which is why when we were sitting in the car one day and as a young child he turned to me and said, “When you say nice things, it makes the heart happy” it made perfect sense. This was a child that understood that one action creates a direct reaction, whether it is treating people well, being nice to strangers or just the simple act of taking good ingredients and making a wholesome meal – Logan understood what our businesses were built on.

I am proud to present, the latest Jenni’s Noodle House T-Shirt, a special Logan edition. I hope it means as much to you as it does to me.

Play Fair, Play nice.

Today, I received an email from a disgruntle guest before the kitchen even started on their food ticket! It made me wonder… has technology reverted our behavior back to childhood, full of temper tantrums and tattle telling or can’t we all just be adults here. Don’t misunderstand, you can complain. Just, give my staff and me an opportunity to make it right, right now.

I opened the first Jenni’s Noodle House in 2001, so I have heard my share of complaints, we don’t always get things right, service isn’t always perfect and not everyone is going to like the way and the how I prepare the food I serve. I understand. I am a big girl, I can take it, I didn’t get past the two year mark in the restaurant business not hearing any complaints and not knowing how to make things right. Don’t forget, I am a customer too, and I feel the same way sometimes. Having a business of my own has taught me that the present moment is a precious ingredient in creating a positive now and a lasting future. Technology may change, but one thing is always true ‘you can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar.’ Keep that in mind as you go through life, feel free to complain, but do so in way that makes it a positive experience for everyone.